Do you guys think radar detectors work?

I know that some people swear by radar detectors, and some people think theyre useless... what do you guys think? A while back i bought a silverado that had a radar detector hardwired in, and i removed it thinking i was gonna put it in my ram, its not a walmart cheapie but its not like a $500 one. It retails for around $100ish and has good reviews. Is it worth an install? i do mostly highway driving but no speed traps where i live hust the occasional cop.

The only time I got to see one was when I was riding with my boss in his truck when he had one, and the thing would go haywire every 30 seconds.... there aren't even that many cops in our town. So i think it just was going off at the slightest bit of a certain frequency. Maybe his was junk though.

The good ones are far from junk.
If it isn't a passport or escort, I wouldn't use it. Just my opinion. Love my 8500 x50. sure, you get a lot of weird signals, but once you use it you can start to see the trends that indicate a cop.

I don't see the point. If you're drivin normally and have nothing to hide why be worried about cops?

In my area they are completely illegal to have.

I know they work

To qualify my remarks I will first state that I was a policeman who was a RADAR instructor certified by the State of Missouri way too many moons ago. They work, but they can be defeated if the LEO really wants to. Higher end unit's minimize false signals from door openers and such. There's even units that use GPS to identify locations that give false positives. Contrary to what most LEOs think about them I have used one in the past because it caused me to be more mindful of my speed by reminding me to check it more often.

Johnn123 said:

I don't see the point. If you're drivin normally and have nothing to hide why be worried about cops?

In my area they are completely illegal to have.

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im usually not driving normally

Yes they work ... for certain situations, and that's the important thing to know. If you're the only vehicle on the road, cops are using LIDAR units, pacing you, or they are using photo radar you'll likely be getting a ticket.

Radar detectors will do nothing about LIDAR except let you know you're going to get a ticket unless you have a laser jamming system as well but that is causing other, more criminal consequences, depending on where you live. Some places are charging people with laser jammers with obstruction of justice which is charged under the criminal code, not under the highway/traffic code and is a much more serious offense.

Photo radar is becoming very popular; the photo vehicle sits on the side of the road and sends a very narrow radar band in the same direction as traffic which minimizes the radar return and is only occasionally picked up on radar detectors further behind in the flow of traffic.

Radar detectors work great when coupled with an aware driver, if you rely 100% on the detector you will most likely be getting a ticket. In the last 5 years I have received one ticket and that was driving in my company truck doing 97km/h in a 80km/h when I thought it was a 100km/h zone. I'm an 'aggressive' driver and I have a truck that's built specifically for my driving style; yes I speed, no I'm not stupid about it and I'm not weaving in/out of traffic, but I do drive fast when I have room to do so. If you educate yourself on their limitations you can use them quite effectively and mine has saved me from some high stakes tickets.

I have a Passport Max and I love it, saved my ass plenty of times, I use the escort live feature too. I have it mounted in my truck with a blend mount.

Granted that is close to a $700 set up I have lol

Just buy a valentine one its around $500 but worth the money...it tells you if the cop is in front or in the back or even to the sides and it shows how many cops are around...

Yes the work. Don't get a cheap one


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Johnn123 said:

I don't see the point. If you're driving normally and have nothing to hide why be worried about cops?

In my area they are completely illegal to have.

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100% I agree Johnn123, Funny thing with speeders is they get nowhere faster than most and put everybody lives at risk by speeding. I get passed and most time meet up with them at the next stop light/sign. I get passed in the summer lots out here by Albertans, they think they know these roads and all they do is burn up their gas, brakes and there trannys or crash hard over the side of the mountain or into the rock cut. Lord forbid that a steering wheel controls the front tires, like they have never driven at speed going through a corner before.

Me 20 years and I have zero tickets and zero accidents on my DL.

Just my op thats all folks.

Try driving in Texas, especially on the big highways. If you're going the speed limit, you're a road hazard. Going slower than everyone else is just as bad as going faster than everyone else.

Dubstep Shep said:

Try driving in Texas, especially on the big highways. If you're going the speed limit, you're a road hazard. Going slower than everyone else is just as bad as going faster than everyone else.

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around town i usually do the speed limit, on the 55mph highway i usually do about 60-63 (2 lane) and on the freeway which i rarely see i clip along about 78-80 and its a 70mph zone... i dont speed that much compared to everyone else around here

Merc225hp said:

100% I agree Johnn123, Funny thing with speeders is they get nowhere faster than most and put everybody lives at risk by speeding. I get passed and most time meet up with them at the next stop light/sign. I get passed in the summer lots out here by Albertans, they think they know these roads and all they do is burn up their gas, brakes and there trannys or crash hard over the side of the mountain or into the rock cut. Lord forbid that a steering wheel controls the front tires, like they have never driven at speed going through a corner before.

Me 20 years and I have zero tickets and zero accidents on my DL.

Just my op thats all folks.

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I 100% agree. I drive normally, following limits and not being aggressive and I have never gotten a ticket or been in an accident, clean DL in 4 years of driving. I have never understood the need to speed, Merc is right on you don't get anywhere quicker than someone doing the limit. You just don't, countless times I have been passed, only to pull up to the stop sign/ red light right behind the person who passed me. All it does is increase accident likeliness and increase road rage probability. My 2 cents on the matter.

Well if I am doing the speed limit and get hit not my fault is it, it the speeders. Maybe the LEO's need to step it up down there.

Dubstep Shep said:

Try driving in Texas, especially on the big highways. If you're going the speed limit, you're a road hazard. Going slower than everyone else is just as bad as going faster than everyone else.

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Our highway #2 between Calgary and Edmonton (2.5hr drive) has a speed limit of 110km/h, if you're doing 120km/h you're getting passed, most people are doing 125km/h with the 'faster' people with the cruise set at 130km/h. Then you have the 'speeders' who will do anything between 140-150km/h and those are the ones that the cops watch for. My average highway cruising speed is 130km/h with the radar detector running.

I have this. Escort 9500ix. I can say for a fact it has saved me several tickets. I had the 8500x50 before and it was just as good. This one has GPS for red light cameras and false alarms. Nice improvement.

https://www.escortradar.com/passport9500ix/

20 over the limit here and you will get a excessive speeding ticket (not cheap at all) points on your DL, your truck/car might get towed and sold off at an auction, and if bad enough you might spend the night or two in lock up.

Merc225hp said:

20 over the limit here and you will get a excessive speeding ticket (not cheap at all) points on your DL, your truck/car might get towed and sold off at an auction, and if bad enough you might spend the night or two in lock up.

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20 km over the limit here is $150 fine and 2 demerit points off your license, plus a nice increase on your insurance premium.