Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Raptor on September 20, 2004, 07:34:43 PM
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Alright Im looking for a decent Radar Detector but at a reasonable price, any recomendations for places to look? (online, ill take a look at the stores likely to have em locally)
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I haven't owned one in years. Don't the cops use lasers now? So they get you in .001 milliseconds?
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Escort 8500...
long range on this unit is impressive. Ive gotten burps from "out of visual" range...and then first con I see is radaring turning it on and off.... interesting that It picked him up about 2miles out...
and I can honestly say that has happend quite a few times on long trips. she hasnt failed me yet!!!
thats my opinion
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Bel 985, great Ka band pickup (cops in NZ only use Ka now), and the add the LaserPro for active laser jamming for a complete combo.
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Originally posted by MwXX
Escort 8500...
long range on this unit is impressive. Ive gotten burps from "out of visual" range...and then first con I see is radaring turning it on and off.... interesting that It picked him up about 2miles out...
and I can honestly say that has happend quite a few times on long trips. she hasnt failed me yet!!!
thats my opinion
Valentine One or Escort 8500 anything else is a waste of money
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I looked up some and what i found are
Escort SR7 Integrated Radar/Laser Detector
- PRICE: $899.99 (yeah right)
Cobra 9570 Radar Detector
The Cobra® 9570 radar deteector boasts high performance with an extra detection range for advanced warning, It detects 5 different radar signals and the LaserEye® system provides 360-degree detection of laser signals. The Strobe Alert™ features offers advanced alert of the presence and/or approach of emergency vehicles and the DigiView® Data display utilizes an easily recognizable digital text display.
- PRICE: $169.95
that one is more affordable, im not sure on the quality of it..
look good?
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The Valentines are well known for being actually more expensive then any of the tickets you might receive for speeding. :D
It reminds me of the Titan IV launcher, known for making the US Space Shuttle look economical.
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Originally posted by Raptor01
I looked up some and what i found are
Escort SR7 Integrated Radar/Laser Detector
- PRICE: $899.99 (yeah right)
Cobra 9570 Radar Detector
The Cobra® 9570 radar deteector boasts high performance with an extra detection range for advanced warning, It detects 5 different radar signals and the LaserEye® system provides 360-degree detection of laser signals. The Strobe Alert™ features offers advanced alert of the presence and/or approach of emergency vehicles and the DigiView® Data display utilizes an easily recognizable digital text display.
- PRICE: $169.95
that one is more affordable, im not sure on the quality of it..
look good?
Every Cobra I have ever seen does nothing but false. Or in other words it goes off all the time, around banks, grocery stores, CB radios etc etc
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Originally posted by ra
I haven't owned one in years. Don't the cops use lasers now? So they get you in .001 milliseconds?
Lasers are not more accurate than radar. The laser computes speed by ranging, whereas the radar computes speed using doppler.
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Originally posted by Sandman
Lasers are not more accurate than radar. The laser computes speed by ranging, whereas the radar computes speed using doppler.
Yes but the laser is virtually undetectable, and if your radar(+laser) detector picks it up its already to late. Most radar detectors also fail laser at close range due to the tight beam. In NZ the police have switched to Laser big time, hence why I got the jammer.
Laser jammers are a bunch of high powered IR band LEDs that interfere with the LIDAR unit, halogens and refracted sunlight also cause LIDAR (laser) guns to have kittens from time to time.
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Originally posted by Vulcan
Yes but the laser is virtually undetectable, and if your radar(+laser) detector picks it up its already to late.
Yeah.. there is that... the signal does tend to attenuate.
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http://www.valentineone.com
I hear the Escorts are good too, but why mess around?
If you drive like I do it will pay for itself in a year. :)
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Radar/laser detectors are old technology and a waste of money and time.
...-Gixer
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Cobra is to radar detectors as Logitech is to joysticks. Comprende?
Escort, 'nuff said.:aok
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You know those things will make your hair fail out and testicles shrink with prolonged use.
A company can legally sell a product which in turn helps a person break the law, not that there is anything wrong with dat.
I'm a lead foot myself.;)
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i only break the speed limit when on the interstate, and then i use a CB, the truckers will tell you where smokey is.
