European member states may ban speed detectors such as Coyote from distributing information about traffic controls. The European Court of Justice ruled this on Tuesday in a French case.
Source: Belga
Coyote is a driver assistance system that warns drivers of dangers on the road. The app also provides notifications for fixed and mobile traffic checks and section checks. This is done based on information from users, who can report checks in the app to warn other drivers.
France wants to ban that possibility. The company behind the app, Coyote System, had taken the matter to the French Council of State, which referred the question to the EU Court. This has now ruled in a judgment that France – or another EU member state – may effectively ban Coyote from passing on information about traffic controls.
According to the Court, the fact that the company in question is established in an EU Member State other than France does not constitute an infringement of the free movement of services, as long as the ban serves public order, the protection of minors or public security. That is the case in this case, the Court ruled.
Belgium
In Belgium, traffic institute Vias requested a ban on reporting traffic controls via Waze or Coyote in 2024. Drivers with such a system often drive too fast because they think they are not at risk of a fine, spokesperson Stef Willems explained at the time. About a third of drivers at the time indicated that they used one or more such apps.
For the time being, such apps remain legal in our country. Flash detectors have been banned in Switzerland for years.