Radar detectors

[old skool]

So...give me the lowdown. No way I can use my brand new X50 B when I move to NoVa? From what I have read the cops seem to be intense. Is speeding basically out of the question?

[1996 328ti]

So...give me the lowdown. No way I can use my brand new X50 B when I move to NoVa? From what I have read the cops seem to be intense. Is speeding basically out of the question?

They can confiscate radar detectors although I don't know anyone who had to surrender it. Not sure if it is 20 or 22 over the limit is considered reckless and requires a court appearance. I think Fairfax County is the most brutal of the counties in NoVA. Good luck. Stay out of the left lane and welcome.

[old skool]

Is there any point in even driving with one if it is so easy to get a ticket for it?

[1996 328ti]

Is there any point in even driving with one if it is so easy to get a ticket for it?

My tickets are generally written down as paced. I hardly get picked off by RADAR. I'm not saying a good RADAR detector is a waste. They have reminded me of the speed on more than several occasions. When you consider I66 is a 6 lane highway with a speed limit of 55, it's easy to find yourself going 70.

[OwnedbyDuncan]

Places not speed Rossyln, Clarendon and Ballston corridor along WIlson and Clarendon Blvd. Speed limit is 25mph and enforced.
Rt 66 and beltway they start writing tickets at 68mph or 13mph over posted.
On secondary roads where the speed limit is 45 mph traffic typically non rush hour travels at about 60mph without ticket problems.

FCPD will strictly enforce speeding ins chool zones. They love to sit out front of WIllow Springs ELemnetary on Braddock Rd and write 20-30 tickets or more in 30 minutes.

20mph or more is a mandatory court appearance and a Class 1 misdemeanor not a just a traffic offense.

Typically on Rt 66 they set up speed traps Eastbound right before you get to the Rt 50 exit and the left ahnd side and inside the beltway right before Rt 7 exit. Westbound speed traps are after the entrance ramp from Fairfax Dr and before the exit for Falls Church. They also have a speed trap at the same point on Rt 66 after thr Rt 50 interchange. Then in the median after after Rt 7100. State Police and FCPD run these speed traps and they also use unmarked. FCPD has a 2004 Mustang and several unmarked Tahoes and Expeditions.

I dont speed in residential areas or in school zones. The town of Clifton strictly enforces the 25mph speed limit during rush hour.

When I used to work at the Washington Navy Yard I used to leave my house which is less than 5 minutes from Rt 66 and Rt 7100 at 0455 and be on the Navy Yard to get a close to my office parking spot by 0520hrs.

You cant run triple digit speeds on 95, 395, 495 and Rt 66 but 10mph is not a problem and traffic is usually running at about 70mph during non rush hour without a problem.

FCPD and VA State Police are predictable in where they run radar and speed enforcement.

[OwnedbyDuncan]

BTW I have never owned a radar detector. Never needed one. And have not had a speeding ticket in about 10yrs.

Last ticket I got was an HOV violation on RT66 becasue I used the HOV lane to pass a bunch of slower cars. Better than the Reckless I could have got if the trooper had his radar up in running becasue I was at least 25mph over. AT that time jsut a fine and no point. ANd it wasn't a moving violation.

[SharkD]

They can confiscate radar detectors although I don't know anyone who had to surrender it. Not sure if it is 20 or 22 over the limit is considered reckless and requires a court appearance.

According to a couple of friends of mine on the force in Arlington & Alexandria, 20 over the limit, or anything in excess of 80mph is considered reckless & the HOV lanes on 395 are considered fertile ground for speeding tickets and reckless citations.

[old skool]

I never used to carry a detector, however I received two tickets in 6 mo-a year after buying the BMW. (I wasn't speeding any more than normal)

The last ticket I was driving on a freeway that has no area on the right or left for a cop to sit and traffic flows at 70 every day but the speed limit is 55. I was in traffic, going the speed limit, got over into the long (and fun) exit ramp with no one in front of me and immediately mashed the gas. As soon as I looked up, I saw a cop sitting in the hashed white "V" that separates the exit ramp from the rest of the freeway and he got me with laser. I was going 90 I think. That sucked big time. I fought it and got the reckless removed and the ticket reduced. However it cost me a lot of money.

