Do Modern Day Radar Detectors Really Work?

Do Modern Day Radar Detectors Really Work?

The question we should ask ourselves is, does that warning from the Radar Detector prevent a driver from getting a speeding ticket, this remains to be seen. The problem isn't directly with the Radar Detector or how it works, but with the technology the law enforcement officers use to determine if a driver has committed a speeding violation.

The early versions of police radar guns used one of two radio bandwidths. There were the X and K bands. For the radar guns to be effective, they would have to transmit a constant signal in either the X or K bandwidth. Radar detectors had powerful antennas built into them which could receive a signal from an active police radar gun a long time before the car came into the range of the police officer. The X band could always be picked up from a distance, but the K band was much harder to detect. Only the best and most expensive Radar Detector units on the market could warn against K band police radar guns.

The whole point of Radar Detectors, is for someone speeding to receive an early warning before driving into an area where a police officer is operating a radar gun with the sole intention, of catching speeding drivers. This information is pointless unless the driver has plenty of time to slow his car down to the defined speed limit for that road. If the police officer is using a different radar technology than the radar detector located in the drivers car, there is no guarantee the driver will get the warning in time, if at all.

The Radar Guns used by police officers these days, use either a Ka bandwidth or a laser system, of which both of them allows police officers to use an "instant on" technique. This means a police officer can point and shoot at a speeding car and obtain an official speed reading within a matter of seconds. The current radar detectors sold on the market today can detect the presence of Ka band or laser police radar guns, but the driver doesn't usually receive the information quick enough to make any significant reductions in speed. This generally results in the driver getting an unwanted speeding ticket.

This doesn't mean to say that radar detectors are ultimately useless against modern "instant on" radar guns, But for example, if a motorway is busy and has a pack of speeding cars slowing down bacause of the traffic, police officers may target the first few cars. If the driver of the vehicle at the rear of the pack has a modern radar detector, he might just about have a few seconds warning to reduce his speed. Where a speeding driver is on a motorway that's not too busy which has a dedicated traffic police officer, the situation would be completely different, he may not get the warning from the radar detector quick enough to reduce his speed.

Radar Detector are not obsolete yet and are still being used, but how effective they are against modern day radar units is a different story. Some police departments still use the older X and K band radar units to catch speeding drivers, which ultimately means a good modern day radar detector could provide enough early warning to a speeding driver.

When dealing with modern Ka and laser "instant on" radar units, a speedy driver should seriously consider whether it's worth speeding and taking the risk of getting a speeding fine, it's better to save the speeding for track days, where you have an instructor who can ensure you drive fast, have fun but also stay safe.

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