What do you think of radar detectors and any good ones out there?

[BillSears]

I posted this over in the community board but didn't get any responses. SO I thought I'd try here since it will affect my driving to WDW.

I just recently bought a new Solara and I love it. But one thing I've noticed is how quiet and smooth the ride is at 80-85 and I know my speed has been creeping up while driving this car. I used to hover around 65-70 on a 55 MPH highway and now I look down and notice I'm doing 80 without even noticing.

I've got a road trip to WDW planned this December and I take a 200-300 mile trip every 6 months or so. My day to day driving is actually very short trips. I've now got 500 miles on my car and according to the average MPH display in those 500 miles I've averaged about 24 MPH. Over an average year I put about 8,500 miles on a car. I've had 1 speeding ticket in about 20 years and that was about 5 years ago. I do tend to travel about 10-15 MPH over the speed limit but I'm very watchful for speed traps and I've been lucky.

I keep thinking I should buy a radar detector. If it only avoids one ticket it would pay for itself. I was thinking of spending at least $150.00 and am willing to go up to $250.00 and will even consider $300.00. So far I'm looking at these.

Beltronics Vector 955 High Performance Radar Detector - About $160.00

Escort Passport 8500 X50 - About $300.00

Beltronics Pro RX65 Radar detector - $330.00 on AMazon but there is a retalior on there that says it sells them new for $250.00.

Right now I'm leaning towards the Beltronics Vector 955. Although I'm also just leaning towards not buying one and trusting on my luck and trying to slow down. I realize I should probably just slow down. But for those times when I don't notice it or am just going with the high speed flow of traffic I thought the detector might help

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I don't know anything about radar detectors, buy you can easily find reviews of these using a search engine, such as Google.

Keep in mind that they are illegal in Virginia and Wash DC.

 

[Meezers]

Will a radar detector be any use against the new laser speed guns? My police department doesn't even use the radar any more!

 

[Dopey Sharon]

Why not just use your cruise control?

 

[kirbsam]

sorry, no help here. i was just wondering how long it would be before someone decided to tell you about the cruise control. only took three replies. i put the over/under at 5, so the under won.

 

[buzz5985]

I have found that I can drive about 80-85 on most roads. I just make sure I have a car right in front of me and right behid me. Nobody is behind me and I am south of MA, I pull over to the cruising lane until another group of fast drivers come along. I try not to stand out. I have 6 trips in the last few years, never a speeding ticket. The roads are so straight - hard not to go fast..

Janis

 

[CleveRocks]

I used to be a big fan of radar detectors. The one I bought was highly recommended and state-of-the-art (various types of radar PLUS laser). I did a fair amount of highway driving in the months after I bought it, and I'm convinced it helped me avoid a ticket or two.

In the process of moving 500 miles from Philadelphia to Cleveland, I made several trips to wrap up some business; I was safely able to do an 8+ hour drive in 6 hours 45 minutes. On my final moving day, I got a speeding ticket. The detector had been working earlier in the drive, but when I actually got the ticket it didn't even peep or light up (it hadn't acted up in a while, so it's not like one cop "detected" me and another several miles later stopped me). When I got to my new home in Cleveland, that radar detector was the first thing in my new trash can.

Buzz has pretty much the right idea (although 85 is a bit more than I personally feel safe driving). Understand how the system basically works, and then drive "smart."

 

[manning]

You may have been clocked by VASCAR or Laser

This is how VASCAR works
http://www.vascarplus.com/Pages/How_it_works.htm

No radar detector made will pick it up because it doesn't send out any signals. It is a computerized stop watch and measuring device.

I knew a trooper whose favorite method was to clock cars going in the opposite direction on the interstate. He would pick a car coming out of the shadows of a bridge. As soon as the car would hit the edge of the shadow he would start the stopwatch. as soon as the car got opposite him he would stop the watch and turn on the measuring device which was hooked up to a certified calibrated odometer. When he hit the shadow the measuring device was turned off and the speed was automatically calculated.

He had a sense of humor too. When VASCAR first came out, he put a deactivated radar gun on the dash. Whenever he pulled somone over with a radar detector the speeder would spot the radar gun and get confused because his detector didn't go off.

Another method is to run a marked radar unit with an unmarked VASCAR unit following behind. Talk about false security.

 

[LilyWDW]

Radar detectors are also illegal in some states, such as Virginia. Even having on in your front window could cause them to pull you over and fine you. I know they also have this law in a few other states.

It's just not worth it. Use your cruise control and watch your speed.

 

[manning]

It's illegal in canada and they have radar detectors detectors in there cars.

Like a radar gun the the detectors also put out a signal. This is what is used to detect a radar detector.

 

[CleveRocks]

You may have been clocked by VASCAR or Laser

I hear you, but in my case it was actual radar. There was even a check-off box on the citation that put on the record the type of radar used. My ticket was the result of a specific type of radar (that I can't recall now) that was supposed to be detected by my radar detector, and was not the result of VASCAR, aircraft, wires on the roadway, laser, or Andy Taylor and Barney Fife with a stopwatch and police radio.

As for laser, my unit had laser detection capabilities. I know that even in the best-case scenario the laser detection part (at least the kind used by my former unit) is part-luck (if a car in your vicinity gets painted before you do), and in the worst-case scenario you get painted immediately with one burst and it's over before you know it.

