I am outraged by the thought that radar detectors (a simple radio receiver much like a car stereo) could be deemed illegal. Though I do not promote speeding, I think this is inappropriate.
Radar detectors would be prohibited in Florida under a bill filed by a Florida lawmaker and former sheriff.
The proposal, introduced by state Sen. Steve Oelrich, would make it illegal to use a radar detector. But the measure would make using one a secondary, non-criminal traffic violation. That means that law enforcement officers could not stop you just because you have a radar detector in your car. If an officer pulls you over for another traffic violation and they discover a radar detector, they can then issue you a ticket. The legislation has the support of the Florida Highway Patrol which said radar detectors have no other purpose than to help speeders avoid traffic tickets.
The bill's sponsor is the former sheriff of Alachua County.

 

Joel, while I don't want to see them made illegal either you have to admit their reasoning is legit. They don't serve any other purpose except to help drivers break the law. They are already illegal in Virginia and D.C. and they can pull you over in both those places just for having one. Big fine in Virginia and they take it seriously.

 

Speeding tickets along with other minor traffic violations (parking, etc.) represent a significant source of revenue for small and local municipalities. In some cases it's the major source of revenue. As state and local budget continue to get squeezed, they'll continue to look for other ways to get money. This sounds like a plan that is part driven by a need to increase (easy) revenue and part by politics - as most plans are.

If the bill passes, get a good radar detector that is built into the dash and not so visible right after you get yourself a good lawyer. As long you never get caught, then you shouldn't have to worry about it. If you do, then let the lawyer handle it for you - it's not like you were going to pay the ticket outright anyway.

And think of all the money your radar detector has saved you - a secondary ticket of $100 or $200 isn't going to break the bank - nor should it discourage you from getting rid of your radar detector.

 

Usually people who already got a ticket get a detector to help avoid another one. Losing your license could break the bank.

Municipalities will find other ways of revenue generation, like red light cameras (which I think are needed).

 

the police have tricks now, such as turning their radar guns on when they deem someone is speeding.. so basically detectors dont really work well these days anymore anyway.. atleast thats my opinion..

 

I seem to recall that the Communications Act of 1934 included language that citizens of the US could receive signals passed through the bandwidth that they rightfully owned as long as they were not military in orgin and even then it was up to the military to encode them, etc. I know that it was ammended in 1996, but I would think that national law outweigs state law in this regard. I have always wondered why people in VA and DC put up with the detector ban when this seeming 'out' exisited all along. Of course, it has been a while since that undergraduate degree...

 

Red light cameras are only a valid safety measure when the yellow light timing is set to the proper interval. Many, MANY traffic lights have the yellow light duration set far shorter than it is supposed to be, to the point that people are often unable to stop in time for the red light. This is abused widely by many municipalities, because it (of course) increases ticket revenue, especially when cameras are deployed.

There is actually a written standard called the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), viewable online at the FHWA, OSHA, and other places, although the FHWA has the most recent version.

Municipalities need to be held to the MUTCD standards, especially if they elect to use red light cameras. This is one of the reasons I am a member of the National Motorists Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to your rights as a motorist, against abuse by government, insurance and other entities. They have a page specifically about Regulating Red-Light Cameras.

 

I drive my mini like I stole it. Every time!!! The penalty for driving my car is acceptable. If you put others in danger this is bad. Open Road and my V1... Let's Rock and Roll!

I do not endorse speeding or breaking the law, I do endorse playing a fair game.

Kesh

 

As much as I think radar detectors are cool, I have avoided getting one because I believe it sets a bad example for my kids. As PassatDotd pointed out, they only serve one purpose and that's to help people break the law. As for the Communications Act pointed out, there is a difference between picking up radio broadcasts meant to communicate and law enforcement radar gun signals.

The discussion of "short" yellow lights is interesting. Never heard that angle before. Just moved from DC area and my community had announced the purchase of red light cameras. What an outcry! The only argument was that they were doing this for the money. Yea, OK, so what? I consider it a way of transferring the tax burden to bad drivers. Unless you run red lights, why does it matter? Of course, like I said, the discussion about short yellows never came up. If that's accurate, that is an interesting point. That said, I always felt we had the longest yellow lights in the country (so long in fact that people seemed to ignore them, hence increasing the occurrences of red-running, not decreasing them)

 

You are all absolutely right that these are sources of revenue and agencies take advantage (read: exploit) of that where they can. But why shouldn't they? No one has room to complain about any penalties when they are breaking the law. The only exception to this I see is what Edge mentioned.

