[markmizzou]

Enjoy your radar detector -- in some states --mine included-- if a cop sees your radar detector -- you can forget any chance of ever getting a warning. No, it is not the law -- just a "unwritten policy that is pretty well adhered to. Ask any Cop!!
Oh wait -- they will never get you ! --- NOT -- wrong -- the radars the cops use are waaay better than the detector companies lead you to believe! Have you heard of marketing?
Good luck--???

 

[patrikman]

My Cobra has saved me a couple times now. But laser....it doesn't matter. If the detector goes off they already know how fast you are going. And yes, I did get a warning with it.

 

[provels]

My Cobra has saved me a couple times now. But laser....it doesn't matter. If the detector goes off they already know how fast you are going. And yes, I did get a warning with it.

Just a cost of doing business, like taxes. One ticket with my Passport in last 12 years, and it was laser. But saved me from countless Ka traps in the meantime. I think the point with laser detection is that you may be fortunate to pick up some scatter from cars ahead of you, but if you're the target, game over. At least a mile warning with Ka. The only thing the K detection is good for is finding Audies.

I did the long phone cable from the center console for mine, and mounted the unit low on the windshield.

 

[1454]

Enjoy your radar detector -- in some states --mine included-- if a cop sees your radar detector -- you can forget any chance of ever getting a warning. No, it is not the law -- just a "unwritten policy that is pretty well adhered to. Ask any Cop!!
Oh wait -- they will never get you ! --- NOT -- wrong -- the radars the cops use are waaay better than the detector companies lead you to believe! Have you heard of marketing?
Good luck--???

This is usually true, but you can sometimes get a 1/2 mile-mile warning before you get to them and slow down from 15 over to 5. Laser, as others have said, you're screwed. But with Radar you sometimes have time if it's not instant-on. or they are just riding around with it on.

 

[taiguy]

it's cheap insurance. from what I've found, most cops will just leave their radar on constantly.

 

[mowcowbell]

Even if you don't believe in using a radar detector, this post is helpful for those of us looking to tap into power at the rear view mirror and mount something else... like a dashcam.

 

[millermmail]

Enjoy your radar detector -- in some states --mine included-- if a cop sees your radar detector -- you can forget any chance of ever getting a warning. No, it is not the law -- just a "unwritten policy that is pretty well adhered to. Ask any Cop!!
Oh wait -- they will never get you ! --- NOT -- wrong -- the radars the cops use are waaay better than the detector companies lead you to believe! Have you heard of marketing?
Good luck--???

Also some states (like VA) it doesn't matter if it's turned on or works, if they see you have one anywhere in the car (including in a box in your floor) it's an automatic ticket and confiscation. In VA at least, that IS law and they do run radar detectors in at least some cases. I'm 99% sure that's what happened to a car I was following back from NC one time, a state trooper pulled out and was following each car in the "group" until they got to this one particular one and they flipped on all their lights. Everyone was doing EXACTLY the same thing but considering he was parked behind the "Welcome to VA Radar Detectors Illegal" sign I'm betting he was hunting for that. And you don't even need to be speeding to get cited for the detector here.

Only way I've heard of people getting out of it around here is if something more pressing happens before they write the ticket, such as a major accident happening in front of them at that they have to literally "drop everything and run" to the other emergency. In that case I've heard of people being handed it back and told "you're lucky, drive careful and go get rid of this".

Hope yours works better than the one a friend in NC got, he finally gave up because it was going off every time he got near any RF energy and he figured out he could usually see the cops by the time the radar detector went off. I prefer the "watch what people are doing way up ahead" method myself, and that's legal everywhere.

EDIT: For more ideas on power tapping, check out the dash cam thread. I actually did the opposite, investigating ideas for dash cam power by reading radar detector stuff.

 

[markmizzou]

Not true....

it's cheap insurance. from what I've found, most cops will just leave their radar on constantly.

They (cops) are trained in the schools how to use them with the instant on/off buttons. I know this for a FACT as I worked for a big law enforcement agency in my home state for the last 15 years of my working career. They (cops) prefer to use them with the instant on/off function because they know they are "advertising" their presence when it is turned on constantly. They know how to win in the "detector" game-- trust me. I have had many conversations with my co-workers (cops) on this very issue. Detectors may help you once in awhile, but, in the long run they will win this war, especially if you are a persistent offender.
One more reason you loose --most insurance companies check for violations.
More tickets of any kind = higher rates.:nerd:

 

[provels]

They (cops) are trained in the schools how to use them with the instant on/off buttons. I know this for a FACT as I worked for a big law enforcement agency in my home state for the last 15 years of my working career. They (cops) prefer to use them with the instant on/off function because they know they are "advertising" their presence when it is turned on constantly. They know how to win in the "detector" game-- trust me. I have had many conversations with my co-workers (cops) on this very issue. Detectors may help you once in awhile, but, in the long run they will win this war, especially if you are a persistent offender.
One more reason you loose --most insurance companies check for violations.
More tickets of any kind = higher rates.:nerd:

Well, OK, but I can hear it pop on over a mile away, sooo...
And where I live, IL, if you're an occasional offender you can got to "traffic school" (once live, but now online) and avoid the ticket being put on your "permanent record".

