I stayed away from these in the past because I heard that they would result in an obstruction of justice charge if one was caught with one.
There is a commercial running in NY advertising these things. Are they legal?
Original Post
Replies sorted oldest to newest
I am all for radar and laser jammers. Ever since the Automobile was concieved avoiding a penalty for speeding has been a cat and mouse game. The current anti-ticket offerings are small and easy to conceal, as for the legality, it's only illegal if you get caught 
True jammers are indeed illegal. If you get caught transmitting signals you will need an expensive attorney. What I suspect you saw is a "passive jammer". Those are not usually illegal because they do not transmit signal but rather claim to scramble the existing inbound signals and jumble them to the point they can't be interpreted by the cop.
Car & Driver tests dectectors every year including the passive jammers. Every year they find they are not worth the material in the plastic case. You might try the Car & Driver web site to see if you can see the last article.
As I remember, don't ask, it seems most real jammers are on a single band, because of cost. You need antennas on each of the four corners. The units allow the jammer driver to adjust the speed you want to show on the gun. The units are big bucks, several thousand dollars. So I have heard.
Car & Driver tests dectectors every year including the passive jammers. Every year they find they are not worth the material in the plastic case. You might try the Car & Driver web site to see if you can see the last article.
As I remember, don't ask, it seems most real jammers are on a single band, because of cost. You need antennas on each of the four corners. The units allow the jammer driver to adjust the speed you want to show on the gun. The units are big bucks, several thousand dollars. So I have heard.
quote:The units allow the jammer driver to adjust the speed you want to show on the gun.
An thus the story of the 18 wheeler who was off the Interstate and cruising the city streets.
Seems he came across a local radar unit that found him doing 55mph, while he was obviously doing 30 or so.
Busted.
While not exactly a radar jammer, I saw this Laser jammer at SEMA and was impressed. As I understand it, Radar is being phased out by Laser due to it's accuracy and ability to correctly target the desired vehichle in heavy traffic. As for legality, the above website has a page that states "There are no federal laws in the U.S.A. that prohibit the ownership and/or operation of laser jammers. However, some states have enacted their own laws that do prohibit the use of these devices. These states include: Nebraska, Minnesota, Utah, California, Oklahoma, Virginia, Colorado, Illinois and Washington DC."
Two words
Valentine One
http://www.valentine1.com/
These thing work GREAT, top of the line, not cheap... but they work
Valentine One
http://www.valentine1.com/
These thing work GREAT, top of the line, not cheap... but they work
The last time I used one I turned it on for a second in a blind spot, got a signal, lifted quickly and turned it off immediately. A few minutes later I was stopped. The officer said... "We have detectors that pick up any transmitted signal - from jammers, and radar detectors. So either you give us your device now or we will tow your car in and tear it apart until we find it."
Deeb:
When you are pulled over, put the detector in your pocket or your wife's purse. They can't search your person unless they have reasonable cause to believe you are carrying a wepon or drugs. Then let them have the car - although I doubt the law would allow them to impound it just to search for a radar detector. I expect the cop was bluffing. I drove with a radar detector in Ontario, where they are also illegal, for years and never had any trouble. On the contrary, it saved my bacon many times.
Now that I live in the west, where radar detectors are legal, I have invested in a Valentine One. I agree with Shotgunrooms that they work well, although they do not help with instant on radar.
When you are pulled over, put the detector in your pocket or your wife's purse. They can't search your person unless they have reasonable cause to believe you are carrying a wepon or drugs. Then let them have the car - although I doubt the law would allow them to impound it just to search for a radar detector. I expect the cop was bluffing. I drove with a radar detector in Ontario, where they are also illegal, for years and never had any trouble. On the contrary, it saved my bacon many times.
Now that I live in the west, where radar detectors are legal, I have invested in a Valentine One. I agree with Shotgunrooms that they work well, although they do not help with instant on radar.
If Canadian search and seizure laws are similar to those of the U.S. your person could be searched. By intercepting a signal, they have developed probable cause to believe that you have a detector within the vehicle. If the units are known to be portable or easily removable from the vehicle, they could search your person for "fruits of the crime".
I could have used one on Friday. Coming home from Albany on 87 I got stopped for speeding. Freakin' radar.