He's right in that the yellow light timing is off in most cases but I disagree that its a willful intent at the red light intersections. Yellow lights seem off at 95% of the lights I use on a daily basis and none have cameras (others do in the areas I live and work).

 

You know short yellow lights are really dangerous & IMHO put people in danger just as much as speeders do

 

As a "gadget guy", I would love the idea of having a radar detector (if they weren't illegal here in Virginia), but the truth is, I wouldn't have saved any money over the years even if I had one. My last speeding ticket was August of 1999, and I can't even remember how long it had been before that one.

The price of a Valentine One or one of the newer Escorts would exceed the combined cost of every speeding ticket I've ever gotten by a wide margin, never mind the fact that I would have likely upgraded/replaced my detector several times over the last 20+ years. Since my insurance rates have never increased when I've gotten a ticket, I just pay them and forget about them.

I think radar detectors are great, but unless you're getting tickets often enough that you're worrying about accumulating points on your driving record or jacking up your insurance rates, they're not for everyone.

 

Detectors are nice for long trips on freeways where going 10-15 over the speed limit simply keeps you in the flow in the fast lane. I don't own one and never have, but I've borrowed them for road trips occasionally.
There is a stretch of I93 between Hoover Dam and Kingman, AZ where the locals have set up radar emitters. No cops, but if you have a detector on, it goes off about every 30 seconds for 50 odd miles.

 

It's been an issue depending on municipality, basically the higher the speed limit, the longer the yellow should be.
Someone has the bright idea of flashing the green before the yellow, claiming it won't cost anything (yea right). I've also heard of horns going off when a redlight-runner is detected (not at all annoying for nearby neighborhoods ) I'm going to invent a steel plate that pops up when some idiot runs the red.

Back to radar detectors (sorry I distracted with my previous comment). I guess I should throw mine away and just drive my beater pickup.

 

San Diego outsourced the running of their red-light cameras to a private firm. The firm then had the yellows shortened, to increase revenue.

I purchased my V1 in 1999. I had six tickets betwene 1988 and 1999, and only one, in 2000, since. That one was from an airplane that was timing me between marks on the highway between Yuma, AZ and El Centro, CA.

I'd say it has been worth it.

 

Several jurisdictions (DC, VA) currently ban radar detectors, like you say they base their reasoning on the detector's purpose to assist speeding violations hence the radar detector is a "criminal tool".

I would counter that it is a necessary device to ensure proper compliance with posted limits, as it will warn the driver to merely check his speedometer when activated, this is true for both a false alarm as well as detection of a police speed trap.

 

I have owned a radar detector for several years. The last ticket was on MTTS where it was impossible for the officer to have actually clocked us... a bunch of out of state cars with little likelihood of a not guilty plea.

I do not drive the car like I stole it, nor am I dangerous to myself or others. I feel that is bad taste.. I do drive faster than the posted limit- but I am smart and safe. Do I get mad when some nut comes flying thru traffic and endangers myself and others on the road? You bet! I also live in a "tourist" neighborhood and the local police use it as their cash cow. Every day there is a speed trap as is there usually one on the exit ramp. This is where I get upset. How can you go from the posted speed of 55 to 35 in less than 50 feet without slowing down on the hwy and risking your and other's lives.

I like the security of the radar detector... will it allow me to outsmart the police- not likely. But I still feel it is my right to have and use one how I see fit. Do I speed? Yes, this is a calculated risk. The value of the time I save is far greater than the cost of a ticket plus the RD, this is my decision provided I do not risk others. Considering I drive 30+ miles on the hwy each day it is a significant savings... of course in the morning at 5 AM I drive fast, in the evening during rush hour- it is with traffic. I can say the RD has saved me from 3 accidents in the last week. Idiots who speed and then see a cop tend to slam on their brakes, I have already slowed and switched lanes by the time I came on the cop. In reality there were 2 near misses and one accident at the scene of a hwy speed trap.

