If you're planning to take a cross-country road trip this year, you might be considering purchasing a radar detector to help "guard" you from police traps. Buyers beware; there are legal issues that surround the use of radar detectors in all 50 states.
The best way to avoid a ticket and auto insurance increase is to follow speed laws, but if you want to buy a radar detector, know the law first.
Key takeaways
- Radar and laser detectors are legal in most states, but radar jammers are not.
- If you are caught using a radar detector where it's not legal, you could face fines.
- Speeding is dangerous and it's better to follow the speed limit and reduce your risk of an accident than to avoid a ticket with a radar detector.
States where radar detectors are banned
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, radar detectors are banned in all vehicles in the state of Virginia and the District of Columbia. Radar Detectors are also banned in big trucks in the states of New York and Illinois.
Plus, under federal law, the use of radar or laser speed detectors is illegal in all commercial vehicles over 10,000 pounds. However, radar detectors are allowed in all noncommercial vehicles in all other states.
What happens if you are caught with a radar detector?
In states and areas where radar detectors are illegal, law enforcement have devices such as the VG-2 Detector and the Spectres I, II, III, that scan for small frequencies emitting from your detector`s tuning oscillator. And if you are caught with an illegal detector, be prepared to pay a huge fine, have your detector confiscated & possibly increase your auto insurance rates.
Are radar and laser jammers legal?
Generally much more expensive than the radar detector, radar & laser jammers are designed to emit signals to interfere with police radar or laser gun readings. Although these innovative devices sound ideal, many experts report that they don`t really work and are illegal in many states.
For instance, laser jammers are illegal in Nebraska, Minnesota, Utah, California, Oklahoma, Virginia, Colorado and Washington D.C. and radar jammers are illegal in all 50 states.
Following the speed limit is the safest way to drive
No matter what new device comes out to try and beat the system, one thing still remains the same; following the designated speed limits is always the best policy. Speeding is linked to a higher risk of an accident, so even if you avoid a speeding ticket you could wind up in a worse situation.
Speeding accidents can not only affect your insurance rates, but someone could be injured or worse. Skip the radar detector and instead follow the speed laws at all times.