Anyhow, 40 mins later I got stopped again. Different town, different officer, same deal, same exact speed - 85 in a 65. So its like $1,000 and 8 points!
It's crazy that we have no way to protect ourselves.
Anyhow, 40 mins later I got stopped again. Different town, different officer, same deal, same exact speed - 85 in a 65. So its like $1,000 and 8 points!
It's crazy that we have no way to protect ourselves.
It's just another tax...
However, if you keep this up, Deeb, you will not be coming to Canmore in spring because you will not have a drivers license.
However, if you keep this up, Deeb, you will not be coming to Canmore in spring because you will not have a drivers license.
I think this might be license #4. I have managed to go almost three years without a ticket - then its one after the other.
I'll tell ya' after getting stopped and driving at the speed limit for a few minutes I just want to get out and run alongside the car.
I'll tell ya' after getting stopped and driving at the speed limit for a few minutes I just want to get out and run alongside the car.
Deeb,
Radar detectors are legal in B.C. and Alberta (hint, hint) and from personal experience with our donut-eating friends I'd say they outnumber Ontario speed traps about 5-to-1. Tickets are a huge source of income out west, and some roads are reduced speed (Banff-Canmore for example) which makes for an easy speed trap.
Side story - I met Mike Valentine at a conference once, I was talking to him thinking "I met this guy somewhere before" and realized it was seeing his picture in Road & Track for 20 years..! It turns out he is exactly the passionate mad-scientist guy he portrays in the magazine ads. Very clever fellow.
Radar detectors are legal in B.C. and Alberta (hint, hint) and from personal experience with our donut-eating friends I'd say they outnumber Ontario speed traps about 5-to-1. Tickets are a huge source of income out west, and some roads are reduced speed (Banff-Canmore for example) which makes for an easy speed trap.
Side story - I met Mike Valentine at a conference once, I was talking to him thinking "I met this guy somewhere before" and realized it was seeing his picture in Road & Track for 20 years..! It turns out he is exactly the passionate mad-scientist guy he portrays in the magazine ads. Very clever fellow.
quote:So either you give us your device now or we will tow your car in and tear it apart until we find it.
For that situation, I suggest you visit Pep Boys and buy one of their $29 radar detectors. Keep it handy in your car, and surrender THAT one.
The $400 Valentine stays safely under the seat.
Larry
WOW, Big fine and the points, here in Michigan thanks to our Canadian Governor we now have a penalty fee for points on our driving records. It's $100 per point per year for three years or longer, depends on how long the ticket stays on your record. If I remember right Granholm brought this "fee" from Canada.
Jeff
Jeff
Why do you feel so mad that you are getting a speeding ticket. There is no need to protect yourselves. You ARE breaking the law!!! It is no different than someone who robs a bank complaining that there must be some way to protect them from getting monitored or caught. Drive the speed limit and there is no problem. I have never received a speeding ticket.
Now seat belt laws. That one makes me mad!!!
Now seat belt laws. That one makes me mad!!!
Dave:
Although I can only really speak for myself here, I suspect the reason most people get angry with speeding tickets is that we disagree with the law. We disagree with the law because it is more about making money for government than about safety, which is the basis on which it is sold to the voters.
Also, some of us just hate being told what to do by self-righteous safety Nazis who want to save us from ourselves whether we like it or not. I suspect you share that sentiment, based on your stated aversion to seat belt laws.
Don't get me wrong; I'm a law and order kind of guy. I do understand that the rule of law is a precondition of civil society. But when governments are writing over 100 pages of new laws every 24 hours, which I believe is the statistic in your country, then breaking some of the more irksome, useless and vexatious laws starts becoming a necessity. I doubt there is a single person alive and over the age of five in North America who has not broken one law or another in their life.
- Peter
Although I can only really speak for myself here, I suspect the reason most people get angry with speeding tickets is that we disagree with the law. We disagree with the law because it is more about making money for government than about safety, which is the basis on which it is sold to the voters.
Also, some of us just hate being told what to do by self-righteous safety Nazis who want to save us from ourselves whether we like it or not. I suspect you share that sentiment, based on your stated aversion to seat belt laws.
