Do you use radar/laser detectors?

[Spazdog]

Originally Posted By: NHHEMI


The main thing I take away from this thread is that BITOG is full of people with lead feet, who think any kind of law designed for safety is some kind of monitary grab, and who are paranoid of "the man".



Let me preface this by stating that I no longer use my radar/laser detector. I have to spend too much time locking out the garbage X and K warnings from...everything it seems like and like I said earlier, I might get a lucky laser bounce and a second or so warning beforehand but more often than not, the unit just screams like R2-D2 being blasted and shows "LASER" as my speed is being checked. Too late.

But there are certainly speed limits that are set strictly for monetary purposes.

One in particular I know of is in the uninhabited bottom corner of a small town. There is no change to the road surface, it's board straight, no change in direction, no major thoroughfares cross it, there are probably actually less county roads crossing it than other sections of this particular US highway, no reason whatsoever that the speed limit should drop 15 mph and yet it does.

There is virtually always a small town cruiser hidden behind a little grove of cedar elms and post oaks right after the speed limit change. If he's not there, he's got someone pulled over.

Nothing else changes from town to town on this highway. County roads so unimportant that they just have numbers, not names cut across periodically and the speed limit is set at 65. But you get to this one little town and it drops to 50mph. And nobody lives there! There are no homes. No businesses. Almost like the little town annexed that section just for the cash grab.

yeah, I push a little on the other side of the speed limit. I posted a pic of my Mazda at 80mph (in a 75mph zone) Guess what! Except for a couple of heavily loaded, old soot spewing Ford F-350 IH 6.9s and Dodge Ram Cummins 6BTs hauling hay or whatever at 60mph, I was one of the slowest cars on the freeway. Hanging out on the right letting everybody pass.

Pass a state trooper? Wouldn't even look twice at me at 80. There's a much bigger fish to catch if he just waits one more minute.

 

[DBMaster]

There is a relatively small town on Hwy 174 between Burleson and Cleburne call Joshua. What I am about to state is NO JOKE or ANECDOTE. When I lived in Fort Worth and my ex-wife had to drive to Cleburne for her job I noticed that there was a speed limit sign that indicated a drop in the speed limit of 10-15mph (don't recall the exact numbers). The city would MOVE the sign periodically, changing the effective zone by a few hundred yards. Every time they moved the sign further out a patrol car would be positioned to take advantage of the new revenue source. I kid you not!

Perhaps they don't do this anymore. I am talking about the early 90's.

I call that behavior criminal and reprehensible.

 

[Spazdog]

Originally Posted By: DBMaster
There is a relatively small town on Hwy 174 between Burleson and Cleburne call Joshua. What I am about to state is NO JOKE or ANECDOTE. When I lived in Fort Worth and my ex-wife had to drive to Cleburne for her job I noticed that there was a speed limit sign that indicated a drop in the speed limit of 10-15mph (don't recall the exact numbers). The city would MOVE the sign periodically, changing the effective zone by a few hundred yards. Every time they moved the sign further out a patrol car would be positioned to take advantage of the new revenue source. I kid you not!

Perhaps they don't do this anymore. I am talking about the early 90's.

I call that behavior criminal and reprehensible.


Sounds more like their next-door neighbor Keene.
Seventh Day Adventist town. Until recently, you couldn't buy meat there let alone cigarettes or alcohol. And there was nothing open on Saturday.
They actually have a reason for dropping the speed limit. They built their elementary school right off of US 67.

Elementary school? Good reason to lower the speed limit. But that raises the question as to why they would build an elementary school right on US Route 67 that has existed since the 1920s?

Let's endanger our children so we can build a speed trap!

 

[DBMaster]

When did they do this? I am talking about 1991. I am also talking about Hwy 174, not 67.

 

[Bladecutter]

Originally Posted By: NHHEMI
Originally Posted By: Bladecutter
Originally Posted By: NHHEMI


I am afraid your analogy is flawed.

You can own/use a gun for many legal reasons. A radar detector however has one use - to help a driver not get caught speeding which is breaking the law. Actually having a radar detector in your vehicle in and of itself is illegal in many states so it is a double whammy.

There is only one reason to have a radar detector in your vehicle and it isn't for something legal. So your analogy to gun ownership does not work.


The only one with flawed logic in these two posts, unfortunately, is you.

