GPS-based detector sales to soar

GPS detector makers will cash in, one such predicts

By PH Staff / Monday, 17 January 2005 / Loading comments

A maker of GPS-based scamera warning devices reckons up to half a million motorists could face prosecution this spring. That's when a ban on radar and laser-based devices comes into force.

As a result, vendors of GPS devices such as Morpheous' RoadPilot are set to cash in big time, according to one such vendor. They believe that when the detector-banning Road Safety Bill becomes law, motorists previously undecided which type of warning device to buy will plump for GPS.

According to the makers of Cyclops, a GPS-based in-car warning system (above), the market for in-car driver aides has exploded during the past 18 months as the number of fixed speed cameras jumped to well over 5,000. During 2004, an estimated three million fixed penalty fines were issued, with thousands losing their licences in the process. Cyclops "conservatively estimates" that the number of vehicles carrying laser or radar detectors stands at over 500,000 today.

Despite the impending ban on the ‘use and carriage’ of these detector systems, Cyclops anticipates the Government’s plan will actually fuel the market for the safer GPS based alert systems.

"The ban on laser detectors is now pretty clear to the industry", said Cyclops' Steve Wreford. "However, clarification of the changes in the law for drivers will ‘unlock’ significant demand from consumers who have, up until now, been unsure of the legality of the different systems on the market."

With a maximum of six points for motorists caught exceeding the limit by a large amount speeding -- for example 45mph in a 30mph zone -- some could lose their licence in just two offences under the new legislation. This, said Wreford, will further stimulate the market for GPS systems even more.

"Sales of GPS driver aides will soar during the second half of the year," said Wreford. "Before now, the average motorist has tended to shy away from making a purchase fearful of buying a potentially illegal unit. That will change, and for stockists that could mean a doubling or trebling of annual sales by 2006."

Wreford likens the impending boom to the satellite navigation market. "Five years ago, it was labelled a luxury item. Today, it generates 500,000 sales annually as more and more people see the benefit. There is no reason why GPS driver safety devices won’t go the same way as road safety camera sites increase over the next few years."

www.cyclops-uk.com