Are radar dectectors worth it?

[indamixx99]

So if you get pulled over and a cop sees you have a radar detector? Does he say anything or laugh at you? I've considered getting one, especially after my last $380 speeding ticket. Are they legal in California?

Originally posted by: LS20
additionally, ive got a sports car, and its only got a 12v jack back at the elbow area... that means having the power line cutting down my passenger cabin in half... and then the fact that my external GPS unit will compete for the charging...

I've seen cigarette lighter splitters for cars. Basically turns 1 jack into 2 or 3. Not sure if they're safe to use though.

 

[OutHouse]

i got two tickets in the past 9 months. come to find out the cops have a new radar gun that works on a new band. both state and local have these new guns around here. so i just took my detector off and go the speed limit now.

 

[Captante]

Radar detecters do work as intended & when used carefully assist in avoiding traffic tickets from radar provided the radar is constantly on or that there is enough traffic so its being turned on frequently to sample traffic speeds so there is somthing to detect. Laser detecters are mostly a scam because the operate on line of site & cannot be picked up much outside of the range where you will already have been nailed... whatever kind of detecter you decide to go with its important to understand its limitations & realize theres no substitute for driving within limits of saftey (if not within legal limits) & keeping your eyes open.

Bottom line is that I wouldn't drive without mine, however if I needed to replace it I wouldn't spend more then $150 or so ... also note that while in-dash models are available, the problem they suffer from in many cases involves the placement of the receivers closer to the ground in locations like the front grill or tail-light enclosure which can shave precious seconds off of warning times, not to mention considerably higher cost.


Edit: Detecters are legal for passenger cars in all states except Virginia ... the best choice overall is still the Valantine 1 closely trailed by high-end Cinncinati microwave models but they are on the high end of the price scale too ... at lower cost BEL makes some decent units.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: indamixx99
So if you get pulled over and a cop sees you have a radar detector? Does he say anything or laugh at you? I've considered getting one, especially after my last $380 speeding ticket. Are they legal in California?

If you get pulled over and he sees the radar detector, it's pretty likely that your warning will turn into a ticket. When my wife got a ticket for 7 mph over the limit (she wasn't even speeding as she had just passed a speed limit sign that raised the limit by 10 mph, but the cop said she accelerated before she got to the sign), the cop asked her why she had a radar detector before he wrote the ticket.

 

[JackBurton]

Originally posted by: indamixx99
So if you get pulled over and a cop sees you have a radar detector? Does he say anything or laugh at you? I've considered getting one, especially after my last $380 speeding ticket. Are they legal in California?

Originally posted by: LS20
additionally, ive got a sports car, and its only got a 12v jack back at the elbow area... that means having the power line cutting down my passenger cabin in half... and then the fact that my external GPS unit will compete for the charging...

I've seen cigarette lighter splitters for cars. Basically turns 1 jack into 2 or 3. Not sure if they're safe to use though.

I got pulled over in my Camaro with my 8500 still attached to my windshield doing 90MPH+, and the cop said to me, "so, did your radar go off?" I said, "no, what did you hit me with?" Then we just started talking and he let me go with a warning. Cool cop.

Oh, by the way, this was in Texas.

 

[mobobuff]

In any state, is the useage of a radar detector illegal?

What about those IR devices that are supposed to change traffic lights in your favor? I would assume those are illegal. Slightly off-topic but I was wondering anyway.

 

[LS20]

Originally posted by: spidey07
So wire it directly to the fuse box and hide the wire. Makes for a very clean install.

just read about this.. looks like ill be doign it with X50

time to blow another 300$... but i figure the HASSLE of driving to pre-trial and court and back.. it will be worth it

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: mobobuff
In any state, is the useage of a radar detector illegal?

VA and DC

What about those IR devices that are supposed to change traffic lights in your favor? I would assume those are illegal. Slightly off-topic but I was wondering anyway.

Uh, yeah.

 

[LS20]

Originally posted by: mugs

If you get pulled over and he sees the radar detector, it's pretty likely that your warning will turn into a ticket.

Im as polite as a dapper as obedient as a servant and quiet as a mice and even with a perfect driving record... cant seem to catch breaks on stops lately... especially in the new car

cant change an ahole

figure ill just take my chances with a detector now...

 

[DarkThinker]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
i don't see the point, i know all the hiding spots they use along my commute, a radar detector wouldn't help

QFT

I studied my commute so well I know their rotations :laugh:

 

[DarkThinker]

Originally posted by: mugs
They do work, in that they detect radar...

However, they can give you a false sense of security. Just because it's not going off, that doesn't mean you're safe. Cops don't have to drive around with their radar on, they can just turn it on and nail you when they see you speeding.

In my experience, reasonable speeding won't usually get you a ticket. Everyone speeds. Doing something to draw attention to yourself will get you pulled over - i.e. changing lanes frequently, weaving in and out of traffic, tailgating, etc. In my 8 years of speeding I've been pulled over many times, and I've gotten some tickets, but I've only ever gotten one ticket for speeding. And that one was when I was driving through another state. I think cops prefer to pull over people from other states.

I never had an out of state cops encounter before, lets say there is a point involved and you are not from that state, does that point transfer to your state's DMV?

 

[mobobuff]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: mobobuff
In any state, is the useage of a radar detector illegal?

VA and DC

What about those IR devices that are supposed to change traffic lights in your favor? I would assume those are illegal. Slightly off-topic but I was wondering anyway.