 

[GasGuzz]

From what I’ve seen with taiguy, I believe he’s more a gadget dude than a speeder. It’s pretty cool but man that thing sticks out (seen from the front/rear) and just asks for, “Don’t give me a warning, I want a ticket”. Yup, young nephew was once actually told he was going to get warning/lesson (failure to make a full stop of some sort, which cops usually let go), sees/discovers the detector and “I’m giving you a ticket”.

As far as instant-on radar or laser, well if you spend enough (as in a couple $K’s) they have devices that defend the same game. But yeh, law of averages 100% it cannot be.
Now what I find interesting (I haven’t Google’d it), why are detectors illegal in some States?

 

[mowcowbell]

This does bring up the question, 'Has anyone been pulled over by law enforcement due to the EyeSight system'? From a distance, it could be mistaken for some type of radar detector.

 

[Rich in NEPA]

And where I live, IL, if you're an occasional offender you can got [sic] to "traffic school" (once live, but now online) and avoid the ticket being put on your "permanent record".

Well, for me it's as much a matter of OBEYING the traffic laws as best as possible in order to avoid the hassle, delays and expense of being ticketed, and to end my trip with a clear conscience, as it is to provide myself with a stress-free, a safe and a fun driving experience. Since I really, really enjoy spending time driving my Subaru Outback, I'm usually not in any HURRY to stop and get out of it. Therefore no need to GO FAST. 0

•

 

[provels]

And that's what makes the market.

 

[Snoguy]

This does bring up the question, 'Has anyone been pulled over by law enforcement due to the EyeSight system'? From a distance, it could be mistaken for some type of radar detector.

Extremely unlikely IMO. It looks too much like a normal part of the vehicle.

 

[1454]

Well, for me it's as much a matter of OBEYING the traffic laws as best as possible in order to avoid the hassle, delays and expense of being ticketed, and to end my trip with a clear conscience, as it is to provide myself with a stress-free, a safe and a fun driving experience. Since I really, really enjoy spending time driving my Subaru Outback, I'm usually not in any HURRY to stop and get out of it. Therefore no need to GO FAST. 0

•

Ok, was this really necessary? Safe and obeying traffic laws do not have a direct dependent relationship. A perfect example is I-85 in Atlanta, if you aren't doing at minimum 10 over, you are a Road hazard, and waiting to cause an accident. Also, there are plenty of places that exist only to be speed traps for revenue generation. There is a place on the way to where I grew up and out of the blue the speed limit drops from 55 to 35. Another example is where you are on a 4 lane divided hwy and the speed limit is 45 or 55. There are plenty of other places where the laws don't in any way coincide with safety. It has also been thoroughly debunked that "go fast" is inherently unsafe.

https://www.motorists.org/press/montana-no-speed-limit-safety-paradox/

This Is The Best Takedown Of The 'Speed Kills' Myth You'll Ever See

 

[Rich in NEPA]

Safe and obeying traffic laws do not have a direct dependent relationship.

Sure they do! In your own examples way too many people are breaking the law. And just because everybody does it, doesn't make it right.

Also, there are plenty of places that exist only to be speed traps for revenue generation.

That's true. I've even seen reports on TV or in the newspapers about that sort of thing. However, I doubt very much you'd be stopped IF you were driving at the posted limit.

I'm in total agreement with you if you're implying that in many instances the existing speed limits are unnecessarily too low. Highway engineers used to set speed limits based on the 95 Percentile Rule (meaning the speed that 95% of vehicles are reasonably and prudently driven at) and NOT by meddling politicians, for example!!!

There is a place on the way to where I grew up and out of the blue the speed limit drops from 55 to 35.

That's why it's important to be paying attention while driving at all times. I try to avoid as many distractions as possible because my life, and the lives of my passengers, depends on it. Daydreaming is not an excuse, either.

It has also been thoroughly debunked that "go fast" is inherently unsafe.

