Radar detectors are a great alarm clock to remind used car drivers who may be zoning out that they are speeding and should watch out for police officers who may be more alert and mindful of traffic regulations.

But in tight economic situations, people may have to choose between an iPhone or other data-friendly cell phones or a warning device, and for residents of Virginia, radar detectors aren’t an option since the device is illegal for drivers traveling within state lines.

A new service called Trapster helps to fill in the gap by allowing users to incorporate Twitter and Facebook data about areas commonly used for traffic enforcement, using the GPS information transmitted by many newer phones to help locate hot spots.

“Helping friends avoid unnecessary tickets is a natural behavior, but we thought we could better support those inclinations with crowd-sourced data and real-time alerts via Twitter and Facebook,” said Trapster founder Pete Tenereillo. “People are using social media to alert their network of speed traps on the go, so we’re just making the process immediate, rich with data, and safer.”

Find New York Used Cars with New Jersey State Auto