There is only 1 state with a law on the books that makes having a radar detector in operation in your vehicle an illegal act. Possessing it isn't illegal, however, otherwise that one state would have barriers at their state borders to pull over a large number of drivers passing through their state.


There is nothing wrong with my logic.

1st of I said "some states" not all as I didn't have a list right in front of me to know an exact numbers of what was illegal where.


Please look up, where I pointed out that you very specifically said many states.
Not some. Not a few. Many.

Anyway, you could specifically use a bow and arrows for target shooting.
Heck, a compound bow and arrow if you really need more speed.
Better yet, a slingshot and rocks, which, again, requires way more skill to hit your targets than a gun.

Why don't you admit that a gun's primary purpose is to kill things?
And that it's secondary use is to put holes in targets, some of which are animals and humans?

A radar detector's primary purpose is to detect radar signals being used to measure the speed of objects. Heck, some radar units are used on baseball fields, to measure the speed of pitches. Maybe I'm just out watching for errant baseballs being tracked by little league coaches while I'm driving down the highway?

You're right, this fun is thread.
I'm getting a good chuckle out of it, anyway.

If I feel like I can use a warning that there's a speed measuring device ahead, and I am legally allowed to use it, I will. I also have a GPS in my car, just so I know I'm actually doing 60 mph, instead of 62.

BC.

 

[NHHEMI]

Originally Posted By: Bladecutter
Originally Posted By: NHHEMI
Originally Posted By: Bladecutter
Originally Posted By: NHHEMI


I am afraid your analogy is flawed.

You can own/use a gun for many legal reasons. A radar detector however has one use - to help a driver not get caught speeding which is breaking the law. Actually having a radar detector in your vehicle in and of itself is illegal in many states so it is a double whammy.

There is only one reason to have a radar detector in your vehicle and it isn't for something legal. So your analogy to gun ownership does not work.


The only one with flawed logic in these two posts, unfortunately, is you.

There is only 1 state with a law on the books that makes having a radar detector in operation in your vehicle an illegal act. Possessing it isn't illegal, however, otherwise that one state would have barriers at their state borders to pull over a large number of drivers passing through their state.


There is nothing wrong with my logic.

1st of I said "some states" not all as I didn't have a list right in front of me to know an exact numbers of what was illegal where.


Please look up, where I pointed out that you very specifically said many states.
Not some. Not a few. Many.

Anyway, you could specifically use a bow and arrows for target shooting.
Heck, a compound bow and arrow if you really need more speed.
Better yet, a slingshot and rocks, which, again, requires way more skill to hit your targets than a gun.

Why don't you admit that a gun's primary purpose is to kill things?
And that it's secondary use is to put holes in targets, some of which are animals and humans?

A radar detector's primary purpose is to detect radar signals being used to measure the speed of objects. Heck, some radar units are used on baseball fields, to measure the speed of pitches. Maybe I'm just out watching for errant baseballs being tracked by little league coaches while I'm driving down the highway?

You're right, this fun is thread.
I'm getting a good chuckle out of it, anyway.

If I feel like I can use a warning that there's a speed measuring device ahead, and I am legally allowed to use it, I will. I also have a GPS in my car, just so I know I'm actually doing 60 mph, instead of 62.

BC.


Ok, we seem to be talking around in circles here with each other. Let's try and clear it up.

1 - many and some are interchangeable here, unless you really are trying to be picky and overly technical, as I already said I didn't know the exact number. I was generalizing to make a broader point. However you are talking 12 of the 50 states in which it is illegal to use radar detectors or laser jammers so many isn't all that far off. That is 24% of the states in the country that have some type of prohibition against those devices. Don't forget that in all 50 states for commercial vehicles over 10,000lbs detectors are illegal as well. I would say that qualifies as many. Many, some, a few, whatever. The point is there are states in this country where they are illegal and it isn't just one as you stated.

NOTE - I am/was grouping radar detectors and laser jammers together as a group like the OP did. If you are not that may be part of the issue and misunderstanding here between us.

2 - where did I say a gun's primary purpose wasn't to kill things? I said you were wrong when you said no guns were made for target shooting when in fact there are many designed specifically for that purpose( and not for hunting or self defense ).

3 - What you are missing here is I am not saying you can't have a detector and use it where legal. I never said that. I pointed out the only reason to do so is you knowingly speed.

4 - You are also missing the point on guns vs detectors and their purposes. While some may use them illegally guns are made for reasons and uses that are legal. Detectors are made to help people get away with an illegal act and they have NO OTHER use or purpose. So while owning a detector and using it may be legal the reason why you are using it is based in an illegal act( i.e. speeding ).