No, and I never actually said that. I said that because I'm not in a hurry I don't need to go fast. It's the disparity in speeds of vehicles sharing the same sections of roadway, as well as driver unpredictability, that are the greatest risk factors. You are absolutely correct about that. I used to try to "drive with traffic" on busy major highways, weaving from lane to lane to avoid slower-moving vehicles and/or faster-moving tailgaters, and that's when I discovered that I felt overly fatigued and frazzled at the end of long drives. I don't drive like that anymore. I've noticed that a lot of professional drivers (trucks and buses) tend to drive at a more relaxed pace, generally right at, or slightly above the posted speed limit, and they also generally keep to the right lane, as well. I followed them a few times, and that's when I had my great epiphany! :smile2:

•

 

[1454]

Sure they do! In your own examples way too many people are breaking the law. And just because everybody does it, doesn't make it right.

That's because of the point you even made three paragraphs below. A stupid law doesn't go hand-in-hand with safety. There is a law on the books in a town next to where I grew up that stated you couldn't eat chicken with a fork on Sunday. So you tell me that law is any more safe than the others. As stated in the Jalopnik video, setting speed limits artificially low can actually increase accident from road hazards.

That's true. I've even seen reports on TV or in the newspapers about that sort of thing. However, I doubt very much you'd be stopped IF you were driving at the posted limit.

That has very little to do with what I said, and everything to do with the implication that speed limits are only set at inherently safe speeds. For example, even at the speed limit, if I come around a blind curve on grandma cruisi

I'm in total agreement with you if you're implying that in many instances the existing speed limits are unnecessarily too low. Highway engineers used to set speed limits based on the 95 Percentile Rule (meaning the speed that 95% of vehicles are reasonably and prudently driven at) and NOT by meddling politicians, for example!!!

Which is what prompted what I said. Also, it's actually the 85th percentile.
http://www.lsp.org/pdf/troopc85thSpeed.pdf

So, without rational speed limits, you can't say that just "driving the speed limit" is the safest speed.

That's why it's important to be paying attention while driving at all times. I try to avoid as many distractions as possible because my life, and the lives of my passengers, depends on it. Daydreaming is not an excuse, either.

Irrelevant. For example, even at the speed limit, if I come around a blind curve on grandma cruising at 20 mph, and yes I have seen it before, without enough time to stop and slam into her, I wasn't doing anything "unsafe" by your example, but clearly it still resulted in an accident.

No, and I never actually said that. I said that because I'm not in a hurry I don't need to go fast. It's the disparity in speeds of vehicles sharing the same sections of roadway, as well as driver unpredictability, that are the greatest risk factors. You are absolutely correct about that. I used to try to "drive with traffic" on busy major highways, weaving from lane to lane to avoid slower-moving vehicles and/or faster-moving tailgaters, and that's when I discovered that I felt overly fatigued and frazzled at the end of long drives. I don't drive like that anymore. I've noticed that a lot of professional drivers (trucks and buses) tend to drive at a more relaxed pace, generally right at, or slightly above the posted speed limit, and they also generally keep to the right lane, as well. I followed them a few times, and that's when I had my great epiphany! :smile2:

•

Weaving in and out of traffic is not moving with traffic. I typically stick to the right lane except to pass. However, if the flow if traffic is 20 over, (again, the 55 mph 4 lane divided highways) then I will drive at 20 over. I'm not going to drive 20 mph slower than traffic just because it's the "law". It all goes back to inadequate road study by the state/county/etc. My response to you was just to state that the claim that someone is being unsafe just because they exceed the speed limit, and want a radar detector on roads where the limits aren't set by science, but rather emotion or laziness, is factually inaccurate.

 

[markmizzou]

my last comment on this...

Well, OK, but I can hear it pop on over a mile away, sooo...
And where I live, IL, if you're an occasional offender you can got to "traffic school" (once live, but now online) and avoid the ticket being put on your "permanent record".

As you say you can hear it "pop" ? on --lets say he decides it's you he "Pops" it on for -- YOU LOOSE THAT SESSION . Radar and the detectors is a civilian game the military plays everyday -- It is called ECM (electronic counter measures). This was my field of training/work many years ago in the USAF. The big difference here in the civilian world, is that one side in the game, has a definite disadvantage, that being quality of the hardware that they are using. I am not saying the radar detectors are not any good --but I am willing to bet the other side (law-enforcement) has better goodies to work with --also more money to spend. They most always get huge grants in funds from the Feds to Buy the stuff they need.
I understand --it's your money to spend any way you want.
Again --good luck!:grin2:

 

[provels]

I understand --it's your money to spend any way you want.

Exactly. That's why I didn't need Eyesight! I pay attention!!