Radar Detectors

[Scooby074]

That's a fact. You only need a radar detector if you're planning in advance to be a law violator. Since they're good for nothing except to be used as a criminal instrument, some states outlawed them, and others have considered it, so maybe they will some day.

Sorry Bird, but im going to have to disagree with you there. Having a radar detector doesn't necessarily mean your going to intentionally violate the law, it means that your being proactive in protecting your license.

Police radar isnt 100% accurate and has been known to give wrong readings, either from a defective or out of calibration gun, or radaring the wrong target.

Having a detector enables you to slow down to a point well below the limit before exposing yourself to the errors that can happen as a result of improper radar use and technique.


Our province has outlawed detectors, using the same flawed logic as your statement. Having a gun doesn't necessarily mean your going to rob a bank with it, does it?

Back on topic, the V1's and Bells are supposed to be quite good. What ever model i choose id want it to undetectable by radar detector detectors... Most claim to be, but theres some discussion as to which ones truly are. My old detector (before i had to get rid of it) was a escort. It worked pretty good, but it was older, and detectable by VG2

Another worthwhile feature might be remote mount.That way you can hide the detector and indicator, and maybe talk you way out of the ticket a little easier.

 

[smfcpacfp]

Scooby74,

The unit below is my Valentine One installed on my 2002 Yamaha YZF-R1:

(1) The Valentine 1 is mounted on the steering column mount (upper right in the picture).

(2) Almost dead center in the picture is the remote video display for the V1 (because of the position of the V1 in relation to your seating position, you can't see the display on the main radar unit). If you didn't to put the main unit on the windshield, you can buy a unit like that one. It has everything that the V1 has on the front of the unit, but it is about 1" deep. The V1 is unique in that it has a forward and backward facing antenna, so if you put in under the hood, you would lose some of the benefit of the rear facing antenna.

 

[Bird]

Having a gun doesn't necessarily mean your going to rob a bank with it, does it?

Nope, it sure doesn't, but how in the world you came up with that as an analogy is beyond my comprehension. Guns have both legal and illegal uses, but radar detectors in motor vehicles have only one use and that is to enable the driver to escape detection when violating the law. As for the accuracy of radar and/or ability and training of the operator, that's another topic entirely.

Even when you are trying to stay within the speed limit, you often find yourself drifting to a higher speed

Yessir, I've had that problem, especially in my younger days. So my vehicles have cruise control and I wouldn't want a vehicle without it.

 

[Scooby074]

Guns have both legal and illegal uses, but radar detectors in motor vehicles have only one use and that is to enable the driver to escape detection when violating the law. As for the accuracy of radar and/or ability and training of the operator, that's another topic entirely.

Thats exactly the issue. A radar detector gives you the warning to ensure that your under the limit before coming up on the police. When you take into consideration that:
1. radar guns can be misused and be inaccurate
2. that alot of cops are over zealous when it comes to seed enforcement
3. A ticket for 20kph over the limit will cost you well over $200 and a week without driving

Id rather have some advanced warning to ensure that im well under the limit when i cross paths with the highway cops.

The gun analogy is very apt. Both guns and detectors have legimate uses. Having a gun doesnt make you a criminal and neither should a detector.

 

[Bird]

I don't think I ever met a lawbreaker who couldn't rationalize good reasons for violating the law, even if he doesn't want others to do it. However, in many places, owning a radar detector is still legal, so those who want them are welcome to own them, and as someone else posted, if an officer sees it when he stops someone, that will just about ensure a citation instead of a warning.

 

[pitt_md]

It's not just Virginia. I live just outside Gettysburg, PA and it is illegal to have one on the battlefield, just like it's illegal to have a metal detector. Get caught with one in the vehicle, even in the trunk brand new in the unopened box and your in for a nasty fine and the loss of your detector. A friend is a park ranger and informed me of that little tidbit of info. They are also illegal in Washington, DC, all military bases and in any commercial vehicle per DOT regulation 49 CFR 392.71. They are legal in New York, Minnesota and California but they also have a law that makes obstructing the windshield illegal. Stick it on the glass with one of those suction cup mounts and it becomes a problem.

I'll never understand why anyone would ever need one of them anyway. Isn't it just easier to obey the posted speed limit's? It's not only your life you take into your hands when you speed but everyone else on the road.

depends on what I'm driving. My F250 putts along great at 65-70. My sons new harley wants me to twist the gas on in the worst way....