Ohio Chatter
Ohio Chatter

Forums

All Threads Serious Business Sports Politics Archive Pick 'ems
Log In Create Account

radar/laser detectors legality?

Home ▸ Archive ▸ Serious Business ▸ radar/laser detectors legality?
S

sjmvsfscs08

Senior Member

2,963 posts
Oct 6, 2010 8:54 PM
I was always told they are illegal and would be confiscated. But the internetz says they're only illegal in Virginia. What's the deal?

Are they illegal if they are radar/laser jamming in addition to detecting? Are they completely legal?

Help a chatterer out so I can avoid all of the god damn pigs on 23 every time I drive to and from Toledo to Ohio State. :) After Labor Day I counted eight, and after the Fourth of July I counted six. The average is 2-3. Get a real job you fucking pigs!
Oct 6, 2010 8:54pm
Fab1b's avatar

Fab1b

The Bald A-Hole!!

12,949 posts
Oct 6, 2010 8:57 PM
I can confirm in Virginia they are illegal, I got a ticket back in 94/95 for one there.
Oct 6, 2010 8:57pm
S

sjmvsfscs08

Senior Member

2,963 posts
Oct 6, 2010 9:01 PM
That's partially why no one likes Virginia.
Oct 6, 2010 9:01pm
GoChiefs's avatar

GoChiefs

Resident Maniac

16,754 posts
Oct 6, 2010 9:03 PM
Virginia is the only state where radar detectors are illegal. Been pulled over a few times with one, a word was never said about it. Just goes to show you how well they work. :p
Oct 6, 2010 9:03pm
Cat Food Flambe''s avatar

Cat Food Flambe'

Senior Member

1,230 posts
Oct 6, 2010 9:17 PM
DETECTORS are not illegal the US outside of Virginia, DC, and on military bases. They're also illegal in all Canadian provinces except for Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia - the Mounties will confiscate 'em right on the spot.

They're illegal in the USA ( by Federal law) in commercial vehicles over a certain weight (10,000 lbs, IIRC).

JAMMERS are illegal in Nebraska, Minnesota, Utah, California, Oklahoma, Virginia, Colorado, Illinois and DC.

Legality aside, the truck drivers with whom I used to work would tell me that if you DO get pulled over for something and the officer spots a detector, they'll seldom cut you a break. You'll get hit with the maximum charge(s) possible (inoperable lights, expired proof-of-insurance, full clocked speed instead of cutting down to the next "offense level", etc.).

Can't most current radar/laser system used by police recognize when a detector or jammer is being used?
Oct 6, 2010 9:17pm
Laley23's avatar

Laley23

GOAT

29,506 posts
Oct 6, 2010 9:41 PM
They dont work too well anyway. Plus the interference on a lot of them makes it unbearable to drive with!
Oct 6, 2010 9:41pm
Cat Food Flambe''s avatar

Cat Food Flambe'

Senior Member

1,230 posts
Oct 6, 2010 10:03 PM
So I hear, Laley... Lady D'Friskies just told me that the automatic doors in "big box" grocery stores, etc, will set them from several blocks away. I don't know if that's true or not.

Most cops won't just sit there with the gun on any more - they'll sight you first, then pull the trigger - by the time your bird dog sounds, it's too late.
Oct 6, 2010 10:03pm
hasbeen's avatar

hasbeen

Excuse me, Flo?

6,504 posts
Oct 6, 2010 10:30 PM
sjmvsfscs08;509999 wrote:
Get a real job you fucking pigs!

You're so awesome.
Oct 6, 2010 10:30pm
Laley23's avatar

Laley23

GOAT

29,506 posts
Oct 6, 2010 10:56 PM
Cat Food Flambe';510101 wrote:So I hear, Laley... Lady D'Friskies just told me that the automatic doors in "big box" grocery stores, etc, will set them from several blocks away. I don't know if that's true or not.

Most cops won't just sit there with the gun on any more - they'll sight you first, then pull the trigger - by the time your bird dog sounds, it's too late.

Its true. I dont know about how many blocks. But my ex had one and she got pulled over twice with it. Not to mention it was constantly going off in the city. It worked a bit better on the highways, but still a ton of shit set it off.
Oct 6, 2010 10:56pm
Glory Days's avatar

Glory Days

Senior Member

7,809 posts
Oct 7, 2010 7:25 AM
Cat Food Flambe';510028 wrote: Legality aside, the truck drivers with whom I used to work would tell me that if you DO get pulled over for something and the officer spots a detector, they'll seldom cut you a break. You'll get hit with the maximum charge(s) possible (inoperable lights, expired proof-of-insurance, full clocked speed instead of cutting down to the next "offense level", etc.).

Can't most current radar/laser system used by police recognize when a detector or jammer is being used?
This. they can probably tell if you have a detector by the reading that is, or isnt coming back to them. like if you are going 80mph and it says you are going 35mph.

