Radar Detectors Help Prevent Speeding Tickets

[toobroketoretire]

I bought a couple of cheapo JC Whitney radar detectors in the late 1980's for about $50 each and have been using them ever since. As radar detectors operate under "line-of'-sight" they'll sense radar use from about 3 miles away when mounted on a C3 dashboard. When I travel out of town I try my best to observe the speed limits but for those times when I'm not paying full attention a "beeping" and "flashing' radar detector is a good wake up call to check my speed or slow down. It'll even detect a Highway Patrol approaching from the rear so they're a handy thing to have. Mine has two modes; a CITY mode and a HIGHWAY mode and the only difference is the CITY mode blocks out most of the microwave and other false alerts caused by security systems. And it has a volume control so a constant beeping doesn't drive you batty.

How many of you have a radar detector and which brand are you using?

 

[dougelam]

Do the police still use Radar?

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[Mac]

Do the police still use Radar?

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Yes, we do.

Mac

 

[dougelam]

Yes, we do.

Mac

Is it radar or laser or?
I was under the impression that detectors don't work like they used to

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[Mac]

Is it radar or laser or?
I was under the impression that detectors don't work like they used to

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Both radar and laser... but keep in mind these devices only serve to confirm the visual estimation of speed by the investigating officer. An experienced cop will be as accurate as radar and can articulate such in court.

Laser works well in that it's very target selective and accurate but it is limited to stationary deployments only. Rather than measuring speed, laser measures distance several times and then does a time/distance calculation to provide the speed.

Radar allows both stationary and mobile deployments but it is subject to spurious readings and difficulty in selecting targets in that a larger target can end up masking a smaller, faster target. For example, getting a reading on a Corvette passing a transport truck is difficult, if not impossible. The mass of the truck ensures the strongest returned signal will be the truck. That doesn't mean the Corvette gets away...

In many jurisdictions, radar and/or laser detectors are banned. Where they are legal, my experience is that laser detectors work but by the time they react, the laser has already confirmed the target speed. Radar detectors tend to be so sensitive, they provide ample false readings so drivers end up becoming complacent.

toobroke, I hope you don't mind me throwing these details out.

Mac

 

[dougelam]

So his detection device is useless just as I thought!

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[Mac]

So his detection device is useless just as I thought!

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Not necessarily but if he's reacting to radar three miles away, he's reacting to false signals and/or bounce since the effective range for police radar is typically less than a mile and the maximum range under optimal conditions is around two miles. Reacting to falses will keep him from getting a ticket but most drivers eventually start ignoring the falses and end up getting caught. That's most drivers; clearly toobroke is not an average driver.

I also believe hs is mistaken about how the radar detectors work. Rather than line of sight, radar detectors pick up the emissions from a radar set regardless whether they're line of sight or bounced. Basic detectors are nothing more than sensitive tuned receivers with a tuned directional antenna. The fancier detectors have multiple antennas which they use to detect the direction of the radar source as well as to do some false signal analysis. Line of sight will give the best/strongest signal but it is possible to get an equally strong signal bounced off of other vehicles (particularly large trucks with flat-sided trailers) or roadside features (buildings, signs etc) or any number of other unpredictable methods.

It is this propensity to give strange and/or spurious readings that caused some police forces to minimize or abandon radar... not because the technology was ineffective rather because the officers were not able to adequately explain these phenomenon in court.

Mac

 

[toobroketoretire]

Why I Use A Radar Detector

I like using a radar detector because a slow steady beeping tells me there is radar being used somewhere ahead or behind me. As the beeping gets faster and louder I know the radar is getting closer and pretty soon I'll see a Highway Patrol pass me. So its a good reminder to keep my speed in check.

 

[dougelam]

Can you say
CRUISE CONTROL!

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[LLC5]

Can you say
CRUISE CONTROL!

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That's what I use, especially on city streets where it is really hard to go slow. I just wish the damn things could be set down low enough for the 20 mph school zones, those are about impossible to maintain, all 3 of my vehicles only tap down to 24 mph which will get you a ticket in my area.

