ElmerHiggins

I don't know about you guys but I'm finally beginning to feel the aura of helplessness. It seems that having a radar detector is useless now. I have noticed a boatload of cops now use LIDAR and my Bel 940 and every other radar/laser detector out there is not capable of giving you an advance warning but rather, a "you're fu*!ed alert!"

I am in Georgia and the sorry a$$ governor Sonny Purdue signed an order to have cops crack down and the cops are now everywhere. (If you are in Georgia, I hope you will join me in showing Sonny the boot come vote time.)

Also, if you have GEICO, show them the boot since they are responsible for developing these LIDAR guns. Any way to fight these LIDAR guns? Do laser jamming devices work?

Thanks

ndx2

try laser shifters, and try not to speed alone. if there's a cop ahead and there's some traffic, then your radar/lidar detector will go off when the cop clocks the cars ahead of you. so while radar/lidar detectors aren't as effective as before (when there was only constant on's), it'll still give you some warning... just not when you're speeding all alone.

there are no legal radar/lidar jammers that work. only the illegal ones do, and i think it's a misdemeanor to have one.

bluenoise

While I'd love to get a radar detector, I find the following to be particularly effective at avoiding speeding tickets:

1. Don't speed.



Ok, now that the preaching is done and everyone has stopped laughing, here's what I usually do:

1. Try to allow about 1/3 of the traffic to go faster than me while I pass 2/3 of it. In other words, don't be one of the fastest on the road.
2. Keep your eyes looking all around at all times and at all distances. I notice many people who are speeding get too focused on what's happening 50-100 yards ahead and not behind them or beyond that forward.
3. If oncoming traffic is flashing you on a winding road in the middle of the day, they're probably warning you there is a cop ahead. Many drivers on my morning commute extend this courtesy.
4. Don't do things that call attention to your car, such as frequent lane changes, flashing slower drivers, tailgating, etc.


Enjoy the drive!

Phillyboi

Yup I follow the same general rule and I have for the last 5 years I've been driving. Though my so so Whistler Radar saved me 8 tickets thus far. "Knock on Wood". I was thinking about buying the Passport X50 the one with Blue LED anyone have this Radar?

Ytsejamr

Just a warning . . . at least in NY, flashing your lights to warn drivers about a policeman is illegal. You can get ticketed for it. My dad was a state policeman for 29 years, and that's one of the many laws he told me about that stuck with me. Obviously it's kind of hard to get caught, since there needs to be another cop coming the other way to catch you. But I just thought I'd warn you.

I myself tend to watch for people braking abnormally. That and to only drive about 10mph over the speed limit.

-Brian

wck3

It's a tough case to prove. There are a zillion ways out of that one since the PO has to prove intent and both parties have to be in congruence on it's intended purpose. Impossible to prove, IMHO.

HEK

I live in a rural area where the local cops still use the K band so just this morning I was about to pass this slower vehicle and my radar went off.... , Now on the Highway I have a motto.." want to speed be ready to pay the price"....
My sig says it all....

rs808

This is the first I've heard of LIDAR but it all makes sense now.

I drove through Georgia (I-75) this weekend and I could not believe how many speed traps I saw. At least 15, no joke. Most of them were using Laser, where they have 1 on the overpass with laser and 2 on each ramp ready to chase down speeders. On one occasion I saw that a cop had a gun on me and my Valentine 1 did not pick up anything. I thought maybe my detector just missed it but I guess he was using LIDAR.
I wonder if Floida cops use LIDAR???
Valenting 1 says it will upgrade the detectors if new technology come out. I wonder if they have plans to do so..... Anyone know?

ElmerHiggins

Upgrade to what? Valentine One's ALREADY have the ability to pick up LIDAR, its just almost impossible to do because LIDAR is so narrow and targeted. Unless the beam hits your detector you will not get an alert. I have been targeted in Georgia with LIDAR and my Bel 940 did the same thing your Valentine did, just sat there like a dummy. Just like in your situation, you saw the cop gunning you but no alert, he was hitting a specific part of your vehicle and getting a reading yet the beam was narrow enough not to cover your radar detector!

LIDAR doesnt play games, period.

ramzfan

I got nailed just inside the Perimeter heading south to the toll booth running late for a flight. My detector didn't even go off. Lucky for me the State Trooper didn't appear in court and the judge threw it out.

chill_dog

Yep. A friend of mine from Buffalo is still confused about flashing's legality here because of that. Of course, the jack@$$ drivers here don't flash you, so I guess it's irrelevant whether you can or not. What happened to common courtesy?

As for GA, I think they have nothing better to do. When I went to a meet in Atlanta, north GA was one speed trap after another. I felt like I was in Hazard county passing by ol' Roscoe with a speed limit sign that changes after you pass it.

Oh yeah, NC just passed a resolution to start testing LIDAR...they're testing it in 2 counties (thankfully, not Mecklenburg). I'm sure the pigs will love it, and they'll pass some bill to use it everywhere. Harassing innocent drivers to increase revenue...all while letting murderers and thieves roam free...

jhope

Check out the Blinder M-20 for protection against laser. I'm installing mine today or tomorrow (it's raining right now).