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Originally posted by Gixer
Radar/laser detectors are old technology and a waste of money and time.
...-Gixer
Not where I live. Well-tuned V1 is pretty much a cop detector. The only way they can get you is with a static laser trap or an instant-on trap on an empty road. Both of which are vanishingly rare out here.
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I think the days of radar detectors is over as now with laser they wait till they see you and then bang you are nailed.
A few years back I used to do quite a bit of cross country driving in the US and at a truck stop I bought a scanner for laughs. I would listen to the CB channels on it.
It had a feature that a light would go on and it would make a noise if an emergency vehicle was near. So I was flying down the interstate late at night and it goes off. I slowed down and just over the next hill was a big radar trap. It had detected the signal from the police cars. Thas is a really cool feature that works. It also saved me from a head on moving radar once as well.
I noticed my radar detector would go off all the time on that trip. I think it was Washington state that basically made it go off all along the highway. I think they had dummy radar set up over the whole highway system.
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Anyone ever consider obeying the speed limits with 10mph? In Florida if you are within 10mph you won't get written up. Driving conditions in most of the eastern to mid states don't allow 100mph driving conditions any longer. I can safely drive most of the roads in Fl. at 80mph that's plenty fast for me. :D
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I hav ebeen using a radar detcector for 5months now..\
\I will never drive with out one again..
i use the Escort 8500..it was $280 on ebay
i hav ebeen very impressed by it picking up nme radar before visual line of sight..It has saved me many times..
BUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hav eseen it not pick up radar till im 200 yds from a cop coming around a blind corner..it the detecr goes off the wall with signal strength..but its too late for me too slow down..
I have seen this 2-3 tiems so far..VERY DIPPRESSING!!
Coming back from South Lake tahoe last week..came around a blind coner..CHP sitting there as soon as I see him my radar detectr goes full dar bar for KA band....IM screwed..I just got a 90+ speed in a 65mph zone...i was going to throw it out the window..
BUt..i have seen it work since then..I dont know yet why it worked liek tht..
It may be they were using the "flash radar"...wich swiched on and off quickly..im not sure..
but the new escort 850..i think it scalle ME..has a new detctecr for the "flash radar"
I got hit with a lazer a few weeks ago..never seen tht warning..but I saw the cop before he put the lazer on me..
soem of these guys in here dotn knwo what there saying...
Lazer Detecion is very rare ly used..too expensive ..
My radar detcrr has defnlty worked many many times..bUT u cant rely on it $100% ...which i would love to have..
Depending on how much you want to spend..you can get the radar stuff installed into yout grill and bumper..most ferraris ...Porshes..Hi end cars ,,you never see the radar cause its built into it..like cruise control..
and yes from what i read and experienced..
escort 8500 or the valentine..if you dotn spend over $270..your buying crap..
i hav ethe hard line power insatlled so i dotn have soem crappy wire hanging down to my cigerrret ligther
and its easily removeabel as I have a convertable so it wotn be easy pikens
Love
BiGB
xoxo
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A word of caution: Don't rely on the detector.
1. Be observant. Constantly watch your surroundings. Most people who get tickets just didn't SEE the police officer in traffic because they thought their detector was a shield wall.
2. Trust your instinct. If your spidey-senses say 'danger', then slow down for a little while. Even if you're wrong 9 times out of 10, that one time where it's right can save you hundreds of $$.
3. Don't be a jerk. If you switch lanes without signalling and act stupid, then it doesn't take a cop to give you a bad day. No detector yet made can protect you from an irate citizen calling the police from their cell phone and reporting the ******* that just cut across three lanes to set up for a curve in the highway.
4. Be safe. As the person exceeding the set legal parameters of the road, you have a responsibility to control the safety of the situation. Just because you can fit your car between those two cars with an inch to spare and make it doesn't mean that you should do it, especially not if it makes someone else jam on the brakes or otherwise risk losing control of their vehicle. You should be like a ninja. Nobody else on the road should even realize you were there because everything you do has no impact on them.
Just some things I've picked up over time. No speeding tickets in 10 years, and that last one was the only one so far and I got it because I violated rule #1.
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When I turned 18and got my car in 96 had 2 tickets in 3 months, 2 from Park rangers, one from driving into town through Saguaro National Park West at a fun clip other was a 5mph BS in Chirichua Park. Got Radar Detector, never got a speeding ticket again.
