Alterative to radar detectors

[Soggytaco]

I was thinking today about radar and laser detectors and how even with the best there is just too much margin for error. So I was thinking about scanners and cb radios. Do you think a combination of a scanner to monitor police activity and a cb radio to listen to trucker reports on police and speed traps would be as effective as a radar detector. I think this setup may be more useful on the freeway than on country roads. I know many police have switched to digital radios is it possible to listen to them on the APCO25 frequencies.

[corvetteronw]

Here's my alternative: I drive the speed limit. I finally wised up after years of getting tickets. It works!
Now I'm not saying I never speed but I pick my roads carefully.

[Soggytaco]

Most of the time I drive 72 in a 65. I never race not my thing but we all get on it every now and then and I just dont want to get stung.

[bogus]

I have a V1... I keep it for those times I travel to where I don't know what is up.

You see, the freeways of SoCal either are so traffic choked there is no speeding going on, or, everyone is doing 80. From what I have figured, CHP isn't worried about speed enforcement as much as traffic flow control. Do something stupid, you will get a ticket.

When I lived in DE, I would drive to FL at least once a year, sometimes twice, to visit my brother. It was for that trip that I bought the V1.

I remember quite vividly two experiences in SC, both going south on I-95.

The first one(2000): I just passed South of the Border (state line), it was a clear, sunny and pleasant late morning, early afternoon. My V1 went off, picking up several signals. The area I was approaching had a few stands of trees, a very wide, flat and low median area and lots of space between lanes (not far from the SC reststop on the NB side). When I got closer, the traffic had already slowed to about 10mph below the limit, there was a huge speedtrap... there musta been 10~15 cars pulled over for speeding. As I clear, the traffic gets less than .5 miles south, when they hit it and get back upto ~80. I stayed at 70... because the V1 was picking up a 2nd speed trap!!! Low and behold, ~2 miles south, another speed trap and a couple of those in my group were nabbed.

The 2nd occurance was a 1 year later (2001)!! I was on I-95, way down into SC... Don't remember exactly where, but it was down near the I-26 area... I was alone on the road (it was a Sunday morning), when my V1 goes off...and won't shut up. I had the cruise set at about 75, so I just slowly gained on the pack ahead. As I neared, the V1 gets louder and louder. I catch up with the pack and the V1 is going crazy... I am right behind a silver Z28... I look closely and see a thin "roll cage" with things hanging from it - STROBE LIGHTS & RADAR!!! It was an unmarked SCSP highway patrol car!!! I give him reasonable space, but make no moves, per se. Within 5 minutes of me catching up with him, he throws on the lights, hits the brakes, drives into the median, does a u-turn and hits it north bound. He found someone!!!

The traffic in front of me cleared and I resumed my 75mph cruise.

The moral to all of these stories? Stay under 80, no matter where you are. Period. If the limit is 65, stay under 75 and/or ride with traffic. The real problem is how to handle your comfort zone when the limit is over 70... I still feel that sticking to about 80 is the best bet.

The first trip I took to FL in March 1992 for the Sebring 12 Hours took me only 16hrs and 20 minutes - From Dover, DE to Lake Placid, FL, 1065 miles, at an average of 65mph - chiefly because the traffic was light and I was very efficient with my breaks (gas, food, restroom all within the same 15~20 minutes).

I had a nearly new 1991 Honda Accord LX, and was able to set the cruise at about 74mph and just sit there for hours at a time (getting 33mpg doesn't hurt, either ). I was never able to reproduce that drive time. Ever since (I drove every March from 1992 to 2002, missing 1998, plus other trips), I was never able to reproduce that... and the reason is traffic. The number of cars on I-95 just blows me away. It's the most heavily traveled Interstate in the country - Period. Car count per mile is higher than even LA county freeways. Simply because I-5 outside of LA is empty...

Last summer, bastet44 and I did a run to Bakersfield, once we cleared LA (the 5 and 405 split), traffic went away. Zilch. That was it. Last week, she went to Bakersfield for a meeting... it took her longer to get home from Pasadena (30 miles) than it did to get from Bakersfield to Pasadena (120 miles)... that is just wrong.

As for jammers... I don't believe in the tech, and what could happen if you are busted with one just isn't worth it to me. CB radio is a crock anymore. The last time I used a CB was about 10 years ago, and it was just a pain. People cussing, bitching about things, one dude sang into his mic for what seemed like hours... I would ask for a "smokey report" and no one would reply. I don't even know if the CB lingo is current... I used CB back in the 70s and 80s... my mom had one (hell, everyone had one then... they were the precurser to the cell phone) and we drove to FL in 1980 with it. I did the CB part of the equation. For the most part, it had some utility back then. But these days, they are not worth it.

The reason I have the V1 is because too many small towns depend on speeding tix for revenue. Just what you need is a Roscoe P. Coltrane making your day hell with a stupid ticket cause you were doing - GASP! - 5mph over his precious speed limit. I refuse to get nabbed by speedo error and poor radar gun operation. The detector will save you that.