My detector has saved me against Laser because sometimes you will get a reflection when they are targeting someone else.

rs808

I assumed LIDAR was a new technology. I realize now its a new type of laser radar.
thanks!

1995hoo

I would doubt whether that would stand up against a determined defendant. First Amendment issues. Some state, I think it was Virginia, tried to prosecute a guy some years back for standing down the road 2 miles in advance of a sobriety checkpoint holding up a sign saying "DUI Checkpoint Ahead." They charged him with interfering with police officers in the line of duty. He won on the basis that the government could not prohibit his free speech right to tell other drivers about the checkpoint.

About the only basis I could see for New York having this sort of law is if the basis for the law has something to do with improper usage of headlights or something. That is--if the law is specifically targeted at warning people about a cop ahead, the law is mostly likely unconstitutional.


One of the common-sense rules I've always followed on avoiding tickets is to watch out near underpasses during the summer. If it's hot out, the cop is more likely to sit in the shade--after all, he doesn't like the hot weather any more than anyone else.

1995hoo

Maybe he has an older Valentine One. The laser warning used to be an option. I have one that I purchased in 1996; it has the slightly larger case because the laser warning required some additional electronics. I haven't sent it in for the upgrade because I haven't been making enough trips out of state where I could use it.

Ytsejamr

I think that is what the basis is. It had something to do with unlawfully flashing your lights or high beams. I'll have to ask my dad for a little clarification. Like I said though, I doubt they write many tickets for it . . . if at all. I think my dad said he did once. Back in the day they probably had no problem with collecting on that type of ticket. But with our litigious society that we live in today . . . .

-Brian

Neogeek

I know this is slightly off topic, but there are some parts in the US where they are recording speeds of cars on the freeways with cameras that take pictures at a certain interval and measure your speed that way.

Of course we are still some distance a way from that, it will come eventualy, thus making radar detectors close to worthless

wck3

DC has this.

Again, impossible to prove. It's still the US and you are presumed innocent. They have to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that you were the driver. Cameras, red light or speed, don't do that. They just show your license plate. Anyone can be driving your car. Cheers.

bmoreTLS

This is true, but you still get a ticket in the mail and are expected to pay it. the only difference between that and an officer stopping you is that you wont get points.

Radar detectors are illegal in VA and DC, so I have never tried to use it. I just watch my speed traveling through these areas.

But outside of that, my Passport X50 works great (red led). Luckily in Maryland I haven't seen them use anything but Ka, or K band.

JT3

Actually, that's no longer entirely true. My brother-in-law lives in California, and he got a ticket a couple months ago in the mail for running a red light. Turns out he was busted by a camera. In the envelope was a copy of the pictures. There was one of the license plate (both front and back) and one of the driver from both the front and side. There was absolutely no doubt that it was him driving.

Face it, the law isn't stupid. If they lose a lot of cases because they couldn't prove who was driving the car, they'll take measures to provide that proof in the future.

Russdaddy

Strange thing is, I used to get tickets like no tommorrow when I had my radar dectector in my car some years back. Ever since the thing broke (too cheap to replace it) and I've had to rely on my supadoopa-sense, I've only gotten on ticket in the past six years (And I beat that one in court). I'll just continue to stick with what works.

crazymjb

There are no radar/lidar jammers period. IF it was as simple as plug and play they wouldnt spend billions of dollars making the skins and paint for our stealth equipment.

wck3

The camera here don't take driver shots. I know people that have gotten plate shots but that's it.

Wichita, KS? I got family in El Dorado.

ndx2

oh yeah, on top of cameras, some states use airplanes to catch speeders. they use simple calculus to determine the average speed, and radio that in... not much you can do about that.

ef-tl

Of course there are jammers. It's just that a radar or laser jammer advertises your presense at the same time it makes it difficult to pinpoint your exact location and speed. The idea of stealth is to absorb and diffuse a radar signal, and produce no return or other emissions at all, so no one knows you are there. The idea of jamming is to prevent someone who already knows you are there from finding out exactly where you are and how fast you are going in what direction.

So, take a Kband radar gun... if you want to jam it, you broadcast a very strong Kband signal from your car, and the return signal the radar gun is looking for will be lost in all the noise, so they wont be able to figure your speed. The problem is, powerful Kband transmitters aren't licenced by the FCC for personal use, hence the cops can say they are illegal, for that reason and I'm sure some others.

As for laser, same thing only with a specifc frequency of light. Here: You can try this at home (yes, this is simplified). Get a red laser pointer and and go point it at the high beams of a car when they're on. Can you see the pointer dot? Of course not, and neither would a laser rader gun if you were able to shine a brighter light at the same frequency back at it. Of course, if people have problems with Xenon headlights, I'm not sure *what* they think of LIDAR defeating laser headlights!

ntaylor

Not true in all states. In Washington, an infraction is considered a civil, as opposed to criminal, offense. That means they only have to prove that it was more likely than not that you committed the infraction (as opposed to a crime, where burden of proof is beyond a reasonable doubt, not all doubt). I've never seen photo radar here, don't know if they have it or it is illegal, but under the civil burden of proof, if your car was speeding, I think a lot of judges would be willling to assume it was you in the absence of some contrary evidence.

