Will radar detectors ever be "outlawed"?

[unmamfqlm]

Just a question out of boredom. Do you think more and more states will begin to ban radar detectors eventually leading to most states banning them? Companies claim that radar detectors are guided towards promoting safer driving and what not but people buy them for one reason and one reason only. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for radar detectors but I really don't understand why they are legal in most of the U.S. to be honest.
Also, do you think eventually law enforcement technology will be too advanced for the higher end detectors to really do much to "save" people from tickets?

[birkbill]

Just a question out of boredom. Do you think more and more states will begin to ban radar detectors eventually leading to most states banning them? Companies claim that radar detectors are guided towards promoting safer driving and what not but people buy them for one reason and one reason only. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for radar detectors but I really don't understand why they are legal in most of the U.S. to be honest.
Also, do you think eventually law enforcement technology will be too advanced for the higher end detectors to really do much to "save" people from tickets?

I truly hope they do not become illegal in more locations. As far as people only buying them for one location I do disagree... I do believe there are several reasons to have a radar detector... Although I do exceed the speed limit during most of my driving I do not use it as a license to speed if you will.

I firmly believe that there is a great number of people on our road without radar detecting equipment. There is also a portion of these people who drive a lot faster than even those with radar detectors... Human nature being what it is, I also believe that most if not all people slow down when they see a police car on the road. And while I can not prove this I am guessing that the faster these people are driving, the faster they may try to slow down...

My having a radar detector makes me a safer driver by being more aware of where police cars are located to better prepare myself in the event that human nature reactions cause unfortunate events from occuring.

While I know this is just one example of how my radar detector makes me a safer driver I am certain there are others which might be addressed here shortly.

[oes]

It's very likely we will see more legislature regarding radar detectors and lidar jammers in the future. However I don't think radar detectors and lidar jammers are particularly hot political topics. Is it likely state/local governments may bring up radar detectors in legislative sessions? Probably. Are we going to see radar detectors become illegal across the country tomorrow? Probably not.

LEO technology is becoming more advanced, but so is countermeasure technology. Everyone has to abide by the same laws of physics. So if you take money out of the equation the playing field is essentially even. Money is really going to be the determining factor as it's needed for R&D, sales and marketing. If people don't want to buy radar detectors it's likely LEO technology will improve faster than countermeasure technology. If the demand remains or grows then so will the R&D needed to keep up or surpass.

[zerbey]

Already banned in VA, Washington, DC and on military bases oh and for commercial drivers but people frequently flaunt those laws. Possibly due to the popularity of GPSs and the number of idiots who stick them directly in the middle of their windshield, legislation seems to be more concerned with banning any device that attaches in this manner - that would affects RDs as well sadly. If such a law is ever passed here, I'll just go buy a remote unit.

I doubt they'll ever be banned at the Federal level, but I suspect we'll see more states and local governments trying to ban them in the future. Let's hope not!

[stealthfz1]

I find that my radar detector helps alert me to accident situations in addition to speed traps. Just this past Saturday my Pro78SE helped me in this regard. I started picking up 34.7 radar and was looking for the source when I briefly saw about 3 miles ahead of me a LEO with his emergency lights on going away from me. Sure enough about 5 miles later there was a travel trailer upside down in the freeway. Smart LEO's leave there radar on to warn of these type of situations. All it takes is one or two radar detector users who start slowing down and it can help slow down the rest of traffic.

In other words, there is more to radar detectors than just avoiding speeding tickets. If we can bring these type of things to the attention of the lawmakers hopefully we can help prevent them being banned.

[oes]

I find that my radar detector helps alert me to accident situations in addition to speed traps. Just this past Saturday my Pro78SE helped me in this regard. I started picking up 34.7 radar and was looking for the source when I briefly saw about 3 miles ahead of me a LEO with his emergency lights on going away from me.

I hate to say it, but I think the most useful feature of my Cobra (back when I had one, V1 these days) was probably the emergency alerts. It helped a lot downtown where you may not see/hear an approaching emergency vehicle but the flashes of the strobe lights always bounced off building windows and set off the Cobra saying "Emergency Vehicle Approaching". This helps not get plowed through when crossing an intersection. Not a bad feature really, that and the compass. Other than that it was a POS Cobra.

[partsfreak]

If they ever get banned we will all just go undergound and still be RD users.

[zerbey]

I hate to say it, but I think the most useful feature of my Cobra (back when I had one, V1 these days) was probably the emergency alerts. It helped a lot downtown where you may not see/hear an approaching emergency vehicle but the flashes of the strobe lights always bounced off building windows and set off the Cobra saying "Emergency Vehicle Approaching". This helps not get plowed through when crossing an intersection. Not a bad feature really, that and the compass. Other than that it was a POS Cobra.

I'm curious about that feature, how accurate was it? I can imagine it going off every time it saw sun glare.

[oes]

@zerbey,

I've never seen it go off from sun glare. Only strobe lights. I have seen it give a "Train Alert" in front of walmarts before. Never heard it give a real train alert even around trains.

[<<JAZZY>>]

The reason most cop cars look the way they do with their reflective stickers and big colorful sirens, is because they want to be seen by people. They know when they are seen by people that most drivers will not openly break the law except for a few dummies.

Drivers without radar detectors won't know there is a cop in the area unless they have a radar detector, laser transponder, scanner, CB, or some other detection equipment. This means that they will only drive "safely" when they can actually see the cop.

We are not the average person because we have radar/laser detectors, laser transponders, scanners, Cbs, GPS, chaff, flares, oil slick, invisibility cloak, C4, Dukes of Hazard dynamite on arrows, etc. These countermeasures allow us to see cops miles away, at times, which means that we have a larger window of "safe" driving.

If everybody had countermeasures then there would be large pockets of swiftly moving traffic with no cops around and small pockets of grandma like drivers with cops in the area.

In conclusion, they will not and should not be banned because I feel they make people more aware of their surroundings and safer drivers overall.