speeding tickets / radar - laser detectors
 

so i got my third ticket in about 6 months. twice on side roads and once on the highway. the first ticket the officer siad it sounded like i was going fast, seriously thats what the ticket said. and that held up.

the second was on 91N near hartford. (oddly enough on my way to contest the first ticket) i was just cruising along with everyone else and BAM! I'm a mile up from his spot and next thing i know is he riding my bumper like the gentalman cop he is. (sarcasm) when i asked if he was sure i was going that fast he shot a look then wrote me up for my tints and lack of front plate. so i had to remove my tint and install the front license plate bracket (two unmods that almost made me sell i was so upset)

the third was today on a side road in my home town. cop said i was doing 53, in a 25. i was behind another car who turned off near the cop, not riding the bumper or anything. i wasn't going that fast. i think i should invest in a radar - laser detector.

now comes the lovely process of the judicial system, which i would rant about, but i save that for another day.

How fast were you going, 33? If you were going above that, you deserve the ticket. Drive as fast as you can afford, I always say...

Maybe a heads-up speedometer display! Immediate operator feedback.

Radar dectector won't do all of it for you. They are slowly becoming obsolete because of Laser and even the best radar detector can't pick it up fast enough until its too late. You need a laser diffuser/jammer installed in your car and a radar detector. When the cop points his laser gun at you his gun will read "error" or similar. He won't be able to get a reading. Now of course, don't be going so fast anyway that its obvious that you are speeding. If you're within 10 -12 mph over the limit the cop most likely won't come after you because of his gun not reading..

the road goes from 35 limit to 25 after a pretty healthy turn where the cop was. i would say that i was going 33 or anything else that got me out of this ticket:D, dunno if anyone would believe that, but def not 53 or anything near that speed, i would have had to cross the double yellow to pull that speed off.

this would be awesome.

Without sounding like Captain Obvious, step one is slow down. The next step is to get a V1.

I would estimate my V1 has saved me from at least 100 potential tickets. I have not had a speeding ticket in over 20 years and most of that time the V1 was on duty. In California having Laser countermeasures are illegal but in general you can have Laser protection for about the cost of 3 tickets.

Check out this Forum

http://www.radardetector.net/forums/

I agree Laser is getting more popular, but Radar will never disappear, unless something has changed recently Laser is not mobile, so it requires the LEO to have line of sight and have to be stopped. Add in the fact that they are not difficult to jam I don't see them replacing Radar.

my buddy has a V1 and i used it on my up to montreal last year for the F1 race and boy did it come in handy, i dunno why i haven't picked one up yet. my luck is when i buy it all cops will switch to laser a day later. (i know the V1 detects laser, but laser records a speed in 1/2 second.)

I agree with primetime. Radar/laser detectors like the windshield mounted Passport and V1 are not going to really protect you if the cop is using laser. They work just fine for Radar, but most of the cops that park on the side of the road are using laser these days. If you want the best protection, you need a V1 or Passport and a jammer. Some people like the Passport with the built-in jammer as well.

If the cop is using laser, the V1 and Passport are nothing more than ticket notifiers most of the time. By the time they go off, the cop most likely has a reading on you.

1) Connecticut cops are assholes.
2) Get a V1
3) At least CT allows traffic school... but IMO, the speed limits are generally way too low. Rt. 58 and 59 kill me, let alone the Merritt. Who doesn't do 85 (which is a felony, IIRC...)

CT cop said I was going 86, but ticketed me at 80; he said 86 was considered reckless. $240 latter I am good to go since NY does not transfer points.

lets not limit it to CT.:bustingup

a V1 would be a good start, that in addition to maybe a laser jammer? jammers are expensive but after reading up on some it seems they reduce the distance for which laser works, which may buy some time when used in conjunction with a V1.

Okay, CT and NH cops are assholes.

VA too.
and GA.

I don't do laser jammers myself, mostly because I encounter it so rarely (ME and SC use K or Ka radar only) but I'd be intrigued by how effective it truly is, btu its one of those things where... How long till they ban it?