I know all that stuff. In my case, it was an example of the unit just plain not working. Since I learned that I couldn't rely on it, there was really no sense in my using it anymore. Coulda been a bad unit, coulda been a bad brand, I dunno. I'm not advocating everyone trash theirs, I'm just saying the exact hunk of plastic and wires I had in my car was demonstrably unreliable for my needs.

 

[BillSears]

I did some more researching and here is the situation as I see it. I've read a lot of reviews and found a radar user bulletin board. But I've taken everything they've said with a grain of salt because I feel they're not normal users and they have a pro radar detector bias.

Radar detectors do work, some better then others. But that doesn't mean that you'll never get a ticket. Instant on radar may get a good reading before you have a chance to slow down. Radar detectors with the POP sensors help to prevent this but it's not perfect. The laser detection only tells you that you're already targeted unless you use some other anti laser options. The anti laser options of VEIL(anti laser paint on headlights and tag) and jammers in combination with a radar/laser detector do usually give you enough time to slow down before they get a lock on you but they are a pain to install. Radar detectors obviously do nothing against pacing or VASCAR. Nothing is 100% and you're never going to be able to speed without some risk of a ticket.

My current decision is that I'm going to continue to speed but I'll try to keep it reasonable. For the past 20 years my driving habits have been that I travel at least 10 MPH above the speed limit and I've only received one ticket. So I'll just keep doing what I'm doing, no real excessive speed and be very aware of the police presence around me. I am still willing to reconsider buying a radar detector though but for now I'm going to hold off. Heck I'm always willing to buy high tech gadgets, a boy always wants more toys and a man just wants more expensive toys.

 

[4formickey]

Il use doppler, This is the same radar system that the weather people use. How can you protect against that? My best advice is to watch your speed.

 

[manning]

BillSears-- And be nice to the cop that pulls you over. I don't think I have ever heard of this ever happening. Someone posted they got pulled over doing 3 miles over the limit. The officer must of had a bad day!!

 

[Andrew Bichard]

I was once pulled over for speeding in the town I live. I was a little over the limit, but so was everyone else. I was just keeping up with the flow. The police officer agreed that everyone was speeding, even that he sped along that same stretch when going off duty. He told me that it looked bad if he didn't pull me over and told me to check in my mirror that there was no police vehicle behind next time I drove along that stretch.

Other things to watch for. In some countries like France you pick up a timed ticket as you enter a toll road, and pay as you exit. If your average speed exceeds the limit ....

The most popular form of speed enforcement in the UK now are 'road safety cameras'. If you exceed the limit, you are automatically photographed and a ticket arrives later in the mail. Some satnav systems come with a database of camera positions.

In some areas in the UK they are experimenting with automated cameras that photograph your licence plates at two points along a road, use number plate recognition software, calculate your speed between the two ponts and send you a ticket in the mail.

Andrew

 

[4formickey]

BillSears-- And be nice to the cop that pulls you over. I don't think I have ever heard of this ever happening. Someone posted they got pulled over doing 3 miles over the limit. The officer must of had a bad day!!

Some states have zero tolarance for speeding. It does not mean that they are having a bad day but that is the law. In the Chicago area the posted limit is 45 in the construstion zone. Go 46 and see how fast you get ticketed. For those workers that have been killed by speeder as they are working on the highway,ask their families about speeding and is it worth it. The PA turnpike will clock you by the time on your tollroad ticket also. With all of the systems that let you prepay your tolls, they could tell how fast you have been going on the toll roads

 

[boBQuincy]

Valentine 1, the best for radar detection.
For laser, more is required since the laser could target your front license plate, headlights, or rear license plate, with a beam only a foot in diameter. No chance the dash-mounted detector will see that.

There are counter-measures available but they are expensive. At this point it might be cheaper to hire a good local attorney instead. For a few hundred $$$ many of them can bargain a '10-15 over the speed limit' down to an equipment violation.

 

[manning]

Some states have zero tolarance for speeding. It does not mean that they are having a bad day but that is the law. In the Chicago area the posted limit is 45 in the construstion zone. Go 46 and see how fast you get ticketed. For those workers that have been killed by speeder as they are working on the highway,ask their families about speeding and is it worth it. The PA turnpike will clock you by the time on your tollroad ticket also. With all of the systems that let you prepay your tolls, they could tell how fast you have been going on the toll roads

I'm not excusing the speeding, it's the speedometer error that can get you in trouble. The present car I have reads 2 MPH fast so I don't have to worry. The last one I had was on the money. Some have to be reading slow. The only reason I know that is because of the radar display units we have in our city. Most don't know if they have an error.

 

[manning]

I was a little over the limit, but so was everyone else. I was just keeping up with the flow.
Andrew

I know the answer that one cop I know would tell you on that comment. "we can only pull them over one at a time and you are one of the unlucky ones to get pulled over".

There are some who will follow a speeding car with the theory that the lead car will get the ticket. Guess what, the police know that trick too and will pick out the follower.

 

[Jason71]

Slightly off-topic (but not really), check out http://www.speedtrap.org/speedtraps/stetlist.asp. Lists speed traps in all 50 states.

To bring it back to Disney, they even have this listing:

http://www.speedtrap.org/speedtraps/ste.asp?state=FL&city=Walt Disney World