Radar vs. Radar Detector

I have a fairly expensive Beltronics radar detector and I really enjoy it. It serves as a reminder to slow down if I have been traveling too fast. More than that, it warns me that the people ahead will probably slamming on the brakes soon, as they visually see the police car up ahead.

Any discussion of radar detectors deserves inclusion of the Valentine One. It informs you not only of the number of radar signals, but more importantly, the direction.... so one can make an informed choice whether to slow down, or speed up. :-)

I'm not sure how the laser detection in other detectors performs, but the Valentine One has given me plenty of time to slow down presumably from laser scattered from cars ahead.

I don't have any affiliation with the company, other than being a satisfied customer. If you do decide to use a detector, this one is not cheap, but it is worth consideration.

"Escort has models that upload police locations to a database"

Also true of a number of sat-nav systems.

Yeah, I go a little over the speed limit, but usually hold it to <10 over. Most cops will tell you that they will just watch you go by at <10. But they will nab you if you pass them (sort of a slap in the face - disrespectful).

It also depends on where you are at: In Las Vegas they will announce on the TV news that they are ticketing people going 20 and over.

I had a radar detector many years ago but I found they were more hassle than useful.

I learned to employ the 95% percentile rule.

Make sure there is at least 5% of the cars going faster than you and you can relax. It is still advisable to keep an eye on your mirrors however.

If you are the lone car on the highway then I have a fallback of <10 over as others have noted that you will rarely get a ticket on a highway if you are less than 10 over.

Watch out for Ruckersville, VA where the speed limit drops from 60 to 50 on a downhill section of US-29 because that is a significant source of revenue for the locals there. That's the only ticket I've received in the last 20 years. I made my $125 donation to the county in 2006.

And as others have said, your driving profile (keep a low one) has much to do with not catching the attention of the constabulary. In other words, don't drive like a douche bag. Fast is fine, just keep it safe.

Yup. Every time someone flies by me down the road I think, Private, run out there and draw fire!

Sadly, most of the comments don't apply in most parts of Australia (especially Victoria). It's all about the speed while ones manner of driving is virtually ignored.

Brave Sir Robin's 95th percentile approach works though, albeit resulting in travelling at much less than 10 mph or 16 km/h over. +16 km/h over will get you pinged here every time.

Appreciate and enjoy what you've got.

(image how it affects me with an M3 and an STI)

Speeding is cheating.

When one follows the rules on the signs and publications applicable to the roads in the jurisdiction in which the vehicle is being driven, there is no need, ever, to own or use a radar detector.

<Applause> GA

Driving over in the Netherlands, the GPS alerted me of speed cameras and zones prior to getting there, which of course made everyone slow down. I found this as an annoyance more than anything.

I use pretty much your system at a more conservative 25% faster, so far with good results.

"Police are looking to stop the accidents" That is very true unless Police are using their radars as a revenue source for their jurisdiction.

...well then, they are just trying to stop fiscal accidents.

Nicely said!

I might add that if you do get pulled over you can't know if the officer did not just come from some horrid accident scene. Police are people too.

My wife's first day on the job as a paramedic was to respond to an SUV rollover. When she got there she saw this man kneeling over a doll in the middle of the road, but it wasn't a doll at all. It was his baby daughter's body. His only words he spoke were, "It's a bad day."

The thought of that makes me emotional, too, and it would strike me as odd if the police officer on the scene didn't feel the same.

Something to think about the next time you get stopped - what has that officer's eyes last seen before pulling you over?

Well done, sir! and salute! All of this relates back to the discussions about technology and morality. In other words, science and technology may well have outraced our levels of collective responsibility to the point where humanity is in a position to do himself (collectively) more harm than good. We can do so many great things using science and technology, but are we ready for them?

Putting a selfish, irresponsible person behind the wheel is tantamount to turning a kiddo with no firearms safety training loose with a Remington 7mm rifle. The likelihood of an injury or fatality just takes a quantum leap. On the other hand, take that same ignorant fool (a rebellious person), and really educate him (don't ask me how) about consequences that matter (having someone lose their life over a moment's poor choice), notwithstanding the legal aspects of being in jail, being in court, and then going to prison, maybe just maybe that same fool will suddenly become much wiser?

Any chance of that actually happening in the present context of our society? I don't know, but there is always hope while there is life.

The other side of the coin...

If the limit is 55 and everyone else is going 65, your chances of being in an accident are greater if you're going 55 rather than the same speed as the rest of traffic, especially if you need to change lanes and have to keep your eyes glued to the rear-view to see oncoming traffic.

I agree that most speed limits are there for good reasons but not always & I believe that drivers are more likely to speed if the limit seems inappropriate. As an example, a road I use on my daily commute had the limit changed from 60mph to 30mph last year. This is a reasonably straight, 2 lane road with no side roads or houses and no history of accidents. As a consequence most drivers are traveling at 40-60mph. The strangest part is that the 30mph limit ends as you get to a staggered junction with an industrial estate on each side, here the limit increases to 40mph then, once past the junctions, the limit reverts to the original 60mph. No logic to this at all.

The logic may have to do with the township or county having regulations that stipulate maximum speeds for roads that are in proximity to certain things or if the population density is greater than some threshold.

I've seen this in the States where the limit is dropped to a lower number while the passes a population center. The road has no more entries and exits, it just falls under a different jurisdiction.

In general, limits are set so that the lowest common denominator that just manages to pass their license exam can be expected to safely transverse that road.

Possible, housing developments have grown around that part of the road although none of them have direct access.

The ordinances I was speaking about only require a population density threshold. Once crossed the maximum speed limit applied to all roads regardless of how or where they interconnected.

That may be the case for your situation, but I don't know.