I will stand by and repeat the following. If you do not speed you do not need a detector. If it makes you feel more secure use it. I never said not to.

Have a good day.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: d00df00d
2. Among all of the factors related to dangerous driving, speed is the only one we can use machines to put a number on. That is the only reason it gets targeted for enforcement.

BAC is another.

Aside from that, I agree with most of what you have said. Speed is only part of the issue. Of course, an attentive speeder will still have longer reaction distances and stopping distances than attentive non-speeders. But, the roads aren't filled solely with attentive drivers, some of whom speed and the rest of whom do not. The inattentive driver, with the extremely long reaction distance, is the problem.

 

[d00df00d]

Originally Posted By: NHHEMI
3 - What you are missing here is I am not saying you can't have a detector and use it where legal. I never said that. I pointed out the only reason to do so is you knowingly speed.

4 - You are also missing the point on guns vs detectors and their purposes. While some may use them illegally guns are made for reasons and uses that are legal. Detectors are made to help people get away with an illegal act and they have NO OTHER use or purpose. So while owning a detector and using it may be legal the reason why you are using it is based in an illegal act( i.e. speeding ).

I will stand by and repeat the following. If you do not speed you do not need a detector. If it makes you feel more secure use it. I never said not to.

Here's what YOU'RE missing (most of which has already been said, by the way -- not sure how you missed it).

1. Many if not most speed limits are intentionally set too low. I guess I can't speak for you, but many people have a hard time obeying rules that even the rule makers know are ridiculous.

2. On most highways, EVERYONE speeds. In those cases, driving the speed limit is dangerous. Again, I can't speak for you, but if I'm going to be essentially forced into "breaking the law," I'm happy to have an extra measure of protection so that I'm not the one that a State Trooper decides to pick for a ticket.

3. As I said earlier, speed signs and speed traps are often set up in high-risk areas. A radar detector can let you know that you need to pay extra attention ahead -- not just for cops, but for whatever it is about that section of road that makes the cops feel the need to keep an eye on it.

4. Not everyone who speeds is willfully violating the law. Sometimes they're just cruising along and let the car get away on them a little. A radar detector wouldn't just help them avoid tickets; it would also remind them that they need to pay attention to their speed.

 

[d00df00d]

Originally Posted By: Garak
Originally Posted By: d00df00d
2. Among all of the factors related to dangerous driving, speed is the only one we can use machines to put a number on. That is the only reason it gets targeted for enforcement.

BAC is another.

Right! Good call.

 

[NHHEMI]

Originally Posted By: d00df00d
1. Many if not most speed limits are intentionally set too low. I guess I can't speak for you, but many people have a hard time obeying rules that even the rule makers know are ridiculous.


Already addressed this sort of where I say there are laws I don't agree with too BUT you still have to follow them agree or not. Doesn't matter if you agree with the posted limit or not it is what it is and if you exceed it you are doing something illegal. Period. Grow up, deal with it( maybe find a diifferent route to go home/to work ), and slow down.

Originally Posted By: d00df00d
2. On most highways, EVERYONE speeds. In those cases, driving the speed limit is dangerous. Again, I can't speak for you, but if I'm going to be essentially forced into "breaking the law," I'm happy to have an extra measure of protection so that I'm not the one that a State Trooper decides to pick for a ticket.


Absolute and total hog wash. What a crock of hooey to try and justify speeding. Not everyone speeds, it is not dangerous to go the speed limit, and you are never forced into exceeding the posted limit by others. It is a choice to do so. The only way any of what you posted would apply is if you kept switching lanes and you weren't paying attention. In that case you might pull into/in front of someone vastly exceeding the posted limit who doesn't have time to avoid you going the speed limit. That is wreckless driving though and not a result of you going the speed limit. Stick to the right hand lane or the middle( when 3 lane )and let others do what they want. Wow. You have posted some gems in the past to try and be confontational but this takes the take.

Originally Posted By: d00df00d
3. As I said earlier, speed signs and speed traps are often set up in high-risk areas. A radar detector can let you know that you need to pay extra attention ahead -- not just for cops, but for whatever it is about that section of road that makes the cops feel the need to keep an eye on it.


More hog wash. A detector alerts you to radar being used period. It doesn't warn you of hazards ahead. They are not going to do anything but help someone SPEEDING! Don't SPEED and none of what you just posted applies.

