A Sacramento-based startup called "Text to Ticket" wants to reward people $5 for reporting drivers who are texting and driving.
The startup is getting support from former Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson and has also signed a non-disclosure agreement with a city in California.
"In most states, the fine the driver gets is actually a build up of the fine amount and a bunch of fees associated with it," Steve Nguyen, co-founder of Text to Ticket, said. "When we're using the platform, our hope is that we can capture a portion of those fees and process the citation on behalf of the city or state."
In most cases, some of us may see someone driving distracted while we're behind the wheel. The app has a message that pops up that doesn't allow drivers to submit video.
"Whenever we launch the app and the video recording feature opens up, they have to click a disclaimer that they aren't texting and driving using the app," Nguyen said. "Another thing that comes into play is that we review every video and during that review process, we can verify whether that user is driving and trying to submit a video at the same time."
Nguyen said this shouldn't interfere with police work and insists the company is helping them by alleviating some of the workload they have.
CHP spokesperson Chad Hertzell said in the state of California an officer has to observe an infraction to write a ticket. Red light cameras are an exception.
Founders of the app are working with lobbyists on changing the laws to include personal video to be used as evidence for a citation.