What Radar Dectector do you use and how good does it work?

[Old Moparz]

When my wife & I were commuting along the NYS Thruway we each had detectors in our cars. Over time they became almost useless when the radars the police used improved. Like mentioned, they became electronic ticket notifiers. 

The old fashioned CB radio turned out to be much better than any detector since the truck drivers announced where the speed traps were.   

[Tom Q]

Your wasting your time and money. Unless the cop leaves his radar on, it ain't ganna help you.  I point the gun, hit the trigger and it tells me how fast you are going. No advance warning, even if you have a 10K unit. :cheers:Your wasting your time and money.

ummmmm I think you need to gain a better knowledge of the technology available and how radar guns work

While the radar detector does not always protect the target vehicle from the instant on or lidar [laser as it's called]- in most cases- the rest of us out there with a quality device such as a Valentine One have been alerted.  

When I went to  law enforcement traffic school  we were taught that it's not how fast one was going it mattered more what they were doing with it....perhaps you attended a different school.

Radar detectors also keep everyone honest...need I say more???

[mauve66]

the classes i took said your supposed to observe traffic then determine a target, not just sit there and shoot over and over and over again, revenue enhancement

[Chryco Psycho]

Even that doesn't work in Ohio. EVERYONE pays into the Smiling Policeman Fund. I don't care how lawfully you drive. Even if the ticket gets thrown out, by the time you pay the court fees, you still might as well have paid the citation. The only benefit is not getting points against your license.
[/quote]Why in the heck would I get pulled over if I'm driving like I'm supposed to and have a fully legal vehicle?  Don't break the law and they won't bother you.  Unless they are looking to cause trouble.
[/quote]

Interesting world you live in , I have been harassed constantly since I got my licence , even before , I have had a gun pulled on me for jogging home from work late at night , I used to run long distance ! I have been pulled over for anything & everything so many times I have lost count while never breaking the law , rarely tickets are issued ! The last ticket I did get was turning right at a red light , signalled , stopped fully no sign saying no turn on red & I was issued a ticket for running a red light like I never even slowed down !! A few months back my wife ws pulled over & harrassed for doing 70 in an 80 zone , it gets old .
I would invest in a Radar Jammer , I have a Early Warning unit  , it was $50 , useless, it picks up 22 bands & always finds the radar but ti picks up everything else as well & is going off constantly .

[JB400]

Maybe you should read my post Chryco. (post #20)  Seems like our experiences mirror.  I didn't list everything.  I don't want to embarass the cops too much

[lloyd3]

This is a timely question for me.  My Escort died a few years ago and now that I am a "bit" older and drive a "bit" more conservatively, I didn't think I'd need to replace it.  What I didn't count on was the fact that Colorado is now effectively California, meaning that the State spends more than it takes-in in taxes.  Bankrupt States (morally and otherwise) tend to make their law enforcement folks act more as revenue-enhancers, as opposed to operating in the " serve and protect" mode.  I am seriously considering buying another unit just to be aware of the presence of the now more-predatory police force around me. And, Colorado isn't the only State that is operating in this more predatory fashion.  The Valentine, eh?  The trick is having something that doesn't drive you crazy with false alerts.  How does the Valentine unit fare in more-congested areas?

[bordin34]

You will always get false alerts. The most annoying part about the Valentine is active cruise control used on newer Audis. They use K-band and/or laser to keep a following distance and it sets off the detector.
Also if you have a smart phone there is a pretty good app called Waze. It is a GPS app that the users add speed traps and traffic info to.

[nvrbdn]

i never speed.....ever......wouldnt do it............. but i have noticed that a few of the roads i drive have the speed misposted much lower than it should be. so naturally i do what the speed should be posted at.

[mauve66]

logically of course..................

[ACUDANUT]

Tom Q. I am not going to argue with you. Buy one.

[mpdlawdog]

save your money.....they only thing they are good for is to let you know when you are about to get a ticket...   If you would like to test it let me know....

[lloyd3]

That assumes that every podunk town you pass through has a competent officer on duty. I'll grant you that Staties generally have it on the ball, and they seem to have the better equipment.  Just north of me, the Wyoming boys almost always have the state-of-the-art gear, but this has become a critical income stream for them and they take it quite seriously (they see it as a great sport).  That seldom applies when you drop down the food chain to the County Mounties and the Barny Fifes of the world. I also know that this is a situation where things become obsolete fairly quickly, so anything bought today would likely have a very short life-at-the-top, in terms of staying current. With that said, I still like to know what's going on around me and I've had many situations where it gave just enough of a "heads-up" to keep me off of the hook.  The "Situational-Awareness" that was mentioned earlier is hard to maintain when you're just plugging along, and that's how I'd likely get nailed by the local yocals who have a quota to meet.

