NiftyFifty v2

Welcome to the Nifty Fifty support page.

Please feel free to ask questions, provide feedback, or request new features by sending a mail to [email protected]

Here’s a FAQing list to start you off :

Q. What does this app do, and why should I care?
A. Certain states use fixed cameras on highways to measure your average speed over long distances. I often find myself either way above the limit after a distracting call, or way below after hitting traffic, with no way of getting safely back to the limit. In order to avoid a potential fine I end up crawling along and arriving much later than expected.
Nifty Fifty simply measures your average speed as you drive. Just hit ‘Start’ when you pass the cameras at the start of the section and the display will guide you back to the legal limit every time.

Q. Can I choose between km/h and mph?
A. Yes, v2 allows you to switch on-the-fly

Q. What happened to the map from v1?
A. It was pretty but pointless. It’s gone…

Q. Is there an Android version?
A. Sorry, but our market research shows that Android users do not understand averages

Q. How does the app work?
A. Nifty Fifty uses the iPhone’s inbuilt GPS to track location changes and calculate the distance traveled since the Start button was pressed. This is combined with the elapsed time to calculate the average speed information displayed in the main page

Q. Is it accurate?
A. The straighter the road, the better the GPS calculates distance. Tests on extremely windy roads A7 from Serravalle to Genova) shows error of 100m over 10k (1%) – well within the typical tolerances allowed by most police forces.

Q. What about tunnels?
A. The app works by calculating the distance between the last 2 GPS reads. If the signal is lost in a tunnel then the app just waits for the next good signal. As the app draws straight lines between the coordinates, huge curves in the tunnel will lead to errors in the average speed.

Q. I got a ticket, will you pay / I crashed when I was messing around with my phone – is it your fault?
A. No, it’s clearly your fault – face the music!