Ok I ranted.....now for the ribbing- PassatDoTd has his opinion only b/c his car is so slow that he can only speed with a tail wind! JK of course- Love Ya man- look forward to the beerlympics!

 

Because transportation laws are State laws ... states rights. The state has the right to set laws concerning their own state. I would bet this has been challenged in court and lost.

What you have described is becoming more prevalent. They do this in WY and Montana and other western states. Obvious X band, you get to it and the sign says ... YOUR SPEED XXXXX No police. Its to get you to slow down.

They even set those up on side streets and parking lots around here.

Vegas ... The road from Vegas to Laughlin is wide open. If you travel that road, I dont see how you can't have a radar detector because they speeds their aren't exact at the limit

And to usefulness. You got a point about around time ... pain in the butt to set it up, take it down, etc and that is a perfect justification to get something like a Passport or K40 stealth unit. Its just always on

For the OP, write your state legislators or get used to it. They make the laws, you don't. It aint no big deal anyway. I've driven in VA, down I95 and back many times and how often do ppl get pulled over for JUST having a radar detector? I really dont know but never seen it. Thats why stealth is good!

 

I tried having a radar detector in high school (early 90's) for the typical obvious reasons, such as avoiding tickets. The model I had (escort maybe..I don't remember really) had so many chirps going on it just made me a nervous wreck! Are new models more accurate these days?

I've found for the most part that any speeding I do in town is essentially fruitless, as red lights inevitably reel in any progress I might have made. Haven't you ever blown past some car only to have it catch up with you shortly after while you're waiting at a red light? Or perhaps had someone blow past you, only to roll up on them shortly after yourself?

Now I'm a bit of a law breaker anyhow, I won't run a front plate here in VA. It's not a moving violation, and the fine (if I ever score one) is less than what I lose having that ugly bracket on the front. I'd be more than happy to have a radar detector here if it A. worked and didn't stress me out... and B. wasn't somehow an attractant to police by it's general existence (How do they know you've got one unless it's up in plain view really? Do they have radar detector detectors??)

I've gotten some lame tickets in the past... as recent as last year, like launching past 103 year old drivers that just can't get out of their own way and getting nailed for doing it... Just bad timing. That's my kind of radar luck! So...any recommendations?

 

Yes, far more accurate. Technology always marches on.

Yes, all radar detectors actually xmit a bit of energy and their are devices that sniff them. Then again, the top detectors claim they are impervious to the first gen sniffers. But now second gen sniffers exist, and the game continues.

Recommendations?

If your going to be a bear, be a Grizzly
Anon.

In other words, dont waste money on the ones you must put up and take down. Get a stealth one. All is hidden ... just some leds in your dash.

 

Definatly go the stealth route. Better yet, get a jammer (laser, not radar, that's illegal)

I hate Ohio because our SHP will give a ticket not matter how little of a margin you were speeding at. However, I love it at the same time, because there is a giant detector factory in Cinci that supports Ohio a ton.

 

BTW, LASER jammers ARE illegal in some states. Be warned.

 

Wow. That's new for me... thanks for the info. I will find a list of which states it's illegal and post.


Here's my point of view: They are observing our activities (sometimes it feels like spying,) so I feel I have a right to observe theirs. IMO of course.

 

"Laser Jammers and Radar Jammers are illegal in the states of Nebraska, Minnesota, Utah, California, Oklahoma, Virginia, Colorado, Illinois and Washington DC."

As found on RadarBusters .com

Here's the link. Good info
Link

 

They can ban all they like. I run a Valentine One and will continue to do so whether they become banned or not. I have the unit hardwired on the headliner and it's impossible to see from the rear or sides and VERY hard to see from the front. I also run a concealed display within my guage cluster (on my turbo Lexus - where's there's room for that ) so there's really no way to see I'm running it.

For in city usage it's nice but trips on the interstate are where it truly saves you. On a single trip to Disney World in Orlando, it alerted me way in advance of 4 different active speed traps. Remember, these are traps in smaller rural counties where this is a big source of revenue for them. And driving 2.5 hours to fight a ticket in court is simply not an option.