Radar detector. Without that, I would have lost my license.
I've always been curious about these. In your most honest opinion, how often does a good radar detector actually detect a speed trap?
The problem is laser. Most of the time if you get a laser warning it is too late. Radar detector+waze is how you do it.
Then, it was about 95% real, and 5% false alarms, and you could usually tell where the false alarm was coming from (like a grocery store door opener.)
15 years ago when I gave up, it was 90% false alarms, 5% WTF why did it go off, and 5% "laser detected, whoops, too fucking late."
My experience was back in the 1980s. No laser then.
I had a the best unit, an Escort brand. For speed traps where the cop sat with a live broadcasting unit, it detected every one of them and I never got a ticket from one.
Instant on was another thing. It worked by placing a dummy load on the transmitter until the cop saw a speeder and switched to transmit to clock someone.
Most cops were too trigger happy with instant on units. I usually detected them clocking cars ahead of me; so slowed to the speed limit and never got caught.
Some instant on units leaked some radar….you’d get warned with a weak signal that became very strong when the cop eyeballed you. I beat all these speed traps too.
Only twice in several years did I come eyeball to eyeball with an instant on and get nailed. The cops were so proud of catching someone who ran with a radar detector.
(post is archived)