That is exactly how I drive!!! I have not had a ticket in over 8 years. (Knocking on wood!!!)

 

That's the truth. Nothing like coming up on the car(s) creating a slow group of traffic doing 5-10 under on the interstate, then seeing them slam on the brakes when they see a cruiser in any direction.

 

I have cheapo detectors in both my trucks and they do work and have saved me more than the $50 I have in both of them. They do have thier drawbacks and are not fool proof but they do help alot.

Most of the locals around here just leave their radar on while crusing so you know they are coming a long way off. As for the ones that only turn it on when there are cars, unless you are in BFE and there is nobody going the other way or in front of you then it will go off and you will know to slow down.

As for getting a ticket because you have one I firmly believe that's true, as soon as I know I'm caught I take it out of the windshield and knock on wood I haven't had a ticket in a while and most of my pull overs have been warnings.

 

Good advice..Your a smart man shovelhead

 

Everyone's titled to an opinion I suppose. I agree if you're the only car on the road, you're likely toast even with your detector, but even in those cases if you're haulin butt and hammer the brakes at the first signal, you may not get popped by Ka band (laser is a different story). Was heading home from Tucson after work, officer radared me coming over a hill. I hit the hooks immediately. Ended up getting aticket for 75 in a 65. That's the speed he said he locked on (right about the time I let off the brakes coincidentally). He said it flashed 92 then 85 then locked at 75. I was scrapin pavement from 95-98mph on down!
If there's traffic, they'll save you more often than not.

 

Many RADAR detectors are slow. Some of them don't alert for 2-5 seconds after I already have you. Some of them are pretty quick. Either way, I've got you before you have a chance to do anything unless you've slowed down before I hit you. Even with Ka, my speed reading on you takes less than a half second. You were lucky. I would have taken you for a ride to have a visit with the magistrate, for 90+

 

Glad it wasn't you that pulled me over then!

 

Maybe we should all get DTR stickers!!!!

Just in case...

 

HA! YEP..... if you are heading East you will need it! I never run over 6 over the PSL on the Highway. My Detector is only of value on the back city roads. The City Cops here run constant ON K Band so I catch them way before they see me. Most of the time I am not even speeding and I will still slow down a little to be ready for all the brake lights that will be coming on ahead .... Now the Motorcycle Cops run Laser and you only get off the hook if someone else gets hit before you and you pick up on it in advance.

 

Few radars even have a lock-on capability anymore. Most courts would toss the case if it DID lock-on. The main idea is to be able to testify to the entire track of the vehicle until it's out of the cone. If you lock the radar at a speed, then you will be losing part of your "track". That's why contrary to popular "outhouse-law", most won't and are trained NOT to show a locked speed on the radar, to the driver. He would have testified to seeing it read 92 initially and drop abrubtly and consistantly with his observation of your vehicle dipping and slowing abruptly. It's ALL part of the track. Sometimes it happens fast though and he may have onlt felt comfortable with the "75" after you reached a plateau and he could verify the radar was tracking the patrol speed consistantly with the speedometer. SOmetimes it's quick and easy, sometimes there's a lot of traffic or distractions that make it a little more difficult.

 

I always tried to note the model and serial number of the detector on the back of the patrol copy and court copy of the ticket. Detectors are legal up here, but the magistrate likes the extra info.

 

I don't go that far and never had a problem. I just put active radar detector in the notes, and the judge takes care of the rest...

As for locking capability, at least here in NC, I should clarify that our RADAR units will NOT automatically lock. That old feature is pretty much long gone so that we can get a tracking history... However, we are REQUIRED to manually lock the speed in our RADAR in NC. We are not required to show it to the violator. We are not required to show any kind of slip, or show radar, or prove anything whatsoever on the side of the road. Everything happens in court if someone should decide to plead not guilty.

 

What about that 1 in 1 million person you pull over that HONESTLY did not realize he was speeding, would you let him see the radar if he asked nicely?

I realize MOST people will argue they were only going 55 when you clearly catch them at 85, but there are as you know honest people out there that just let it get away from them for one reason or another. I am just curious if when you feel you are dealing with a honest man, will you show him the radar for his own piece of mind?

 

Rarely I do. Not because I don't want to show them but because I don't want to be liable for them becoming street pizza if they get hit. Especially on the Interstate. It's a safety issue for them, and an officer safety issue for me. So yes, I do that when all the planets are aligned and I feel it is safe. Getting out of the car really has nothing to do with honesty with me. It's all about me going home at night, and not getting sued for someone getting hit and killed...

 

What keeps you alive as a cop is: never turn your back on anyone, and never trust anyone. I have been in some nasty situations that if I wasnt on my game things would not have been good. Letting someone walk back to your car to see the radar is a tactical error that could lead to nothing but trouble. Having said that I would show the radar to lary or the administrator


Early in my career I made the mistake of letting someone see the radar. It turned out they didnt believe me or the radar and it went down hill from there.