25 cities with the most speed traps

[Soup DeVille]

Yes, the brake light radar detector is pretty good, but sometimes they hode in the damn woods where you can't see them unless you look in your mirror.

Rarely is that laser though. I'm not sure why, but I doubt its a technical reason.

[Rupert]

The prevalence of laser is why I have never bothered to get a radar detector. I might go for it if I had a map of the west with jurisdictions that use laser noted. Coming through Douglas County, they use laser, slow down... kind of thing.

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

Rarely is that laser though. I'm not sure why, but I doubt its a technical reason.

An officer told me he hates using Lidar from behind because it takes longer to chase the speeder down.

[Byteme]

Laser is always used from a stationary car, most commonly in the daylight, and almost always in the line of sight to approaching traffic. Your best indicator of radar being used up ahead is the brakelights from traffic in front of you.

Around here they either lurk just over the hill (or where the freeway rises to cross a surface street) on the median so youhave very little warning or they pull over on a drive, cross street or whatever and stand by an obstruction like a tree or whatever and nail you.  In light traffic the brake lights are often a poor indicator especially when the cop is lurking becasue likely the other guy, probably going the speed limit,  didn't see them either.

[dazzleman]

An officer told me he hates using Lidar from behind because it takes longer to chase the speeder down.

When I got a ticket from a cop using lidar, it took him 1.2 miles from where he clocked me to pull me over.

[giant_mtb]

I live with a guy from Livonia.  He talks a lot about how many cops and cameras there are there.  But he's somehow never gotten a ticket and he drives like a complete jackass.

[Soup DeVille]

Around here they either lurk just over the hill (or where the freeway rises to cross a surface street) on the median so youhave very little warning or they pull over on a drive, cross street or whatever and stand by an obstruction like a tree or whatever and nail you.  In light traffic the brake lights are often a poor indicator especially when the cop is lurking becasue likely the other guy, probably going the speed limit,  didn't see them either.

99% chance they commonly use the exact same spots over and over again though, right? Right down to the point where they've worn ruts into the shoulder getting in and out of their hidey-holes.

[Byteme]

99% chance they commonly use the exact same spots over and over again though, right? Right down to the point where they've worn ruts into the shoulder getting in and out of their hidey-holes.

Yup, and they still aren't wanting for customers. 

[Raza]

In the five or so times I've been pulled over, not once has it been by a cop using radar or laser. 

[Colonel Cadillac]

The problem/good thing about laser is that you can pretty much see the cop when he's shooting the laser, because he has to point the laser gun straight at you.

With radar, cops can be sneakier because the signal widens down the road.

That said, the only time my detector has shown a laser alert is when I've been on a certain section of road next to the airport.

All my other experience is with radar, and the detector is a big help when it's dark.

[hotrodalex]

My friend with the Lotus Elise has a radar/laser blocker in the front bumper. He's gotten pulled over before and the cop just said he couldn't get any reading at all (knew he was speeding, though). They talked about it for a while and the cop was thinking it might be because it's such a low and kind of stealthy car, plus it's all black. My friend went along with it for like 5 minutes until he finally told him about the jammer.

(I'll have to ask him about what kind of jammer it is. Most google searches say they don't work or that they're a federal offense..)

[Rupert]

Yeah... Jammers aren't legal. Either the cop was ignorant, or your friend is full of shit.

[hotrodalex]

Yeah... Jammers aren't legal. Either the cop was ignorant, or your friend is full of shit.

Eh, don't think he's the type of guy to lie about that. (he's over 35, not some young gun. engineer, making bank, has done tons of custom work to his Elise, etc.) And I saw a radar detector system built into the dash/instrument panel when I was in the car a couple of months ago. If I remember I'll ask him next time I see him.

He is British, so maybe he's just got that arrogant Brit attitude about American laws.

[Soup DeVille]

Laser jammers are legal.

Active radar jammers are too and although passive ones arent, they are minimally effective

[Rupert]

Laser jammers are legal?! Since when?

[Soup DeVille]

Laser jammers are legal?! Since when?

Since always.

emitted laser light is not under the purview of laws concerning the emission of radio signals, which is what makes radar jammers illegal.

Lasers fall under, of all things; Food and Drug administration regs.

But, whether the device itself is legal is only part of it: it is still illegal in every place I know of to interfere with an officer in the legal conduct of his duties (or something to that effect); and an officer could very well consider that to be interference under that statute.

[Rupert]

Ah.

I figured there was some law more specific to laser and radar speed measurement along the lines of the general anti-interference law. I didn't think the laws regarding jammers in cars were broad enough to fall to FDA and FCC.

[Byteme]

Laser jammers are legal.

Active radar jammers are too and although passive ones arent, they are minimally effective

Just what is an active radar jammer, as opposed to a passive one and why would one be legal and the other not be?  Don't they both send out an electronic signal in the same bandwidth as police radar?