Don't get me wrong; I'm a law and order kind of guy. I do understand that the rule of law is a precondition of civil society. But when governments are writing over 100 pages of new laws every 24 hours, which I believe is the statistic in your country, then breaking some of the more irksome, useless and vexatious laws starts becoming a necessity. I doubt there is a single person alive and over the age of five in North America who has not broken one law or another in their life.
- Peter
Speaking just for me, I get angry about speeding tickets because they are usually a set up. I got pulled over on a side highway for doing 40 in a 30 (yes basically highway with a 30mph speed limit). He told me it's an easy place to catch people and to pull them over. They also like like to stop people on side streets in 20-30mph zones for seatbelts.
All of this by staying as far away as possible from the truly problematic aggressive drivers on the freeway. They make easy ticket stops at easy locations and totally avoid doing anything to catch the problem drivers.
Rant off.
All of this by staying as far away as possible from the truly problematic aggressive drivers on the freeway. They make easy ticket stops at easy locations and totally avoid doing anything to catch the problem drivers.
Rant off.
We break laws everyday that we don't even know exist! I think it's in Virginia where it's illegal to kiss your wife on a Sunday. Let's not even talk about jaywalking, or sitting at a traffic light with the car in neutral (for you stick drivers). At anytime, a cop can stop you for breaking some kind of law and make it stick!(Even if they just want to say you did it.) They do it all the time.
Michael
Michael
I have no problems with laws. Only with logic.
It is not unsafe to drive faster than the posted limit. Especially since the highway speed when I was a kid was 80 mph and there were a lot less accidents.
Poor drivers, bad training and worse education has resulted in all laws being created by and for the lowest common denominator. Dumbed down for the masses.
There's no mystery. We're lowering the standards in our schools because we don't pay our teachers enough. Students don't get involved, they don't want to study and so they get the resulting bad marks. So we lower the standards. Axe anyone who knows.
Same with our stupid television shows and other mindless media forced on us. Dumb and dumber we get.
I suppose in the confines of my car, without network TV or sound bite politics I get lost in reality and drive within my limits. Without thinking, I automatically defend myself and my passengers by carefully avoiding the drones who have no idea what they're doing on the road - driving in the left lane, beside those in the right lane who are also barely hitting the minimum speed creating a virtual moving roadblock, never looking in their mirrors, totally unaware of what's around them, waiting to the last minute before making a decision that never comes, following eachother like sheep to slaughter.
No wonder I get the speeding tickets.
The female officer on ticket #2 was like 4'-5" with a big brown hat. She said, "Hello, my name is Officer Smith." Sheesh, I though she was going to follow that up with... "and I'll be your officer for the next few minutes. Would you like fries with your ticket? Have a great highway day."
Okay, I am getting a little crazy as I vent. But I feel better now. Just don't get me started on traffic regulations, customer service, public companies or politics.
It is not unsafe to drive faster than the posted limit. Especially since the highway speed when I was a kid was 80 mph and there were a lot less accidents.
Poor drivers, bad training and worse education has resulted in all laws being created by and for the lowest common denominator. Dumbed down for the masses.
There's no mystery. We're lowering the standards in our schools because we don't pay our teachers enough. Students don't get involved, they don't want to study and so they get the resulting bad marks. So we lower the standards. Axe anyone who knows.
Same with our stupid television shows and other mindless media forced on us. Dumb and dumber we get.
I suppose in the confines of my car, without network TV or sound bite politics I get lost in reality and drive within my limits. Without thinking, I automatically defend myself and my passengers by carefully avoiding the drones who have no idea what they're doing on the road - driving in the left lane, beside those in the right lane who are also barely hitting the minimum speed creating a virtual moving roadblock, never looking in their mirrors, totally unaware of what's around them, waiting to the last minute before making a decision that never comes, following eachother like sheep to slaughter.
No wonder I get the speeding tickets.
The female officer on ticket #2 was like 4'-5" with a big brown hat. She said, "Hello, my name is Officer Smith." Sheesh, I though she was going to follow that up with... "and I'll be your officer for the next few minutes. Would you like fries with your ticket? Have a great highway day."
Okay, I am getting a little crazy as I vent. But I feel better now. Just don't get me started on traffic regulations, customer service, public companies or politics.