Originally Posted By: d00df00d
4. Not everyone who speeds is willfully violating the law. Sometimes they're just cruising along and let the car get away on them a little. A radar detector wouldn't just help them avoid tickets; it would also remind them that they need to pay attention to their speed.


The only thing you posted that begins to make sense. Yes, people can have the speed get away from them. However, the detector isn't going to do anything to remind them to pay attention unless it goes off and by then it will be too late. Simply paying attention to what you are doing or using CC deals with this scenario.

You can try and make out detectors to be an invaluable driving aide all you want but they have one use and one use only. If you abide by the posted speed limits you will never need one. Simple.

 

[d00df00d]

Originally Posted By: NHHEMI
Already addressed this sort of where I say there are laws I don't agree with too BUT you still have to follow them agree or not. Doesn't matter if you agree with the posted limit or not it is what it is and if you exceed it you are doing something illegal. Period. Grow up, deal with it( maybe find a diifferent route to go home/to work ), and slow down.

You persistently bring up people's preferences and states of mind. Why is that?

Speed limits are supposed to be set according to a set of rules. Most counties completely ignore those rules and set their limits too low. This isn't about personal preference. It's about municipalities willfully refusing to follow the law when they make their own.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/feeding-the-machine-sandbagging-on-speed-limits



Originally Posted By: NHHEMI
Not everyone speeds, it is not dangerous to go the speed limit, and you are never forced into exceeding the posted limit by others. It is a choice to do so. The only way any of what you posted would apply is if you kept switching lanes and you weren't paying attention. In that case you might pull into/in front of someone vastly exceeding the posted limit who doesn't have time to avoid you going the speed limit. That is wreckless driving though and not a result of you going the speed limit. Stick to the right hand lane or the middle( when 3 lane )and let others do what they want.

Have you ever tried to do 55 MPH while everyone else is doing 70?

If you don't think that's dangerous, we'll have to agree to disagree.


Originally Posted By: NHHEMI
A detector alerts you to radar being used period. It doesn't warn you of hazards ahead. They are not going to do anything but help someone SPEEDING! Don't SPEED and none of what you just posted applies.

As if obeying the speed limit in or near a high-risk area is enough...

The speed limit is not some magic number below which nothing bad ever happens. If I'm moving through a high-risk area, I want to watch my speed AND be extra vigilant of my surroundings.

You said there's no legal reason whatsoever to want a radar detector. You didn't there are very few reasons; you said there are none whatsoever. This is not a very good reason, but it's a reason.


Originally Posted By: NHHEMI
Yes, people can have the speed get away from them. However, the detector isn't going to do anything to remind them to pay attention unless it goes off and by then it will be too late. Simply paying attention to what you are doing or using CC deals with this scenario.

True for laser and skillfully-used instant-on. Untrue for all other kinds of radar.

Cruise control isn't always a good idea.

 

[Sequoiasoon]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Sequoiasoon
Quattro Pete- $75 for the old V1 if you can find it.

Are you saying you want it?

I believe all of the V1s are upgradeable. Double check your S/N for me and if yes, I'm interested.

 

[Sequoiasoon]

Originally Posted By: TechnoLoGs
Originally Posted By: Sequoiasoon
LASER INTERCEPTOR might be next on list.





I like this video.

BUT, if that happened.. Wouldnt the cop, having mysteriously not got a speed reading, just come out and pull you over to see why???

Just like anything else (un)common sense needs to be applied. LI and others also happen to work as a parking assist device. Recommendations ALWAYS include that once targeted, slow down, and disable the device to allow a correct speed reading.

The videos show what is possible with jamming. Like BITOG's oil enthusiasts, Guys of Lidar spend weekends trying to test/defeat their own systems.

Everybody needs hobbies.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Guys of LIDAR is a true enthusiast's site. Love those guys and their real world testing and advice.

And yes, all V1's are upgradeable anytime they have a new advancement. I just spent about a hundred bucks on an old one to have it completely rebuilt and bench tested/calibrated to the newest specs. Great company, and for those who do not know it, the Valentine guy is the INVENTOR of the Escort for Cincinatti Microwave.

 

[Sequoiasoon]

If a child happened to discover an un-secured "target only" weapon and aimed it at another child would it cause injury or death? Could it be used in self defense? If you walked in on your wife and or daughter getting attacked by an intruder would you aim the target only weapon at the intruder? Could it do harm? How many times would you reload for better target practice?

