Laser Jammers vs Radar Detectors

[bikerfish1100]

How many tickets would I have to pay to make a radar detector cost effective?

Between the ticket cost and the bumps in insurance, just 1.

[greenwald]

Some of the same companies that sell the speed guns sell the detectors. It's like the phone company that sells caller ID and caller ID block.

You gotta' love Corporate America.

[greenwald]

I'll get one of these
My son was an avionics tech on one of the Stennis's birds...I think it will jam a signal!

That baby looks like it could jam a Quasar!

[marchyman]

I too use the 'grazing' technique that Greenwald speaks of. Radar detectors are traffic cops best friend. We put out a wide indescriminate radar beam, and every throttle jockey for miles around with a detector is going the speed limit!

Heh... I remember a time I saw that technique used by the CHP. That was when I was still using radar detectors and had V1 lite up telling me I had a bunch of Ka band signals coming my way. Yep. It was a convoy of one truck holding the largest oversized piece of gear I've ever seen on a road escorted by enough CHP to block front, rear, both sides of intersections, and leapfrog each other in doing so. It was oh so obvious that they were using their radar as a pay attention to us signal. And I appreciated the warning!

[Duster105]

+1

That technique worked for me for many years as a traffic officer. If I had time to chase, it was instant-on. If I didn't, I used the 'grazer' method and slowed 'em down. And I have to say, I wrote an awful lot of tickets to people with either radar detectors beeping on their dash, or with "power cords to nowhere" that obviously had a radar detector connected to them until the red-and-blues came on.

You're correct, Jeff.

While I fully understand that not a single person who trusts a radar detector is ever going to change their mind (human nature!), here's what's going on in the world of speed enforcement.

Whether or not you get a speeding ticket is totally at the mercy of the uniform behind the equipment. Neither your detector nor your anatomy can react faster than the speed of light, so if utilized properly (visual target acquisition first - then emit signal), you're doomed - every time - no exceptions.

The only reason people put faith in detectors is because most officers, just like I did for three decades on the job, frequently allow our radar signals to 'paint a roadway' when we're busy doing other things, such as completing a complex accident diagram, dictating a report, conducting business on our laptop, etc. We call it "grazing" (leaving the radar active, while busy with other tasks inside the car). Your detector goes off - you slow down - you pass the marked squad without being pursued - you think you outsmarted the LEO.

Truth be told, 99.99% of drivers who 'think' that piece of plastic-enclosed circuitry saved their butts, simply passed thru a 'grazing zone,' where the officer never intended to pursue you in the first place unless ridicously reckless.

Maybe not what you wanted to hear, but that's how most of us work traffic. Nothing personal - they just don't save your butt - that decision was made before it ever started beeping, flashing, talking to you....whatever.

Sent from my DROID 2 Global using Tapatalk