 

[dougelam]

Ours are 25mph, although no one drives it

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[Vettehead Mikey]

I see the OP has moved to Saudi Arabia, so wonder why the sudden interest in radar detectors.

 

[toobroketoretire]

Past Experience

When I am traveling out of town and away from civilization I often become mesmerized and forget to check my speed. When I begin hearing my radar detector beeping and see it's LED's flashing I suddenly realize I am not alone. There is radar being used in the distance and the beeping and flashing is a wake up call................check my speed! A couple of minutes later I see a Highway Patrol approaching but as I had already reduced my speed I have nothing to worry about. I don't use a radar detector to speed but rather to remind me NOT to speed.

 

[dougelam]

Without having a life he sits in his garage staring at his vehicle basking in his glory of all his inventions as if he was the only one on earth, then humanity showed up one day and was totally oblivious to any knowledge!

And in his mind we all make mistake after mistake and her is here to correct that.

It's unfortunate that he can't take anyone else's experience for what is worth instead of fighting for his arrogance.

Does he really think nobody in this big world has thought, seen or tried things?

Its great that he shares things but it is erased by his closed mind!

JMO of course

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[Mac]

Although every level of government would deny it, lower speed limits have very little to do with driving safety. When scientifically studied, road designs are more important than speed limits. When the speed limit is deliberately set lower than the speed allowed by road design, traffic safety suffered for a variety of reasons.

Most speed limits come down to is nanny state thinking on the part of governments with an appetite for revenue gathering via traffic fines... and laziness on the part of police officers who write the "easy" ticket instead of finding ways to target unsafe drivers.

Mac

 

[dougelam]

It's probably hard for law enforcement to recognize unsafe drivers with lights and stickers all over their cars.

People straighten up when patrol cars are present!

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[Antz81]

Although every level of government would deny it, lower speed limits have very little to do with driving safety. When scientifically studied, road designs are more important than speed limits. When the speed limit is deliberately set lower than the speed allowed by road design, traffic safety suffered for a variety of reasons.

Most speed limits come down to is nanny state thinking on the part of governments with an appetite for revenue gathering via traffic fines... and laziness on the part of police officers who write the "easy" ticket instead of finding ways to target unsafe drivers.

Mac

A while ago the police here tried a zero tolerance on speeding over the xmas/new year period. It had the highest number of fatalities on the roads for that period if time in decades.

 

[Otter]

It's probably hard for law enforcement to recognize unsafe drivers with lights and stickers all over their cars.

People straighten up when patrol cars are present!

^yeahthat but around my area, all the lights have moved inside the vehicles, not to mention the multitude of unmarked vehicles, and there's no easy way to spot LEOs at a distance. It's gotten to the point where I don't let the car loose any more. Between tix and the insurance hit, its not worth it.

 

[navy2kcoupe]

That's what I use, especially on city streets where it is really hard to go slow. I just wish the damn things could be set down low enough for the 20 mph school zones, those are about impossible to maintain, all 3 of my vehicles only tap down to 24 mph which will get you a ticket in my area.

School zones around my area in Florida are at 15 MPH! Try maintaining THAT in anything but 1st gear!
The police have no sense of humor in those zones. It's gotten so that I've found alternate routes around
the 15 MPH school zones so I don't have to worry. I figure that I HAVE to pay Massachusetts and Florida
MORE than enough money, and don't want to voluntarily give them any more.
Andy

 

[LLC5]

School zones around my area in Florida are at 15 MPH! Try maintaining THAT in anything but 1st gear!
The police have no sense of humor in those zones. It's gotten so that I've found alternate routes around
the 15 MPH school zones so I don't have to worry. I figure that I HAVE to pay Massachusetts and Florida
MORE than enough money, and don't want to voluntarily give them any more.
Andy

Yeah, that is bad. Your might hit a kid staring at your speedo. Cops aren't even present in my area, it's mostly camera tickets.

I know a customer that got a ticket because they were not going the 20 mph stated on the sign 300 FEET BEFORE IT! Not posted anywhere, and no lines to tell you where the 300' marker is, if you even knew that the law existed.

F'ing revenue chaser states.