Off Axis Laser- Any defense?

A couple of weeks worth of reading and I was ready to part with some cash for a detector and maybe even a laser jamer. Until..... coming home to Michigan from Ohio at dusk last night I saw a LEO shooting laser from an I-94 on-ramp in Ann Arbor, on the inside of a curve in the road. He was parked a good 100 yards off of the interstate and was completely shielded from view by the overpass. I did not notice if the LEO was shooting the rear of the vehicles, but it sure looked like he was hitting them obliquely from the front.

If I had been "equipped" (RD and LJ), I am wondering if the defenses would have done anything for me. I know there would be a decent chance of catching some scattering but that really seems to be a roll of the dice, doesn't it?

Since this sneaky LEO was in my town, I now feel like the odds are pretty stacked against me, and saving a bit of time on my run down I94 has become too risky.

Any thoughts from experienced folks?

Thanks,
Randy H.

Greetings and welcome to the forum. You will find it helpful, I'm very sure. It may even become a hobby!

If I'm picturing the scenario, your friendly neighborhood officer was pretty sneaky - unusually sneaky about how he uses radar/laser. Counter measures will not always save you, but they will definitely help. A lot, in most cases, I would say.

I know that the rear-end shot is not extraordinarily unusual in the US, but I've never seen it done in Canada. A good rule of thumb (ha ha) would be to condition your self to slow down when approaching overpasses.

Off-axis is almost sure to be radar, rather than laser. I think you have some chance of picking it up with a good radar detector as you approach. But I suspect the majority of radar encounters will continue to be head-on, often with police using Constant-on radar, sometimes "Intant-on".

So, get a good radar detector. Nothing less than the latest version of the Whistler model everyone raves about on this site, or one of the the Bel Vector series RD's. (the one that lets you turn off X band).

Use a rabbit for a radar decoy whenever possible, even in the city.

Paint your headlights with Laser Veil, which you can read about all over this forum.

Consider getting a jammer...but, wait a while to do a cost benefit assessment of that. Mine has already paid for itself, as I've been saved from a sure laser ticket on 3 definite occasions, and a 4th probable one.

I got a Bel RX 65 2 or 3 years ago after getting nailed with a speeding ticket. Haven't had a ticket since. Where I have saved the most money is from PhotoRadar. I used to get gouged with one or two, sometimes 3 every year! Haven't had any since.

Hope that helps.

You saw the LEO before you got tagged... that's your best countermeasure right there. All others are secondary.

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Originally Posted by RoadShrink

You saw the LEO before you got tagged... that's your best countermeasure right there. All others are secondary.

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Ditto that!!

I've picked up only one off-axis laser hit and it was so severe that I bet the officer overlooked me at first and then only shot at me on the off chance he could capture a speed before it error-ed out. You can't spray and pray with laser. You have to ID a target, then acquire it. I won't say it's harder than using a radar gun but it's a bit more interactive.

Also, the larger the angle to the road, the further the laser reading will be from an accurate result, in your favor.

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Originally Posted by djrams80

Also, the larger the angle to the road, the further the laser reading will be from an accurate result, in your favor.

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What is the maximum angle that a laser gun can give an accurate reading? In all the laser encounters I've had, the LEO was not more than 10 feet from the yellow (or white) side line.

I don't think there's an absolute rule but certainly not more than 45˚ off axis.

I find a CB radio as a good defense to Laser on the open road. Why, cause the officer using laser is normally in plain view and all the other CB users will alert you of his presence miles before you reach his location.

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Originally Posted by Freebird

I find a CB radio as a good defense to Laser on the open road. Why, cause the officer using laser is normally in plain view and all the other CB users will alert you of his presence miles before you reach his location.

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^^I have an old portable radio shack cb, maybe I should break it out.:D

One thing I'm somewhat worried about -

We all know well enough that the cosine effect always work to our favor.

We also all know well enough that panning error distinctly works against us (and is also not viable as evidence, and will cause the citation to be thrown out, on technical grounds of instrument/operator error)

What's the net combination of these effects, at closer ranges (thus with the gun nearly impossible to pan) and with the enforcer so off-axis?

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Originally Posted by upstatedoc

What is the maximum angle that a laser gun can give an accurate reading? In all the laser encounters I've had, the LEO was not more than 10 feet from the yellow (or white) side line.

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There is no real rule, but I'll give an example. Let's say you are going 80 in a 65 zone. Here are your displayed speeds at each angle:

5 deg = 80 mph

10 deg = 79mph

15 deg = 77 mph

20 deg = 75 mph

25 deg = 73 mph, probably no longer a ticket, depending on the LEO of course

30 deg = 69 mph

35 deg = 66 mph , basically no longer speeding

40 deg = 61 mph, well below the speed limit

45 deg = 57 mph

50 deg = 51 mph, getting close to a ticket for going too slow and impeding traffic

The LI laser jammer is very effective against off axis laser. I have seen this w/ Alpinestars's quad unit on "THE SADDY OF DEATH".

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Originally Posted by proudNMAmember

The LI laser jammer is very effective against off axis laser. I have seen this w/ Alpinestars's quad unit on "THE SADDY OF DEATH".

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How could you tell? You couldn't get a reading on his Saturn if you used the laser from the friggin' Death Star! :D

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Originally Posted by proudNMAmember

The LI laser jammer is very effective against off axis laser. I have seen this w/ Alpinestars's quad unit on "THE SADDY OF DEATH".

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^ A fellow hobbyist on RR.net is saying that the LI is rather ineffective on off-axis laser, even as little as 10 to 15 degrees....and particularly with the LTI guns, with rather disappointing PT distances.

Any data you have, bro, to either confirm or deny this concern?

Thanks! :)

You could mark that location as a speed trap with the 9500ci. Behavioral Observation (BO) is also useful, cops understand BO, and will move frequently to address it. They know people use CB's, flash their headlights and step on their brakes; that has a tendency to slow the flow of traffic, and that's the real goal, or at least it should be in a professional police department.

Monitor the behavior of other vehicles, brake lights coming on ahead, and the general speed of semi's and other CB equipped trucks. They'll know where to slow down. Active and passive countermeasures, it all detracts from the "house edge".

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Originally Posted by securitygeek

Y...that has a tendency to slow the flow of traffic, and that's the real goal, or at least it should be in a professional police department.

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^ Very well said.

I've always made it a point to not flag what I'd consider "true safety oriented" traps, in my "Cleveland-Area Speed Traps" thread.

I truly believe that if public-safety is a concern, having a highly-noticeable MARKED enforcement vehicle, blaring C/O K or Ka-band, would be the best-way to do just that - slow traffic, and insure everyone's safety.

Instead of: revenue generation.