The Cops and Radar detectors

[Blown&Injected]

Now that I have all your attention

I have just fixed my RD after years of driving without one. There are so many serious slackers around here (Maryland) that the police seem to be plenty busy when I drive by. Yes, I do drive too fast, but I do not tail gate or cut other drivers off.

I am wondering if you see me moving along at 15 or 20 over but being very conscious of my surrounding, as in use of signals and leaving other driver plenty of room, - this means that somebody will probably take the space I have left by cutting me off, would the presence of a RD on my dash influence your decision to pull me over?

For the purpose of this discussion, I am not attempting to entrap you guys into anything! I fully admit that I drive faster than the law allows, even after taking into account a 5 mph leeway + 5 mph speedometer error = 10 mph. In my defense, 10 over is the standard around here and I like to try to break free of the pack - they make me nervous. But yeah, I do move too fast like say 17 over, but I am not getting ticketed.

Makes me wonder if I should even use the thing.

If you cops think I mix it up with you, you should here the Valentine One vs. Passport debates I have with my fellow (gulp) speeders.

 

[scottyb]

I'm no cop, but here's my take on some of your questions.

I would mount the detector on the visor for 2 reasons. One, it has just a tad better range if it's mounted higher. I know not much, but some. Second, it's harder to see from Officer Mike Rowave's standpoint when he's standing there peering into my car, plus it's harder for potential thieves to spot as they cruise the parking lot. Plus mounting on the visor allows you to run the wire in the A pillar and hide ALL wiring.

I doubt that the cops can even see the detector from the range where they will clock you and make the decision to pull you over. I do believe that a visible radar detector will more likely get you a ticket if they have not "decided" before they talk to you, and I know cops that will use it as the "decision maker".

Regarding speeding, I used to drive like a bat outa hell. I really don't know how I got by without a ton of tickets. These days, I try to go as fast as possible WITHOUT being the leader of the pack. I always try to find someone who approaches the speed I'd like to go, but let them pass and be the "blocker". The only times I have received a ticket is when I'm the ONLY car on the road. Gee, I'm such a menace to society when I put others at risk.

Don't even get me started on speed laws, safety, and enforcement. I've written papers on it and could bore us all to death.

 

[Little6pack]

I have been driving for years without wasting my money on a RD.

I have found it comes down to you can get by driving 5 to 15 mph over the limit.

A lot depends on the time of day.

If you drive late at 1am like I do on way home from work.
You are the only one & will get bagged if going over 15mph for the area you are in.
I found that in our Sub zero New hampshire cilmate a cop doesn't want to stand out in snow, rain or cold weather asking you for a licsense.

When driving during the day cops are too busy to just sit & watch traffic. Actually this is another good time to speed. Or if you see the powered donut face syndrome on Mr PD.

When a cop drives past you in opposite direction (This happend to me at 1:15am today) They are looking for 3 things. speed, control, & defects on vehicle.

I was cruising at 50mph in 35 zone. at 1 am who the hell is around anyway..
I saw him slow to a crawl as I was coming by.
I WONDER DO THEY HAVE SPEED DETECTORS that work on oncoming cars as they are driving?

 

[scottyb]

Originally posted by littlesixsteve
I WONDER DO THEY HAVE SPEED DETECTORS that work on oncoming cars as they are driving?

If you mean, do radars work when they are moving?, then the answer is yes. In both directions, too.
Laser, on the other hand, is a hand-held, standing still device.

 

[ncgreg231]

Originally posted by littlesixsteve
I WONDER DO THEY HAVE SPEED DETECTORS that work on oncoming cars as they are driving?

as scottyb said, yes they do. I've seen some cars that have a radar pointing backwards, too!

I've been told that in Virginia, cops there are equipped with devices that would be able to detect an RD, or at least that they were, @ 6-7 years ago when I was in the Navy. I asked some of my buddies who worked on our ship's radar how that worked - and they explained that the attenna in the RD actually reflects a stronger signal back to the cop's radar than normal objects. Then the so called "undetectable" detectors started coming on the market which supposedly wouldn't reflect a signal back to the source. I came pretty close to buying an RD myself but never did.

Otherwise, ditto to what littlesixsteve said. I never speed by myself in light traffic, and I never "lead" a pack. Cold rainy days definitely have less chance of getting a speeding ticket, but that's not guarantee.