[mauve66]

its illegal to eavesdrop/record a conversation without a warrant, same principle, i have a right to know when someone is watching me, regardless of the reason
and the best deterrent is an active officer in a rolling car, traffic will back up for miles, hide and seek is strictly for money

[mpdlawdog]

I have to throw my   in.....1. officers dont get any money from the tickets if they did you would not get to drive through a town without getting a ticket ..think about it  2. most agencys dont have "quotas" and get like $10 for each ticket written.  3.  In my opinion tickets are a necessary evil....if you dont write them people will drive like aholes (not that they dont already).  There has to be something to make people think about what they are doing.  

Ive never written a ticket for anybody going under 12 over the speed limit....1. because I usually drive like that  2. tickets are expensive

heres some advise...stay at 10 over and I dont mean in a school zone...wear your seatbelt and stay off everybodys ass and you should be fine!  Radar detectors are worthless...they go off AFTER you have already been caught especially if they have a laser detector.

I have to laugh at some of the people who fly through town....is it really going to make your day to save you 10 seconds getting to work.....not to mention the 170 bucks its gonna cost you.....I have driven through town at 25 and at 60....it really doesnt save you that much time....granted in my case if someone is breaking into your house you want me there asap

[1973rallye]

Or...



Slow down.

Second that!

[mauve66]

nobody said the officers get the money, the city/county gets it

nobody said all officers are that way, i've been given breaks for doing stupid things, they are just doing their job, i don't hold it against them

but when an officer is just sitting in a concealed spot with the gun out, not bothering with overloaded vehicles, no plate vehicles, no lights vehicles, people making a right turn into the left lane cutting people off (or vice versa), -everyone of these happens on a regular basis around here in front of an officer who is just there to write a speeding ticket, not enforce the overall safety of the road-, its revenue enhancement from the management that says "we'll have to cut services (read jobs) if we don't make enough money"

a rolling marked car is the best deterrent to ANY illegal activity but that doesn't raise any money

[model maker]

I have to throw my   in.....1. officers dont get any money from the tickets if they did you would not get to drive through a town without getting a ticket ..think about it  2. most agencys dont have "quotas" and get like $10 for each ticket written.  3.  In my opinion tickets are a necessary evil....if you dont write them people will drive like aholes (not that they dont already).  There has to be something to make people think about what they are doing.  

Ive never written a ticket for anybody going under 12 over the speed limit....1. because I usually drive like that  2. tickets are expensive

heres some advise...stay at 10 over and I dont mean in a school zone...wear your seatbelt and stay off everybodys ass and you should be fine!  Radar detectors are worthless...they go off AFTER you have already been caught especially if they have a laser detector.

I have to laugh at some of the people who fly through town....is it really going to make your day to save you 10 seconds getting to work.....not to mention the 170 bucks its gonna cost you.....I have driven through town at 25 and at 60....it really doesnt save you that much time....granted in my case if someone is breaking into your house you want me there asap

I second that ! If your driving in anyway that would cause other drivers to take evasive action or you  come out of nowhere to take a last minute freeway  exit from the  # 1 Lane (left lane ) even if you are under the posted speed limit your gonna get nailed if you do it in the presence of an officer OR another motorist agrees to sign the ticket after they called the police to report a dangerous driver. 10 MPH over if done SAFELY will get you  a warning IF you get stopped, drive like a moron with complete disregard for the public safety and no radar detector can help you. valentine in fact makes a lot of the radar/laser equipment  law enforcement uses & then develops the detectors for the general public to use against the equipment they developed for the police, then make improvements to the law enforcement units & then make improvements to what they sell to the public. They KNOW how best to beat the equipment sold to both the public & law enforcement thats why what they make works great depending on who is using the very latest equipment ( imo )

[lloyd3]

FWIW: Kansas now enforces at 8MPH over and has a $100 court fee attached to any fine for speeding. Even if you would happen to beat the speeding rap, the court costs are collected.  These tickets are written in locations that are in the middle of nowhere.  Pure revenue enhancement, nothing more.