‘I can’t drive 55!’ Radar Detectors? Legal or not?

Ha Ha this is classic I would had liked to of seen their faces being the cop. Ha Ha

 

I've never had a radar detector in a commercial truck. I don't recall if I've ridden in someone else's truck that had a "bird dog" or not. I've read the high performance car mags and some of the specialized electronic magazines back in the day where the high-end manufactures explained why their little magic box was 100% better than the lesser magic boxes. I didn't have a car in high school but every friend did, and I saw them change their driving and heard them explain how their driving changed when they had their box and when they didn't. I had some electronics and radar training in aviation college, and I have a wide-ranging curiosity about everything but chemistry and Art so I have some familiarity with lots of stuff and the ability to go see where the actual experts discuss matters among themselves or where experts in a field explain things to laymen.

I've also been online arguing with people long enough to know that even had I invented radar detectors, that would not be enough experience to be significant in an online discussion with a certain type of person and if I had won some famous coast-to-coast rally BECAUSE I used a radar detector, that would just be called "you used one once, got it."

Radar detectors, federally, are illegal in trucks. In several states radar and laser detectors are illegal, IIRC. So someone using a "bird dog" is just piling up bad habits and volunteering for bigger problems than driving a speed the cops will never ticket you for. So go ahead and explain to me how the magic box you live and die with is different from the sub-standard, sub-thousand dollar radar detectors that non-experts uses. I cannot wait to have my world changed by a collection of buzzwords.

 

I'm sure what you say is what your uncle said, but I would not bet my driving record on the word of one cop. Each cop is an individual and there is nothing to prevent even that one cop from changing his mind. Almost nobody is ever going to speed fast enough, FOR LONG ENOUGH, to make a real difference in their ETA. Speeding and using a radar detector is a post-hoc explanation or a pleasing idea that helps cope with the anxiety of speeding, IMO.

 

This is a subject I have not done much research on. I have spoken to some cops about the equipment and how it works. Just based on these conversations I believe "bird dogs" are basically useless. Here is why. Oh back years ago the officer could not control the RF output of the unit. It was always on. It was this RF output that triggers the RD in the speeding vehicle. These days the officer not only can pause this RF output but they do in most cases. So if you are out driving at 3 in the morning all by yourself and running a RD as soon as the unit "pings" the officer has your ticket almost written. Another difference between the old stuff and the modern-day used is the unit itself. Years ago the radar beam was unfocused and had so much electrical noise its use would set off radar detectors miles away. These new units don't do that. The beam is better focused as well as the officer has the ability to hold the FR output until they have a target. From roughly the mid-1990s on I can't remember all the drivers I have heard sitting in truck stops and terminals admitting they use them but still have got speeding tickets. Now, with all the above said. This is not a fight I have a dog in. If you feel the need to run a RD and feel it is working for you then all power to you. All I know is I made the decision to stop using one (even in my POV) over 20 years ago. Since I no longer have a driver's license of any kind I honestly no longer care either way.

 

The last po po man that looked for the one in my truck last come up empty handed and Doc peed on his shoe. #### I’ve had a good time with this heeler in the last 10 years

 

People are making the same point over and over. Essentially "I used a radar detector and got away with it, or when stopped by a cop they never found it, or they didn't write me a ticket for having it." Nobody should read those kind of statements and feel like that is any kind of assurance they couldn't get a ticket just for having the radar detector turned on in the first mile they drive with one in a commercial truck. The majority of the drivers on the road speed every day they drive. EVERYONE has had the experience of driving past a cop while above the speed limit and not getting a speeding ticket. That in no way suggests it is a good idea to drive any ol speed you choose past a cop and to expect no speeding ticket. There are radar detector detectors. You have no idea if the cop shooting radar has the device that sniffs out radar detectors or not. Spend your money however you like, but if the info you learn about radar detectors comes from the companies making radar detectors or the car magazines that promote driving fast and take advertising money from radar detector manufacturers they will not help you pay the speeding ticket or the ticket for having a radar detector in your semi-truck. They also will not help you pay the increased insurance cost that comes from having those tickets. As I said before, no matter how good or inferior the radar detector is, just using it while you speed will only make you more and more comfortable with speeding so you will speed more often and drive at a higher speed than you did long before you started using a radar detector. Nobody is going to get away with driving 20-30 mph over the speed limit without eventually getting a ticket. It's a detector of radar, not a cloaking device or get out of jail free device, despite the well-worn stories, some of which may even be partially true.

 

I'am only speaking for myself here but I ride with one ..always have always will .. Its not about thinking I'am getting away with something or a sense of security.. I stated this in a earlier post but if I'am speeding its going to be Obvious..
I run alot of 2 lane and roll through alot of little towns with maybe 1 city po po or speed traps but if you pencil in a extra 5 or 8 mph over a 8 to 12 hr trip it adds up especially in a state where the speed limit is 55 mph.
The way I look at it is if I get pulled over for running 62 in a 55 there's a fair chance I can talk my way into a warning or a non moving violation
The other thing is when it starts going off and if my wagon is loaded .. I can't just jump on the binders and think I can save my self because it doesn't work that way
Last .. I get immense enjoyment out of watching some law dog spend a hour or more digging around and treating me like John Dillinger thinking he gonna find a device that he can get enjoyment outa busting me for...Its a game to me
Someday 1 of them might strike it rich and find it .. but untill then its the best Entertainment I know of to watch them get frustrated.. and the whole time their messing with me they leaving others alone
Theres only 2 things in life your Guaranteed ..thats pay taxs & die .. everything else is just a crap shoot including a speeding ticket

 

I understand your point but you can drive 4-5 mph over the posted limit even in OH, VA, CA, etc and not get a speeding ticket AND not get a ticket for having a radar detector. Spending the money for a bird dog is a waste and can cost you the cost of the ticket for having one in the truck. It seems like climbing over the fence at the zoo which just sets you up for another easily avoidable mistake. You're still required to know the speed limit and if the cop zaps you and your brake lights instantly light he knows you have a bird dog.

 

I can't disagree with you reasoning .. I use it more as a warning device because it seems like Iowa & Kansas enjoy messing with a big truck at 2 in the morning on a 2 lane road and for some reason they don't seem to be as tolerant about the 7 or 8 mph
And if they pull me over and they any suspicion that I have a radar detector their more to concentrate on that vs a couple other things that could cause issues ..