I'd think that most of the time, a cop is not going to see a RD until they are standing next to your car - or - unless the car positions, sunlight angle, RD placement is all just perfect that a cop can see it as you cruise by. Even then, it will only be a small speck in an already busy situation for the cop - hand on the radar controls, watching radar display, watching for the speeding car, watching the traffic for safe merging - but watch out b/c practice makes perfect, right? Also, there could be other radars that I'm not familiar with - ones that will beep with a pre-set speed, etc. I do know that there are methods of speed measuring that are purely visual (no laser, radar, etc) or checked by aircraft, so no RD will help you in that situation.

-Greg

 

[trading t/a]

Build your car with hneycomb panels to asorb the wave. Take your license plate off the front. Most states require it for one reason it has reflection properties to help with radar.

Or just drive slow! Oh wait forget that.

 

[Blown&Injected]

Originally posted by trading t/a
Or just drive slow! Oh wait forget that.

LMAO

 

[TurboJunky]

Originally posted by trading t/a
Build your car with hneycomb panels to asorb the wave. Take your license plate off the front. Most states require it for one reason it has reflection properties to help with radar.

Or just drive slow! Oh wait forget that.

Doesn't help unless you change the properties of your car to that of the stealth fighter.

If you're going 15 over I'm gonna stop you rain, shine, snow or whatever. If I stop you and see a radar detector you're getting 0 breaks, even if I stop you for something other than speeding.

 

[Little6pack]

TT/A do you stop Turbo guys just for grins?

 

[TurboJunky]

Nope, sure don't. Stopped a GN one time with an expired plate. He was an older guy who normally didn't drive the car, ended up talking to him quite a while. Come to find out he owned a TTA and Syclone both of which were stored. Warning issued for the plate....

 

[striker_29]

Radar don't work on my car. I keep it waxed to a really sweet shine

 

[2QWIK4U]

My family has been friends for years with the commanding officer of the Highway Patrol in SC,radar detectors aren't illegal here,he told us the SC Highway Patrol sees rd's as a help because when it beeps you slow down and that is what they want you to do anyway. (he also says it keeps him from having to get his fat...err butt out of the car in bad weather)

 

[ThikStik]

Yea 2Quik, that same logic was what spared CB from becoming illegal in the mid 70's for truckers. There actually was an effort to ban CB! The fact that it enhanced the area effect of a police car to slow traffic saved the CB privelage.
Best speeding thwarter? !
Hold up a bloody baby! (Use a lifelike doll of course).
Could cause problems if the cop car utilizes himself as an escort.

 

[lyonsd]

Originally posted by striker_29
Radar don't work on my car. I keep it waxed to a really sweet shine

In that case. your car would be even more susceptible to radar.

 

[scottyb]

Originally posted by 2QWIK4U
,he told us the SC Highway Patrol sees rd's as a help because when it beeps you slow down and that is what they want you to do anyway.

NO F'IN WAY?!?!?!
They actaully WANT you to slow down!!!
That's it! I'm moving to SC.
Here in Florida, they do things like pose as construction crews, time you with airplanes, pace you with unmarked cars, etc etc. Clearly these are revenue generating tactics instead of the task at hand, getting you to slow down!!! Here it's just the opposite, they want you to keep on truckin'.

If they really wanted us to slow down, then they should make themselves more visible, set up fake cop cars on the side of the road, and place unmanned radar on the side just to slow down people with detectors.

 

[turbojimmy]

Originally posted by ncgreg231
I've been told that in Virginia, cops there are equipped with devices that would be able to detect an RD, or at least that they were, @ 6-7 years ago when I was in the Navy. I asked some of my buddies who worked on our ship's radar how that worked - and they explained that the attenna in the RD actually reflects a stronger signal back to the cop's radar than normal objects. Then the so called "undetectable" detectors started coming on the market which supposedly wouldn't reflect a signal back to the source. I came pretty close to buying an RD myself but never did.

The newer models have radar detector detector detection and cloaking so they can't be seen by detector detectors.

Mine has been a great investment - paid for itself many times over. I cruise to work on a lot of back roads where the cops vigorously enforce the speed limits and issue bogus tickets in an effort to keep commuters out of their little towns and on the main highways.

I've never been nabbed with it so I don't know how a cop would react. You usually have enough warning that you're about to get nailed to take it down and stuff it under the seat. The suction cup spit marks all over the windshield give me away, tho.