Laser jammers are extremely effective...Without fail this is the best defense against laser.. (Except for slowing down of course)

i've found that some people think jamming will cause you to get pulled over right away, i'm thinking that after a detector detects laser, you slow down to speed, shut the jammer off and then the cop can get a reading, thinking his gun was just acting funny.:dunno:

any cops here not already too upset with our generalization of you wish to comment?

[quote=Meiac09]Okay, CT and NH cops are assholes.

I actually thought the cop was fine, its his job to give tickets and I was speeding. He gave no attitude and I was my way in 15 minutes.

Well, laser guns often don't read accurately, or read at all due to conditions outside. Sunlight and certain angles will cause it to read "error" also. So the cop will most likely, shake his gun, try it again, and repeat the process. By that time you're already long gone..And the cop will just try it on another vehicle and go about his day..And of course the idea is to slow down once your laser/radar dectector picks up the laser on your car, and since your jammer is doing its job, that gives you enough time to slow down to normal speeds while the cop is shaking his gun trying to get a read on you. But again, by that time you're usually long gone and he'll most likely move on to laser a different vehicle.

nice, i'm gonna start with a V1, i've read and experienced good things. anyone know a good place to buy? i also contacted Laser Star, UK Company and am waiting a response about a US dealer.) that kit it 500+ dollars. i guess it can pay for itself over time.

You need to remember that a speeding violation is composed of four components - verifying accuracy of speed enforcement equipment, visual observation and speed estimation of violator, utilizing tested equipment to verify speed estimate, verifying accuracy speed enforcement of equipment. The equipment utilized is only to verify the speed estimate made by the officer. In New York, Troopers are trained and tested to estimate vehicle speeds to +/- 5 MPH and are able to issue violations based on visual estimates alone. The laser/radar/sky time/VASCAR is only an enforcement tool. That being said, when you are using a jammer and going 80 MPH, my laser might not pick it up (which is a big but because I've never seen a jammer work) but my eyes will tell me you're going 80. You'll still get an invitation to court. Best advice - stay with the flow of traffic and stay in the right lane as much as possible. Or put rolled up tin foil in your hubcaps.

Just bought a Passport Solo S2. So far so good:thumbup:

What is the real problem is that speeding is not necessarily unsafe.

The guy going slowing in the fast lane and the guy on your tail, is the person that is causing an unsafe condition.

In addtion Long Island speed limit is 55 yet most people do 65 or 70 on the LIE.

my 2009 x5 30i has an option in idrive to set max speed electronically. does OP have it too?

I got a V1, it's waiting for me at home so I get to use it starting Friday afternoon :smokin:

I'm not sure what to say: Usually speed limits are 25mph for a reason. Either school, residential, or town centre. And while I'm a critic of the Communisticalwealth of VA, I would never want to overshoot a 25mph zone. As one approaches a rural town, there are signs with "Reduce Speed Ahead" and it goes 55-45-35-25 very quickly. I usually start coasting and/or hit the brakes at the Reduce Speed signs because sheriffs here will park right after that 25 or 35 zone, so actual braking is required.

Then again, I don't know how they set speed limits in your state; in the South limits tend to be high (max. 70 in VA and NC) except for the aforementioned zones. Maybe the 25mph zone in your case was just a silly case of "revenue enforcement" rather than safety. Never driven in CT, so I don't know.

Any BMW with iDrive will have the Speed limit option. However, it's not going to be effective if the speed limit changes. In Europe beginning with the F01 7er, the vehicle will read the speed limit signs and tell you what the limit is. However that technology will not transfer for NA-spec models.

the "i was keeping with traffic" is not a valid excuse.

so today i asked to verify that i was going 53, prove it. and the cop left and come back and wrote 45 on the ticket and said have a nice day. WTF?! crooked, if i was doing 53 write that down. if i asked to prove it then do so. show me the gun, the calibration paper, dont do me any favors. now its guilty until proven innocent. if anyone disaggees then youre living in the dark.

had some bad experiences with law enforcement lately, things i was found innocent of, so just a little venting :soapbox:.

On I91 near hartford if you go 55mph you'll see an accident either by some jerk swerving to miss you or hitting you.