[Cozmo]

It's pretty easy to go faster than you intend to in these cars. I always have a radar detector wired into my car so that when I start the car, it turns on. I shut the car off, it turns off. This helps me in case I accidentally go faster than I intended to.

[AORoads]

bogus is right; it's getting tougher out there. I've written this before but the types and responsiveness of various forms of "enforcement" is getting better. And radar detectors just can't always beat them.

Soggy, to try to ans. your question, can cb, etc., help, yes. Some. But maybe not a lot. Recall: truckers were banned from using radar detectors about three years ago(?), therefore they now have to rely on that more heavily than even in the past. If on the interstates you stay with the trucks, chances are you're ok.

The best V1s, Escort, Passport, Bels, Cobras, etc. are only just so good. Remember: in most places, counties and cities and states, this is a revenue generator. It means, they must, must have this revenue. Thus it is worth it for policing agencies to pay more for better tech. Meanwhile, the prices of most radar detectors have stayed about the same for over ten years, with the V1 costing the most at about 400. Or, the prices have gone down. Not a big source for these small companies that make detectors.

One last thought tho for all: if you're in a line of cars doing 85 in a 65, and the enforcement officials pick you, you're going down. You were still doing 85, regardless of being in traffic, in the middle, "keeping up with the traffic", etc. I've seen it applied, you won't get out of it if the officer/trooper feels like it.

[Mr Mojo]

If I remember correctly, most manufacturers of jammers and detectors, also make the RADAR guns. I don't believe they would let us get the upper hand over law enforcement.

[CentralCoaster]

Too much effort to use the police scanner. I just drive really fast and cross my fingers. I average a ticket every 18 months, which coincidentally, is how often I can do traffic school.


I get the same amount of tickets with my V1 as before, but I can drive faster on average without getting pulled over more often.

[goldeneye_vet]

Originally Posted by corvetteronw

Here's my alternative: I drive the speed limit. I finally wised up after years of getting tickets. It works!
Now I'm not saying I never speed but I pick my roads carefully.

GAWD I wish I could go back to all of the tickets over the years for WHAT???? To get there an extra 5-10 minutes early? I know this much, show a radar detector on your dash no matter what car you drive and you're going to get a ticket. I drive maybe 3-4 miles over the limit on the hightway but I'm already pushing the limit by not having a front license plate. In town I drive the speed limit because my insurance is already outrageous with a perfect record. I give up, the LAW wins!

[CentralCoaster]

If I drive 10% faster that means I spend about 9% less time on the road. Figure 20,000 miles between tickets, averaging 40mph.

So that saves me about 45 hours for each ticket... at $230 each, is about $5 per hour.

[runner140*]

Driving over 50 miles a day, and most of that is on the highway, I try to stay in the left lane and as busy as our highways are, I try to stay with traffic. Most of the time traffic runs about 5 to 7 mph over the speed limit. I still use a radar detector.

[rocco16]

A retired state police office wrote a book on avoiding tickets a few years ago. I've read it several times. In it, he recommends a combination of CB and radar detector in the way of defensive equipment, with each sharing about equal importance.
The one thing I got from this book (and I got a V-1 after the first read) was using common sense and maintaining a hyper-alert status any time you are exceeding the limit is THE most important defense we have.
There is no sure-fire defense for speeding tickets, with the one exception (noted by corvetteronw); don't ever exceed the posted speed limit. I, too, stay very close to the limits except on certain rare occaison... on certain, carefully-chosen roads, in certain situations.
Pure chance pays a huge role in whether we get tickets or not...always.

[quote=goldeneye_vet I know this much, show a radar detector on your dash no matter what car you drive and you're going to get a ticket. ([/QUOTE]

You can't be ticketed for having a detector on your dash (okay, you can in, what, like, two states?).
If you get stopped for speeding while having a detector, your chances of driving away without a ticket are greatly reduced...but, even then, a detector does not automatically guarantee a ticket.
The aforementioned book goes into great lengths explaining how, even after you are stopped, you can increase your chances of NOT receiving a ticket.

Larry
code5coupe

[Aardwolf]

You could try a police band detector. If they are still around. I had one years back. It would detect and show signal strength of the cops radio when it was used.

I got a radar detector when I still had my "temps". They have saved me from many tickets. Though keeping an eye out for cops has saved me from just as many. For example, I'm watching ahead of me (not sleeping at the wheel) and there is a slight hill in the road. I see the cops lights appear over the hill line and I slow down. The rest of the cop car appears and he instant on radars me going the speed limit. My radar detector did nothing till his instant on was activated. A police band detector may have helped.

I generally go with the traffic flow. When a speeder passes me I use him as my rabbit. I hang back and watch his brake lights. I open her up once in awhile but I mostly speed in packs.

Interesting stat, in Milwackie there were 14,000 speeding tickets givin in 2005. Only 7 were below 15 MPH over.