Jim

 

[d0n_3d]

i've been pulled over in ohio going 72 in a 65!!! got a ticket for it too! with a radar detector...he was clocking people in the middle of the median behind a wall and it was broad daylight out...i was following flow of traffic and passing a semi...still got nabbed...i bet it was because i was from Indiana!!!

also been pulled over another time with a radar detector...53 in a 35...got ticket for that too...

also been pulled over locally in my GN...he never clocked me and he had no idea how fast i was going (i went WOT through an intersection to beat a light) and he told me "in my years of being an officer, i can tell you that you were NOT going anywhere near the speed limit...you were just a black streak" haha

STILL got a ticket even though he never clocked me...on the ticket it said "unreasonable speed" and had to pay $90

my conclusion? RDs aren't the save all!!! cops can flip on their radar going past you at anytime and you have NO chance to react because it's too late...i get this all the time...

 

[WakkoSS]

Originally posted by scottyb
I'm no cop, but here's my take on some of your questions.

I would mount the detector on the visor for 2 reasons. One, it has just a tad better range if it's mounted higher. I know not much, but some. Second, it's harder to see from Officer Mike Rowave's standpoint when he's standing there peering into my car, plus it's harder for potential thieves to spot as they cruise the parking lot. Plus mounting on the visor allows you to run the wire in the A pillar and hide ALL wiring.

I doubt that the cops can even see the detector from the range where they will clock you and make the decision to pull you over. I do believe that a visible radar detector will more likely get you a ticket if they have not "decided" before they talk to you, and I know cops that will use it as the "decision maker".

Regarding speeding, I used to drive like a bat outa hell. I really don't know how I got by without a ton of tickets. These days, I try to go as fast as possible WITHOUT being the leader of the pack. I always try to find someone who approaches the speed I'd like to go, but let them pass and be the "blocker". The only times I have received a ticket is when I'm the ONLY car on the road. Gee, I'm such a menace to society when I put others at risk.

Don't even get me started on speed laws, safety, and enforcement. I've written papers on it and could bore us all to death.

He's right...make sure someone is going faster than you. On long trips I pace a guy about 1/2 mile behind and watch for his brake lights.

I run radar alot but toggle the radar on and off. It's funny to see the nose of people's car dive when I turn it on. When I'm at stoplights I'll turn it on and off and on and off when I'm behind a car with a detector...figure I'm annoying the hell out of them by making that thing scream. During regular patrol hours, I'll leave the radar on but with the sound turned off so anyone with a detector will slow down...and compliance with the law is the ultimate goal, not money making, as some people on this board believe. Oh, and YES, we can accurately measure your speed coming or going, front and rear, while we're moving or stopped...and we're required by Florida law to take 40 hours of training and recertify our radars every 6 months. They are tested before AND after every shift. So the "his radar is broken...he doesnt know how to use it..." defense sucks.

Ah the games cops play...meow.

 

[2 QK 4 U]

Originally posted by WakkoSS
Ah the games cops play...meow.

This type of cockiness is what makes the world go around between the cops and law-breakers.

The police officer knows he has power over the general citizen and everyone else knows that too. So, why be that way man?

It took me 8 speeding tickets and 3 years of lic. susp (making the state a good dollar) to learn. Only thing learned is....99% of the time I'm the only one going the speed limit and fall victim to tailgating. After almost 3 years without a violation it feels pretty good.

I have thought about being a law officer. I asked myself why would I like it. Power. That scared me. So I just stuck with being an engineer.

This always brings up the fact that there should be more local race tracks to keep racing off the street(especially since that fast and furious movie came out) dam movie. If you have three or more speeding tickets you should be able to get in free at the race track ha ha.

Has anyone ever thought about this. when you travel at a slower rate it gives you more time to negotiate any hazards that may be in your path? I just thougt about that recently after a deer ran in front of my car.

Wakko....don't wear that switch out. The department might not like replacing it.

 

[turbojimmy]

Originally posted by WakkoSS
He's right...make sure someone is going faster than you. On long trips I pace a guy about 1/2 mile behind and watch for his brake lights.

I run radar alot but toggle the radar on and off. It's funny to see the nose of people's car dive when I turn it on.

In unfamiliar areas I usually pick someone to pace - even with the radar detector I don't like hanging it out there by being the fastest guy on the road. Keeping an eye on brake lights up ahead is key.

On my regular route to work I get to know where the falses are and brake for anything else. I haven't had a cop "instant on" me yet since all it takes is one other car up ahead to get blasted and I pick it up. I just listen for the anomalies - seems to work pretty well. I usually travel about 15 MPH over the limit without concern (other than deer). In the populated areas I stick within 5 MPH of the limit out of respect for the people that live there, not for fear of a ticket.

I've found that the biggest problem is driving cars WITHOUT a radar detector. I get so used to it that I find myself routinely speeding in my non-commuter cars without "protection".

Jim