One of the guys I work with is a "never do anything wrong" kinda guy. He gets pulled over a couple times/month (I've seen him). We have conversations about it. The reason he gets pulled over....suspected DWI. He drives 55mph on the expressway which draws attention as "sometimes" those that are wrong in others ways try to control what they can. Once pulled over he has gotten tickets for other violations, most were fixit tickets but provided opportunity. I've seen people jam on their brakes as he is doing teh speed limit in right lane. They swerve around him and cut others off. Is everybody else wrong, absolutely. Worth getting killed for, probably not. A year or two ago by me there was somebody driving slow due to flat tire I think, hazards on, road construction area no shoulder. Driver and child burned in the car after getting rear ended by somebody not paying attention.

I usually drive with the traffic flow as I get older. When my detector beeps I double check all my surroundings. I also have a Red light camera detector, when it beeps I double check. Not planning on running yellows hoping to make it. Actually probably slows me down during green as I let off gas being ready to react to brake faster if it does turn yellow. As part of that I also check who is riding my A$$ because it might give the choice of a $50 ticket or getting rear ended by the inattentive driver behind me.

 

[MCompact]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Great company, and for those who do not know it, the Valentine guy is the INVENTOR of the Escort for Cincinatti Microwave.


Mike Valentine is a great guy as well; I got to know him when he was starting Valentine Research. He and a friend developed a superheterodyne detector in the late '70s while they were students at the University of Cincinnati. They tried to sell the design to Electrolert(maker of the then-popular Fuzzbuster), but Electrolert told them that it cost too much to build and thus would never sell. Mike and his friend then founded Cincinnati Microwave and started building the original Escort. A few months later Car and Driver conducted one of their radar detector comparison tests and the Escort blew everything else out of the water. CD even noted that the Escort still beat the other detectors when it was placed in the glove compartment and the others were mounted on the windshield or sun visor. The rest is history. Back in 1982 my wife wanted to give me an Escort as a graduation gift; she had to place her order in January in order to have it by early may.

Anyway, Mike loves cars and has an outstanding collection- including some vintage BMW and Porsche race cars. Last year he let my son ride with him while he carved up Mid Ohio in his Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0:

 

[SHOZ]

I seldom exceed the speed limit; I drive on narrow country roads mainly. I use mine as a cop detector. I want to know where they are and the V1 excels at this with the arrows.

 

[DBMaster]

Agree or disagree? If speed enforcement has any effect on safety it is negative. From what I observe and what I have been reading in this topic, it seems like others observe the same thing. You're either a sociopathic law-breaker or a martyr.

I just don't know what the solution is.

If we go automated, or somehow get everyone out of their individual vehicles (a pipe dream) then we do away with traffic congestion and the problems caused by varying speeds, lack of lane discipline, varying conditions of vehicles, etc. As I said, it's a pipe dream.

The main reason injuries and fatalities related to driving have been declining is that cars have more safety features intended to make accidents more survivable. It certainly isn't because the drivers are getting better. If they even PAID ATTENTION to what is going on around and ahead of them it would be a miracle.

 

[HM12460]

Nope! I'm just not in that much of a hurry.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: DBMaster
Agree or disagree? If speed enforcement has any effect on safety it is negative. From what I observe and what I have been reading in this topic, it seems like others observe the same thing. You're either a sociopathic law-breaker or a martyr.

I think we simply have too much polarization on the issue. Yes, from an enforcement standpoint, speeders are low hanging fruit. It's easy to catch speeders and the technology has been around long enough that it's relatively simple to obtain convictions, even if the matter does get disputed in court. The same thing applies for seat belt use. It's easy to catch.

It's very easy to complain that a department or jurisdiction has quotas or is targeting speeders for revenue. That's certainly possible. The simpler explanation is that the easiest offences to find and ticket are speeding and failure to wear seat belts.

Additionally, we do have to remember one thing. Radar and its ilk (and even watching for seatbelt infractions) are also tools. When people are hauling around drugs or stolen property or driving stolen vehicles or have warrants for their arrest or have no insurance, they tend to get caught because of something very simple. They're speeding, not wearing a seatbelt, or they're driving something that needs a safety inspection (or a crusher).

There's always the refrain that the traffic officer should be going after the "real criminals." This, of course, ignores the fact that "real criminals" also drive vehicles and disobey speed limits.