The Truth About Radar Detectors

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Current News : One Thread

Auto Tip
May 29, 2001
The Truth About Radar Detectors
Are radar detectors legal? If so, are they effective?

Tired of living in fear of being pulled over? Radar detectors can be effective in providing advance warning of speed traps, but there are a few considerations to keep in mind before buying one.

First, be aware that radar detectors are illegal in some states. Check with the DMV to determine if the local law will allow their usage.

Secondly, know that radar detectors are easy to lose, because thieves love expensive electronic equipment. You’re more prone to a break-in if there’s even a hint that your car is detector-equipped. That means you should hide both the detector and its power cord when you park, and that can seem like a hassle after a while.

Next, you should know that not all radar is the same. X-band was the first frequency band allocated for police radar detectors. (It’s now old technology, but the X-band gun is still in use because it can “see” around curves or over hills, as well as straight ahead.) X-band detectors soon followed. Score for a while: Motorists: 1. Cops: 0. The industry then came up with a better grabber called K-band, and a new generation of detectors appeared to sniff it out.

That was years ago. Most of today’s detectors can spot X-, K- and Ka-bands, as well as laser guns, so your ability to defend yourself would seem to be better than ever. Unfortunately, none of these bands are effective against “Instant-On” radar, where the radar gun zaps your car from within 300 yards. The name says it all, because you’re clocked almost instantly.

Also, one of the today’s more popular soak-the-speeder models is the “Smile! You’re On Candid Camera” system, which combines a radar gun with an automated camera. The picture shows the front of your car, license plate, date, time, location, and even your face. The radar raiders won’t even bother to fire up their roof lights; instead, they'll simply mail your ticket.

So while radar detectors can be effective against certain types of radar, they’re not going to single-handedly save your license. That part is ultimately up to you.
6 > For more info, check out iWon Autos
If you have any questions or comments about today's auto tip please email autotips@autoweb.com


-- Anonymous, May 30, 2001

Answers

6 > For more info, check out iWon Autos


-- Anonymous, May 30, 2001

Though it is now illegal for me (a truck driver) to use a radar detector, I tried them many years ago. They only worked then if the cop was lazy, and left his radar gun on. If the cop used an automatic on system, you could hardly avoid getting the ticket.

The nice thing about the return to higher speed limits, I seldom find I need to exceed the speed limit to maintain schedule.

Dennis

-- Anonymous, May 30, 2001


Auto Tip
May 30, 2001
A Rush Hour Survival Kit
What can I do to avoid gridlock?

Traffic standstill is like the great white shark in Jaws. As soon as you pull into the line at the on-ramp, you can hear the eerie soundtrack. It’s out there, it’s coming, and our best minds can’t seem to stop it.

The best way to avoid it, of course, is not to be there when it happens. So plan ahead. Check the radio for alerts and warnings. Read the newspaper in the morning to find out what’s going on in your community and when it’s happening. Then do what your department of transportation should have done for you years ago: work out perimeter routes. You’ll cover more distance, but in the long run, they’ll save you extra hours of anger, frustration, and a possible angioplasty.

Even with the most carefully planned escape routes, though, you can still get stuck. So be prepared. Depending upon where we live in this nation, we motorists carry a variety of disaster caches in the trunks of our cars. We’re ready for blizzards, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods -- you name it. However, we never seem to be prepared for the hours of grinding, infuriating, despair caused by gridlock and traffic jams, which are increasingly a simple fact of life.

I never leave home without my wait-it-out kit. It contains books on tape to take me out of there metaphysically if not physically, energy bars to sustain me and several large containers of my favorite bottled water to hydrate me. A cell phone and a Prozac or two are optional.

One last tip: Turn off your engine after five minutes of idling. If it overheats, when Officer Moses parts the traffic to let everyone through, you’ll be sitting there steaming and may become the cause of another major traffic tie-up.
6 > For more info, check out iWon Autos
If you have any questions or comments about today's auto tip please email autotips@autoweb.com


-- Anonymous, May 30, 2001

I hear ya Dennis. I thought about getting a radar detector, but they never use it on me. They always chase me down. LOL [never received a ticket in the mail]

I'm also not so sure about turning off the engine when sitting for five minutes in traffic. I read that to avoid overheating, you can turn the heater on to allow the coolant to go through more hoses to cool off. Just don't turn up the temperature on the heater. Of course, the new cars are not built the same, so I don't know if this works anymore.

Turning off the engine in traffic [at least in Miami] is not something that people around here will do on purpose. It gets too hot too fast sitting in your car without the air running, and the car next to you is always running because they didn't read this tip. right?

-- Anonymous, May 30, 2001


Dan owns STOCK in radar detectors....and also in the traffic courts!!!!!!!!!

-- Anonymous, May 30, 2001


Saro1...I have a system for speeding, if the need arises. Find a young man, in a new vehicle, pass him. If he passes you back within a five mile stretch, pass him again. I guarantee, you can't run fast enough to pass him again (grin) Young pride, I suppose, but have found it to work on many occassions. No speeding tickets since '84.

Now, if I could just find a way around those damn inspection stations...

Dennis

-- Anonymous, May 31, 2001


I've never bothered with radar detectors. Years ago I'd keep a CB radio on -- often you'd hear warnings of a bear in the grass in a certain area. But the language used got too raunchy after while and I abandoned that. Now I just keep uo with the semis (unless they're on a long grade!)

-- Anonymous, June 04, 2001

Moderation questions? read the FAQ