To continue in the series of posts regarding the ideas that I contemplated during my quiet drive from PA to GA, this next installment will address the use of a radar detector. As I know it has been noticed, I have a lead foot. Well, due to this, it has crossed my mind several times about purchasing a radar detector.
I know several people that swear by them and won't drive without them. However, the only times that I've ever driven with one was when I borrowed THay's car. I really found it to be extremely annoying. The only time the damn thing made any noise, it was just picking up stray radiation, never had I been in the car when it detected a gun.
Now, this is a stat that I'm sure you will find amazing. In all of my years of driving, I have only ever received two tickets for speeding. Once was on Ohio River Blvd on my way home from work one spring from DPI in Emsworth. I am uncertain what method was used to clock me, however, I am pretty sure it was VASCAR, not radar. The other time I was caught, it was in WV on my way home last year for Thanksgiving. I know for certain that radar was not in use for that one. The policeman used his speedo to determine my speed since he was tailing me and I didn't realize it.
So, with my two tickets, having had a detector would have done me absolutely no good. On the other hand, if I were to buy a radar detector, to avoid a single speeding ticket would make it worth it. I can't recall the cost of my first ticket, but the second one exceeded $150. Generally speaking, a detector will run you about that much. Therefore, if I were to finally break down and buy one, any time I am able to avoid being pulled over for speeding is money in my pocket. However, how often will that really occur?
I know for certain that there have been several times that I have passed highway patrol during my interstate trips and have wondered why they didn't pull me over. I know for certain that I was caught dead-to-rights. Sometimes I think that it might have something to do with my license plate. However, the NG emblem on my plate is pretty small and hard to identify unless you are directly behind me on the highway. Therefore, I really think that I have to exclude that as a defense. Therefore, why do police not bother pulling me over? Am I speeding within their tolerance range for wanting to pull over drivers? Maybe, but not always. I can't explain it.
Owning and using a radar detector is not a fool-proof way around a speeding ticket. As I mentioned, I've been clocked via VASCAR and by speedo. However, those are not the only things to take into consideration. How about Virginia? Within the entire state, it is illegal to have a radar detector in use. Furthermore, even having one mounted in your car should you be pulled over is enough to anger a cop and land you with an additional ticket and potential confiscation of your device. I don't know how many other states have similar laws, but from PA to GA, VA is the only one.
Anyway, I don't have an answer to this debate. What I do know though, is that I know many more people that don't have them than do. I think that this statistic alone is enough to answer the question. However, I would like to open up the floor to hear what you guys have to say. Is the cost of a radar detector worth the peace of mind and potential lack of tickets that they claim to avoid?
Monday, September 1, 2008
Driving Rant - Highway Driving Sans Radar Detector or With?
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4 comments:
Once again when it comes to driving we have similar styles and concerns. As I just drive down and back from Maryland over the weekend I had similar thoughts. When I got home I decided to do some research on it. As with anything else, it seems like you get what you pay for with radar detectors. Personally if I were going to purchase one I would probably lean more towards higher end for this. Now I did find one that approached $1000 and I'm not saying I would go that high but in order for it to do what it is supposed to it seems like the $300-$350 pricerange seems to be ideal. The price seems to depend on the number of frequencies and distance it can detect.
Now their were a few problems I noticed. The first one is that radar detectors are only useful against the kind of radar that would be in a state trooper's hand, they do not work on photo and other types of radar used. Their are devices for photo radar but they strictly sense photo radar so you would have to own 2 or more devices to detect them both. This to me is rather small since although I speed pretty much everywhere, as with most people my likeness to the gas pedal is most evident on the highway where their are no traffic lights. Plus in PA there is no photo radar yet anyway. The 2nd is more pressing and that is the "electrical wafare" going on between the makers of the radar guns and the detectors. If I purchase a radar gun and then a few months later some new technology comes out AKA a lower frequency that is undetectable by the detector then the purchase is null and void. This "war" is apparently pretty intense as I have seen articles about radar guns, radar detectors, radar detector detectors, and finally radar detector detector detectors. Hard to follow I know. When I make what I consider to be a big ticket purchase such as something like this or a video game system etc.. I tend to keep them for a long time. I have not however found anything stating what the average shelf life for these things are before they are made obsolete. My opinion of radar detectors has changed drastically since I started looking into this. At first I was very optimistic about getting one, now I don't think I will. Besides the fact there is no guarantee how long it would be good for, some of the websites suggested books that offer tips on how to "beat the system" http://www.buyradardetectors.com/Products/Beat-A-Speeding-Ticket.aspx seemed to have some interesting information. It does talk about the detectors, but also talks about how to beat a speeding ticket if you do get one and techniques to avoid them in the future. I already know some general concepts like the fact cops like to sit around a bend at the bottom of a hill because that is where more people are likely to speed and things like that and I believe that this kind of knowledge will be more effective over a longer period of time than a radar detector.
I don't think the detector is worth the investment. As Tyler pointed out you'll be paying far more than you original estimate to get one thats going to be effective. As well as the fact that newer radar guns will make it obsolete.
Add in the false positives where the detector is picking up a microwave is someones kitchen and it quickly becomes more hassle than its worth.
With highway traps there are certain speed ranges that they will pursue you. There's the 10 MPH over the speed limit buffer, and then at some point there is a maximum safe speed they'll chase you at. I doubt you are above that safe range, but I wouldn't rule it out with your driving.
Not to mention most of the traps work merely by threat alone, just seeing the cop there is enough that people will slow down to safer speeds and thats all they are looking for. I know traveling close to the coastline, towards the touristy beaches, they have wooden cutouts of cop cars along the way for that purpose.
They do make detectors that will filter out most/all the additional unwanted frequencies so you don't get all the false alarms. This is one of the reasons why I said that if I were to purchase one it would be higher end. Even so, the higher end detectors would be made obsolete in the case of a new frequency being used that they don't cover and therefore such a big ticket item doesn't seem practical.
So, if I hear the consensus correctly right now, the false sense of security that a detector would provide is not worth the expense. I say false sense because you can't be 100% sure that the detector is not yet obsolete. Unless you really keep up with the technology. That almost seems like more of an investment than I would like to keep paying for a utility as such.
Additionally, if you remove the radar technologies from the equation, I've already discussed the fact that radar is not the only way to be ticketed for speeding. However, the alternatives are more for local government owned/managed roads, not highways.
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