Get the guy switching over three lanes, or riding unsafely close, or the clown in a car that looks like its gonna fall apart doing 85+, the guy without lights on at night, as well as the guy standing in the left or middle lanes, not the guy in well maintained vehile capable of traveling at 80+ mph.

:iagree: 100%.

Are you saying that you're going to rely on your "eyes" and pull someone over when your gun is jammed? Rather then putting your gun on the car in the next lane over that the gun is reading accurately on and is definitely speeding? Which is more likely to happen?

And yes I'm aware that the training you've received is able to determine speeders from non speeders if the speeds are noticeably excessive. But 5mph? + or -?.. Accurately?.. ...:confused: .. Either you're the best officer in all the land, or the cops around here aren't up to your standards..OR, the cops around here would rather catch someone on their gun that is definitely speeding and go after them while eliminating any chance of a reversal in court due to the evidence of excessive speed (i.e. laser gun reading, AND your eyes). Where i'm from, that seems to be the case..:thumbup:

Isn't estimating speed based on comparing one vehicle to other on the highway? Seeing a car traveling 80 or 70 solo is not going to be easy to get accurate, but seeing a car going 80 in a group of cars doing 65-70 is easier.

I use the V1 not to detect Police but to detect Potential Police. If you use it as an alert to possible speed enforcement it will slow you down and provide a very formidably defense to speed enforcement. The V1 has a boggy counter and arrows that greatly increase the accuracy of detecting false's as well as when you pass a threat. Learning to use a V1 is critical to making it effective.

Jammers are a last defense for when you are caught off guard, you will also need to know how to use a jammer (especially in states where they are illegal) so you are not identified as jamming.

I don't believe having countermeasures guarantees to stay ticket free, but I do believe if you take the time to learn how your V1 reacts, over time it will teach you how to avoid situations where you are in jeopardy of getting a speeding citation.

Here's a thought, how about just slowing down?

If not, then just deal with the tickets and insurance premium increases and quitchabitchin.

It's not the cops fault, this is self inflicted.

Absolutely. I have one and I gave my wife one as well, the only present I've ever given her that she uses every day.

What does the rolled up tin foil do? Is it legal?

boo!

as far as the tin foil, yes its legal. i use it to pack sandwiches. :rofl: seriously though, i would imagine it throws off a radar detector by bouncing the radar back quicker (addition of wheel rotation) making the gun ready some ridiculously high speed. but i'd have to say thats not 100% effective, cant see how it would be on a straighter road.

And not enjoy my car to its full potential? C'mon... that's not even an option! ;)


I do agree with you on this. If you're wiling to commit the crime, you'd better be willing to pay the price.

im thinkin the cop has seen you zippin around town prior to this stop and wasnt gonna cut you a break anymore, time to pay the price........, cause i know i have past a cop at the end of a windy road in my home town going 50 in a 30 and he didnt do anything, then again he was one of the fatest cops on the force maybe he was takin a nap and i got lucky

I haven't found CT a problem. Been driving here for over 5 years now. Last weekend, took the X5 up to 110 to see what it felt like near Hartford -- 80 feels pretty slow after that. :)

And I haven't had a ticket (apart from a parking ticket or two) for 23 years. What do I attribute this to? Primarily to the use of a radar detector (currently V1)...

My X5 is sitting at the dealer waiting for my radar detector to be installed. They are telling me that I can't splice or tap into any wires. They told me I could run a new power wire from the battery or use the cigarette lighter for power. If do anything else, I loose my ENTIRE cars warranty.

Any help on where to get 12v ignition on power with no problems to the electrical system? I know you could use T-Taps, but they are not available in Dubai, and ordering them from America is a hassle.

Please Help!!
thanks

cig lighter should be fine. radar detector draws very little power. when i installed my nav i ran a wire to the front of the car from the battery. (through a DC Choke) but tappig of the cig lighter should be fine, thats at least a 10A Circuit.

Im a newb at this stuff. How exactly do you tap into something? I don't want to order T-Taps because they will be expensive and take a while to arrive from the US.