Radar Detectors

[Scruffy]

Pros/Cons? The best?

Personal anecdotes?

 

[VTKilarney]

With police switching over to instant-on laser guns, IMHO radar detectors are a waste of money.

 

[wa-loaf]

I find Waze, at least in high traffic areas, pretty good at giving me a heads up about speed traps.

 

[Smellytele]

I try to not go more than 10mph over the speed limit on highways. On back roads. try going 35 in 35 zones and 50 in 45's and no more than 59 in a 50. It has worked out well at least in New England.

have used Waze as well while on long trips

 

[Hawkshot99]

Used to run a detector on my bike and car. Really just told you when they had you. Now a days they use laser that is instant on. A detector just tells you to pull over.

 

[Funky_Catskills]

Waze is great...

RADAR detectors are best on back roads.. Saves me all the time here in Hunter where you could get a ticket for going 5 over..
Mine has GPS so I mark the spots where cops hide and it warns me.
My RADAR detector seems to be set off by random cars - they must use it for safety stuff - like checking a lane before switching..
Like anything else RADAR detectors are changing and adding functionality... To not JUST check radar and laser... but do other stuff..

 

[dlague]

I try to not go more than 10mph over the speed limit on highways. On back roads. try going 35 in 35 zones and 50 in 45's and no more than 59 in a 50. It has worked out well at least in New England.

have used Waze as well while on long trips

I have a similar approach! In NH where it is 70 mph I keep it below 80, where it is 65 I keep it below 75 etc. Exception is when I go to Killington where the speed drops to 25 in a couple places then I go 25. They are nuts over there!

Back to the OP - I had a radar detector and got nabbed by aircraft. I think it is a waste of $'s Spend it on a skiing!

 

[180]

10 plus the speed limit seems to be safe most places

 

[VTKilarney]

My RADAR detector seems to be set off by random cars - they must use it for safety stuff - like checking a lane before switching..

That's correct. Cars now use radar for blind spot warning, adaptive cruise control, and other things.

 

[dlague]

Oh and if you do have one and they catch you in Canada - they will take it and smash it!

 

[VTKilarney]

Oh and if you do have one and they catch you in Canada - they will take it and smash it!

Good point (for most provinces, at least). And if it's powered on, just about every detector can be detected by the police. They use spectre radar-detector-detectors.

Talk about a cat and mouse game!

 

[Funky_Catskills]

10 plus the speed limit seems to be safe most places

Not on local roads.. Friends that are cops say 74mph on the highway is ok...
If I did 35mph in a 25mph - I'd get a ticket in my town..

 

[Funky_Catskills]

Oh and if you do have one and they catch you in Canada - they will take it and smash it!

In the us we feel it's our right to know when we are being observed..
Only illegal in VA as far as I know now..

 

[wa-loaf]

In the us we feel it's our right to know when we are being observed..
Only illegal in VA as far as I know now..

CT too, or at least they used to be.

 

[ALLSKIING]

With police switching over to instant-on laser guns, IMHO radar detectors are a waste of money.

Correct me if im wrong but the hope with a detector is that it picks up the laser hit on another vehicle to warn you before they get your vehicle.

 

[VTKilarney]

Correct me if im wrong but the hope with a detector is that it picks up the laser hit on another vehicle to warn you before they get your vehicle.

That's the theory. It doesn't work well in reality. And it assumes that there is someone ahead of you.

 

[ALLSKIING]

That's the theory. It doesn't work well in reality. And it assumes that there is someone ahead of you.

I don't know but mine has got me out of a bunch of tickets with advanced warnings. I also spent over $400 on mine so it's probably a wash coin wise lol.

 

[Funky_Catskills]

CT too, or at least they used to be.

Legal in CT now

 

[MEtoVTSkier]

I don't know but mine has got me out of a bunch of tickets with advanced warnings. I also spent over $400 on mine so it's probably a wash coin wise lol.

Same here, although I don't use it as much as I used to. The object is to NOT be the first one in line, and let the detector see the "splash-over" signal.

 

[Funky_Catskills]

I don't know but mine has got me out of a bunch of tickets with advanced warnings. I also spent over $400 on mine so it's probably a wash coin wise lol.

Same - It saves me all the time..

I catch the RADAR signals WAY in advance..
RADAR is about 90% of the warnings i get.
Laser not so much..Rain - Fog - Snow - reflections render them useless. And they need a clear shot to prove it in court..