A.) they dont work. rarely will cops just leave their radar/laser on. they wait till they see a car speeding then they turn it on to confirm their judgement on the car's speed.
B.) again like stated above, if the cop pulls you over with one, you got about a 99.9% chance of getting a ticket.
C.) i have also heard that the detector companies offer some kind of reimbursement if you get a ticket, i hear those can be a little shady.
D.) drive the speed limit and you'll never be bothered by a pig again.

best story i ever heard was from a cop who pulled a guy over with a detector. after getting the ticket, the guy got out, threw the detector on the ground, and smashed it into little pieces.
Oct 7, 2010 7:25am
W

WebFire

Go Bucks!

14,779 posts
Oct 7, 2010 8:57 AM
How fast are you driving that you have worry about a detector in the first place? The speed limit on 23 is 65, and you can easily do 70 without anyone batting on eye at you. That's plenty fast.
Oct 7, 2010 8:57am
se-alum's avatar

se-alum

The Biggest Boss

13,948 posts
Oct 7, 2010 9:26 AM
sjmvsfscs08;509999 wrote:I was always told they are illegal and would be confiscated. But the internetz says they're only illegal in Virginia. What's the deal?

Are they illegal if they are radar/laser jamming in addition to detecting? Are they completely legal?

Help a chatterer out so I can avoid all of the god damn pigs on 23 every time I drive to and from Toledo to Ohio State. :) After Labor Day I counted eight, and after the Fourth of July I counted six. The average is 2-3. Get a real job you fucking pigs!
On an 8mi stretch of 23 in Chillicothe, I saw 12 staties on my way home from work last Friday.
Oct 7, 2010 9:26am
krambman's avatar

krambman

Senior Member

3,606 posts
Oct 7, 2010 9:31 AM
WebFire;510332 wrote:How fast are you driving that you have worry about a detector in the first place? The speed limit on 23 is 65, and you can easily do 70 without anyone batting on eye at you. That's plenty fast.

This was my thought. If you have a deadline to get to OSU or Toledo by, leave 15 minutes earlier. Honestly, over a distance that relatively short, going 5 or 10 miles faster is only going to save you a few minutes.
Oct 7, 2010 9:31am
S

sjmvsfscs08

Senior Member

2,963 posts
Oct 7, 2010 11:46 AM
se-alum;510354 wrote:On an 8mi stretch of 23 in Chillicothe, I saw 12 staties on my way home from work last Friday.

Disgusting. Tax dollars at work!

Cops waiting to "pull the trigger" is irrelevant when you have a jammer, no? Pull the trigger all you want, it's being jammed, no?

My friends who have them say the newer models aren't set off by door openers nearly as much because once the radar/laser jammer detects the radar it rescans it...yadda, yadda, yadda they just said it's not a big deal. But I don't speed when driving through populated areas--that's dangerous and dumb, so I'd simply turn it off or onto the "city mode." But If you're going 70mph on 23 in the country you will be passed by me going ~80mph.
Oct 7, 2010 11:46am
W

WebFire

Go Bucks!

14,779 posts
Oct 7, 2010 11:49 AM
se-alum;510354 wrote:On an 8mi stretch of 23 in Chillicothe, I saw 12 staties on my way home from work last Friday.

Took 23 to get to Columbus on Sunday and only saw 1. And that was many more than 8 miles.
Oct 7, 2010 11:49am
M

MontyBrunswick

Oct 7, 2010 1:02 PM
You get what you pay for. The cheap Wal-Mart ones suck...You'd need to get a high-end Beltronics/Escort/Valentine 1 before its practical.

And it really depends on what the cop is running. If the cop is running LIDAR, even a top of the line radar detector will be useless. By the time it goes off, he's already got you.

I have a Beltronics V955 and it works pretty well. The garage door thing is 100% accurate, it hates big-box stores and CVS/Walgreens.

Edit: Oh, and it's not as simple as just "pulling the trigger". If they're running radar, most newer radar guns have "instant-on", which allows the cop to "pull the trigger" to get a reading, however, the "instant-on" stuff is kind of false...since the radar detector is running and is detectable even when the cop isn't pulling the trigger.


FWIW: Most troopers run on X-band (radar) or LIDAR. City cops tend to run K-band or Ka-band. (at least in my experience)
Oct 7, 2010 1:02pm
Glory Days's avatar

Glory Days

Senior Member

7,809 posts
Oct 7, 2010 4:02 PM
krambman;510357 wrote:This was my thought. If you have a deadline to get to OSU or Toledo by, leave 15 minutes earlier. Honestly, over a distance that relatively short, going 5 or 10 miles faster is only going to save you a few minutes.

This is what people fail to understand. you are saving basically no time because you also have to factor in redlights, stop signs, traffic. its funny when people go flying by you, then a few minutes later when you get off the exit ramp, they are sitting a few cars infront of you at the light.
Oct 7, 2010 4:02pm
tk421's avatar

tk421

Senior Member

8,500 posts
Oct 7, 2010 4:13 PM
WebFire;510482 wrote:Took 23 to get to Columbus on Sunday and only say 1. And that was many more than 8 miles.

I'd agree with this. I don't travel 23 every day, but we do go up often to Columbus from Ironton, and I've never seen more than a cop or two on a single trip the entire 120 miles.
Oct 7, 2010 4:13pm