We do have the planes with the clock, I think it is called VASCAR, and the only defense there is to be looking for the planes and trying to be smart. I've been nailed by that before.

Finally, I went on a ride along with a state trooper and used his laser. From a law-enforcement standpoint, it is about the coolest thing ever. Has absurd range, close to a mile, and a little semi-transparent mirror with a heads-up display in it. You look through and target the car, it goes from beeps to a solid tone when it locks, gives you a digital distance and speed on the heads-up-display. Crazy precision too, you can pick out a car in any lane in heavy traffic from thousands of feet away, the only real limit is your ability to hold your hand steady enough at a long range to get a lock.

My conclusion from these experiences is to not be the fastest guy on the road, 'cause hiding in traffic does you no good against either of these technologies.

nayyarn

Come to Montgomery County and they use it all in MD. I just got slammed with a ticket in DC on Canal Road in last week. What can you do? I was moving with traffic, 3rd car back. Taking it to court. Got a clean record hope that helps, what can you do? These cops don't spare you when it comes to the dollars. Got hit with a one 150 large. My

bmoreTLS

I'm not quite sure what you mean by seeing the pointer dot? Like you can't see how it reflects and where the beam goes? if that's the case what do they target your license plate. That would be the only part the car that they could get a flat bounce back from.


Ok, this is crazy, yesterday with all the rain that we got around here, my Passport picked up getting hit by lazers 3 different times after I left work at 2:30. WHAT THE HELL! I guess they're in the testing phase around here now. But seriously, even testing in the rain? And anyone else who has the Escort 8500 knows how loud it blares when it detects lazer. Scared the piss outta me and I was looking everywhere for the police, but didn't see them. This was on residential streets, and on 695.

The only other time I had seen it go off was when an ambulance with that light changing lazer came by, oh and the red light camera's in Howard County in Columbia.

bmoreTLS

Dayum, sorry to hear that... I hope you beat it. I guess now we're going to start hearing about lead mods on our cars to beat LIDAR.

breakin' the law, breakin' the law

crazymjb

laSer. Light Amplification by Stimulation of Emitted Radiation. NO Z.

special-ed

your license plate since it offers the most reliable source and less diffused light to reflect the laser light back to the gun. As stated before, you can purchase laser shifters which are illegal and these new guns that 5.0 uses can now tell the officer that their gun signal was jammed/shifted via visual indicator (where the actual gun readout says jammed) which can be used against you in court especially if they pull you over and find your shifters/jammers mounted on your car.

There are a couple of mfg's that make a plastic type of license plate cover to help diffuse the narrow laser beam but can't remember who. You should be able to find some reports via google.

Other than this complemented with a good radar detector, definitely don't speed alone if you can.

ElmerHiggins

Laser shifters illegal? i thought someone previously mentioned only laser jammers were illegal. personally, i dont believe there are any laws in georgia about this since it is relatively new and we all know how long it takes the legislative branch to agree on a new law

1995hoo

Car and Driver tested the jammers some years back and found that the vast majority of the passive jammers are useless. They also said that while some of the license plate covers will help with LIDAR, the help is limited because the cop can just aim at your headlights instead. The only effective way to avoid that is either to have flip-up headlights (not an option on the TL, of course) or to have your high beams on (also not realistic to think you can just drive around with your high beams on).

The point made by special-ed is the key if you're in an area where they use LIDAR--don't speed alone. My Valentine One picked up LIDAR on Kent Island in Maryland last summer when I was doing 65 in a 55 zone, but I was in a clump of traffic and managed to avoid a ticket. To be safe I ducked behind a tractor-trailer and flipped on my headlights. I read somewhere that this is recommended because if the cop does pull out after you, it might make him uncertain as to which car he wanted to nail if he had ID'd the car without its lights on. Might work, might not, but it can't hurt to try.

Ytsejamr

I should mention another NY law . . . you can't have anything covering your license plates. Doesn't matter if it's clear or tinted, you're not allowed to have anything covering them at all. At least that's what my dad told me a few years ago. Don't know if anything has changed since.

-Brian

jgatortl

I'll have to do some research, but it was my understanding that a Laser shifter is legal because the light spectrum that LIDAR occupies is governed by the FDA of all things (see below)

How is this legal while Radar Jammers are not? Radar devices are controlled by the FCC (Federal Communication Commision), they have ruled that any device that interferes with a Police Radar Gun is illegal. Lasers, on the other hand, are governed by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), which currently has no laws against jamming lasers.

Several car magazines and test sites have concluded the Bell and Escort Laser Shifters work - they just are very pricey.

In Florida they are using laser - but I can not yet justify the $1,000 investment for a detector and shifter