[CentralCoaster]

Originally Posted by rocco16

I, too, stay very close to the limits except on certain rare occaison... on certain, carefully-chosen roads, in certain situations.

How about coming back down I-15 on Sunday nights? Everyone averages 85mph+, the faster cars are going 90-95 mph. I pretty much always hit triple digits in those situations. And 120 after some suburban got pissed and tried chasing me because I didn't slow to 50mph to let him merge from the onramp.

I wonder if that excuse would work with a cop, I was thinking of it at the time. "This crazy redneck was blinding me with his brights and trying to push me off the road! There he goes right there, he just blew by us, go get em!" Worth a shot anyways.

[Nathan Plemons]

I have a radar detector but I certainly don't use it as my first line of defense. First and foremost is to drive reasonably and pick your places to have fun VERY carefully. Second pay attention and don't give the police a reason to look twice at you unless you're doing something stupid, which should have been taken care of in the first step if you chose your place correctly.

Finally when 1 & 2 fails you just call your friend at the Sherrif's office.

[Impala Balko]

Just because you have a jammer doesnt mean you can blow by a cop doin over a buck they can still guess how fast your going and that will hold water in court

[5speedC4]

[quote=rocco16]A retired state police office wrote a book on avoiding tickets a few years ago. I've read it several times. In it, he recommends a combination of CB and radar detector in the way of defensive equipment, with each sharing about equal importance.
The one thing I got from this book (and I got a V-1 after the first read) was using common sense and maintaining a hyper-alert status any time you are exceeding the limit is THE most important defense we have.
There is no sure-fire defense for speeding tickets, with the one exception (noted by corvetteronw); don't ever exceed the posted speed limit. I, too, stay very close to the limits except on certain rare occaison... on certain, carefully-chosen roads, in certain situations.
Pure chance pays a huge role in whether we get tickets or not...always.

Originally Posted by goldeneye_vet I know this much, show a radar detector on your dash no matter what car you drive and you're going to get a ticket. ([/QUOTE

You can't be ticketed for having a detector on your dash (okay, you can in, what, like, two states?).
If you get get stopped for speeding while having a detector, your chances of driving away without a ticket are greatly reduced...but, even then, a detector does not automatically guarantee a ticket.
The aforementioned book goes into great lengths explaining how, even after you are stopped, you can increase your chances of NOT receiving a ticket.

Larry
code5coupe

whats the name of the book.......? sounds like we all might want to read it.

[poplife]

Originally Posted by corvetteronw

Here's my alternative: I drive the speed limit. I finally wised up after years of getting tickets. It works!
Now I'm not saying I never speed but I pick my roads carefully.

For some reason, in the Vette or Motorcycles I go no more than 5mph above the speed limit. In any other car, I'm trying to break the land speed record. But I've calmed down over the years. The insurance hike alone from the speeding tickets was enough for me to slow down.

Also, coming back from Atlantic City to DC I saw an unmarked Pontiac GTO that pulled over a car on I95 just above Baltimore. When I had my C5 I flashed an unmaked Ford Expedition from the left lane. Got pulled over and handed an fat ticket. He said I was 2mph from reckless driving.

I've seen unmarked Mistangs, Explorers, mini vans and the standard unmakred Chevy Impala's, crown vics etc. Maryland has too many unmarked cars to even drive fast.

My approach when I really want to hustle is to hold out for some yahoo to zoom by, then pace him at about 10 car lengths. The only thing I'd have to worry about is what is coming up behind me. This has worked many times on I-95. The car ahead would trigger the speed traps, hit his brakes and I'd have plenty of time to slow down without looking too obvious.

At night, I just do the speed limit.

[rocco16]

Originally Posted by CentralCoaster

How about coming back down I-15 on Sunday nights?

As it so happens, that is precisely one time and place where I tend to open it up and run a steady 95mph. I even get passed several times a night while doing this.

Originally Posted by 5speedC4

whats the name of the book.......? sounds like we all might want to read it.

I'll get the name and post it tonight when I get home. It's a good read.

Larry
code5coupe

[goldeneye_vet]

[quote=goldeneye_vet I know this much, show a radar detector on your dash no matter what car you drive and you're going to get a ticket. ([/QUOTE]

[quote=rocco16]You can't be ticketed for having a detector on your dash (okay, you can in, what, like, two states?).
If you get get stopped for speeding while having a detector, your chances of driving away without a ticket are greatly reduced...but, even then, a detector does not automatically guarantee a ticket.

Exactly!!!!! Cops take it as a sign of being cocky or trying to get away with something sneeky and they'll get ya!!!! I've had all sorts of tickets and the times when I didn't show a detector I got a lesser offense or I got out of it altogether. Attitude plays a HUGE part in how the cop reacts. Give a little attitude and you're screwed, be a little humble and they'll do what they can unless they're a real prick or have had some kind of bad day.