Uh, yeah.

What would someone normally be charged with if they were discovered using such an IR device?

 

[Nyati13]

Originally posted by: mobobuff

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: mobobuff
In any state, is the useage of a radar detector illegal?

VA and DC

What about those IR devices that are supposed to change traffic lights in your favor? I would assume those are illegal. Slightly off-topic but I was wondering anyway.

Uh, yeah.

What would someone normally be charged with if they were discovered using such an IR device?

Probably something like "tampering with emergency equipment". Or something similar.

 

[kami333]

Originally posted by: DarkThinker

Originally posted by: mugs
They do work, in that they detect radar...

However, they can give you a false sense of security. Just because it's not going off, that doesn't mean you're safe. Cops don't have to drive around with their radar on, they can just turn it on and nail you when they see you speeding.

In my experience, reasonable speeding won't usually get you a ticket. Everyone speeds. Doing something to draw attention to yourself will get you pulled over - i.e. changing lanes frequently, weaving in and out of traffic, tailgating, etc. In my 8 years of speeding I've been pulled over many times, and I've gotten some tickets, but I've only ever gotten one ticket for speeding. And that one was when I was driving through another state. I think cops prefer to pull over people from other states.

I never had an out of state cops encounter before, lets say there is a point involved and you are not from that state, does that point transfer to your state's DMV?

Depends on if they are both a part of the compact and if it is something that has points in your state.

Out of state = probably won't contest

 

[SearchMaster]

Originally posted by: mobobuff

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: mobobuff
In any state, is the useage of a radar detector illegal?

VA and DC

What about those IR devices that are supposed to change traffic lights in your favor? I would assume those are illegal. Slightly off-topic but I was wondering anyway.

Uh, yeah.

What would someone normally be charged with if they were discovered using such an IR device?

I read a story about a guy who bought one off eBay and used it constantly for about a year. The authorities got suspicious when they checked the traffic cameras after noticing the light patterns were changing around the same time every day. He got hit with a whopping $50 fine and they confiscated the device. As I read the story, I was thinking that it would be worth $50 to be able to bypass all the red lights I hit in a year...

 

[alimoalem]

Originally posted by: SearchMaster

Originally posted by: mobobuff

What would someone normally be charged with if they were discovered using such an IR device?

I read a story about a guy who bought one off eBay and used it constantly for about a year. The authorities got suspicious when they checked the traffic cameras after noticing the light patterns were changing around the same time every day. He got hit with a whopping $50 fine and they confiscated the device. As I read the story, I was thinking that it would be worth $50 to be able to bypass all the red lights I hit in a year...

yea i heard about that too.

it seems there are quite a few people in here that think having a radar detector adds to their epenis. example: spidey07: " Plus most of the times it's constant radar anyway and you pick them up a few miles before you ever get there." oooh, okay, so when you're in a city's downtown, it never ShutsTFU? interesting. or for that matter, if you're in any urban area, it never stops beeping?

OP, if you were to get one, i wouldn't spend more than $100-150. if anything, pay for some speaking lessons...i've talked out of a 100mph ticket, and i have friends that have gotten out of equally "bad" tickets, whether it may have been for speeding or another offense (red light violations, etc.)

 

[jai6638]

Originally posted by: alimoalem

Originally posted by: SearchMaster

Originally posted by: mobobuff

What would someone normally be charged with if they were discovered using such an IR device?

I read a story about a guy who bought one off eBay and used it constantly for about a year. The authorities got suspicious when they checked the traffic cameras after noticing the light patterns were changing around the same time every day. He got hit with a whopping $50 fine and they confiscated the device. As I read the story, I was thinking that it would be worth $50 to be able to bypass all the red lights I hit in a year...

it seems there are quite a few people in here that think having a radar detector adds to
OP, if you were to get one, i wouldn't spend more than $100-150. if anything, pay for some speaking lessons...i've talked out of a 100mph ticket, and i have friends that have gotten out of equally "bad" tickets, whether it may have been for speeding or another offense (red light violations, etc.)

out of curiosity, on what basis did you plead? 100 mph is way too fast to say "oops.. didnt realize I was goin above the speed limit.. its 15 mph over though.. not a big deal.. spare me "

 

[sao123]

Originally posted by: SLCentral
Do they still work, and are they worth ~$200 to spend on it? I hate how obtrusive they are in the car, and how ugly they look with the wire going down to the cigarette adaptor. Can someone explain to me as to why they have failed to make an in-dash radar detector built-in to an aftermarket radio?

Bottom-line: Are radar detectors worth the cash, and if so, which one do I buy, or am I better off just looking for cops with my eyes?

drive the speed limit... FTW.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: alimoalem
it seems there are quite a few people in here that think having a radar detector adds to their epenis. example: spidey07: " Plus most of the times it's constant radar anyway and you pick them up a few miles before you ever get there." oooh, okay, so when you're in a city's downtown, it never ShutsTFU? interesting. or for that matter, if you're in any urban area, it never stops beeping?

OP, if you were to get one, i wouldn't spend more than $100-150. if anything, pay for some speaking lessons...i've talked out of a 100mph ticket, and i have friends that have gotten out of equally "bad" tickets, whether it may have been for speeding or another offense (red light violations, etc.)

A good detector rarely ever gives a false positive. If you get even a blip on the Interstate - it's police. That's another reason why if you're going to get one fork over the dough for a good one.