So now I have 4 points on my licence and I have to wait for 3 years to dump those tickets and will experience increased insurance cost. The other time was the same basic situation, traffic was blocking view of the cop, "hiding" on the side of the road, I pull off right to go on to the freeway and get tagged with laser.

Now that I have the radar detector, I realize no cops here use radar. They don't drive with radar on either. They all use laser. However, twice since I got the detector I have picked up the laser in traffic and slowed down while I was still out of view of the cops.

[Nick325xiT 5spd]

I never used to carry a detector, however I received two tickets in 6 mo-a year after buying the BMW. (I wasn't speeding any more than normal)

The last ticket I was driving on a freeway that has no area on the right or left for a cop to sit and traffic flows at 70 every day but the speed limit is 55. I was in traffic, going the speed limit, got over into the long (and fun) exit ramp with no one in front of me and immediately mashed the gas. As soon as I looked up, I saw a cop sitting in the hashed white "V" that separates the exit ramp from the rest of the freeway and he got me with laser. I was going 90 I think. That sucked big time. I fought it and got the reckless removed and the ticket reduced. However it cost me a lot of money.

So now I have 4 points on my licence and I have to wait for 3 years to dump those tickets and will experience increased insurance cost. The other time was the same basic situation, traffic was blocking view of the cop, "hiding" on the side of the road, I pull off right to go on to the freeway and get tagged with laser.

Now that I have the radar detector, I realize no cops here use radar. They don't drive with radar on either. They all use laser. However, twice since I got the detector I have picked up the laser in traffic and slowed down while I was still out of view of the cops.

Lidatek. Period. End oif story.

[old skool]

Is that legal and can it be detected? Does it work?

[OwnedbyDuncan]

And dont forget in the Commonwealth of VA you can be charged with Aggressive Driving by exercising your Consitutional rights by giving someone the finger. Again a Class 1 misdemeanor.

[M-technik-3]

The roads and traffic here don't jive with speeding or weaving. Just face this is traffic gridlock on a daily basis. If you want to drive quick take a trip out to the Mtn's.

[Pinecone]

Another choice is the Escort SRX which is a combo built in unit, or the add on unit for laser "shifting" only.

I have an SRX in the E46 M3 and it works very well.

[Sigfod]

I like the Valentine One. Technically it is Illegal for VA to not allow Radar and Laser Detectors. FCC has a mandate allowing any US citizen to have knowledge of any frequency broadcast in the US. This was fought once and won. I don't know the specific case, and have not had time to find it, but if you do please let us know.

[charlesstiles]

The law is pretty clear on radar detectors in VA, their illegal and you can be ticketed for having one on either of two conditions: 1) if it is powered and receiving current or 2) if it is within reach of the driver. The ticket is $40 as I recall but they cannot confiscate the radar detector permanently. If the officer feels it si going to go to court, they can take the radar detector until your court date to prove you had one, but that is all. The charge, carries with it, no points.

With that in mind, I'm not concerned with the legality of the radar detector and three or four of those tickets will undoubtedly be cheaper than any speeding ticket let alone the time I lose if I get stopped. I don't drive like a maniac and I haven't had a ticket in 15 years with the exception of a friendly Delaware State Police Officer that said I was going too fast through a toll lane. None-the-less, the advance warning may provide some added piece of mind. With a remote unit you could probably argue that the detector itself was out of reach and as long as it was turned off by the time the officer gets to your car you can argue that it isn't on.

The unit I have chosen is a Beltronics Radar/Laser detector with voice notification and silence feature. Not only does it have an impressive radar antennae, but it has three laser transceivers (two for the front and one for the rear) that prevent laser detection. Once it detects lasers though, you have to hammer the brake and turn on the silence feature as the police will receive a 0 reading while the unit is running- Get down to posted speed and turn it off. DO NOT USE A RADAR JAMMER there is a $50K penalty along with up to five years in jail. Laser jammers carry the same $40 penalty as radar detectors. Additionally, this unit provides voice warnings of the type of detection, frequency and strength. It also uses the radar band intended for emergency vehicle notifications, construction areas and draw bridge openings. This provides a heads up when a fire truck or ambulance is approaching and you need to get out of the way or a drawbridge is opening and you don't feel like using it for a ramp :-) .

Getting this thing installed looks to be a real chore so I am going to turn to the guys at Myer Emco and hope they do a class job. I'll post on my experience. Until then (Wednesday) I'll just putt putt around in my Z4.

-Charles