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A cop ambushed me and my detector never went off. Must have been using a laser. They dont give you tickets in Kentucky unless you are going 15mph over. I was doing 17mph over.
Situational awareness is very important. Several times I had the feeling of "I'm being watched". Most of the time its a cop driving up behind me. Traffic seems to behave differently when the police are around.
Now this is just an observation, but when I had my cb and ham radio antenna on top of my truck, I never got a ticket during the day. Coincidence? Not sure.
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I read a really in-depth magazine review of about 10 detectors in real-world situations, mountains, flats, turns, city, etc. and the valentine detectors beat every other detector hands down. They cost a lot more but at least in the tests they were significantly better.
The review was a couple of years ago but unless the company turned to crap in the meantime, I doubt they got any worse.
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Cops are using more advanced radars,lasers and speed cameras. The day's of a old Ka band radar on a cops dash are few and numbered.
Radar detectors are old technology. Laser detector is useless and laser jammers are illegal in most countries. I'm not sure on their use here in NZ. But I think cops can just point at another part of the car to get a signal back. Cant see how a little jammer on the grill will prevent a return from another part of the car especially at shorter ranges.
Plus there is no defence at all against the unmarked cars just following in traffic.
Detectors,Jammers etc are just gimmics to spend money on.
...-Gixer
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well gixer..i guess we arent as rich as your countyr..cause the KA and even K bands are still in heavy use and will continue to be..The Cops have larger portions of there budgets to spend on rather then spending money on.."eveyone gets Lazers"!!!
A quality Detector DEFNTLY works..i use them..seen it in action...
yes not %100...BET way bettr then nothing...
I speed on a daily basis...90+ mph in 5th gear is 3,00orpm..perfect for crusin..and great gas milage
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Originally posted by GreenCloud
well gixer..i guess we arent as rich as your countyr..cause the KA and even K bands are still in heavy use and will continue to be..The Cops have larger portions of there budgets to spend on rather then spending money on.."eveyone gets Lazers"!!!
A quality Detector DEFNTLY works..i use them..seen it in action...
yes not %100...BET way bettr then nothing...
I speed on a daily basis...90+ mph in 5th gear is 3,00orpm..perfect for crusin..and great gas milage
Do they have speed cameras fixed and/or mobile in the US? or in some states? As they are everywhere here in NZ,Aust and UK.
...-Gixer
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Valentine one is the best. Pay the extra $$.
FWIW, I don't own a radar detector. I speed when conditions are right. I've had two speeding tickets in 28 years. Just let someone else lead and don't tail gate them. ;)
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Do they have speed cameras fixed and/or mobile in the US? or in some states? As they are everywhere here in NZ,Aust and UK.
I've only heard of red-light cameras here. They do have fixed speed detectors along the side of the road which display your speed just to let you know you're being watched.
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cops have a tendancy to go for the red sports car before something like an SUV if both are speeding down the road. Unless of course they are lazy then they go for whichever they reach first (dont be up front or in the back... try and be in the middle)
I assume something going for $140 with built in jammer isnt going to do that great a job at detecting or jamming?
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Originally posted by Gixer
Cops are using more advanced radars,lasers and speed cameras. The day's of a old Ka band radar on a cops dash are few and numbered.
Radar detectors are old technology. Laser detector is useless and laser jammers are illegal in most countries. I'm not sure on their use here in NZ. But I think cops can just point at another part of the car to get a signal back. Cant see how a little jammer on the grill will prevent a return from another part of the car especially at shorter ranges.
Plus there is no defence at all against the unmarked cars just following in traffic.
Detectors,Jammers etc are just gimmics to spend money on.
...-Gixer
For godsake get your foot out of your mouth gixer. I've been using radar detectors and laser jammers for many years now & they are absolutely worth their weight in gold. Laser Jammers are NOT illegal as they broadcast on the infrared band, same as the sun, halogen lights, and lotsa other stuff.
If you don't understand the technology, or even do some research, just don't reply ok - it just come out looking like a completely uninformed tard.
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Lidar and Radar both have their uses, in terms of the types of units in use in this area. One doesn't really replace the other.
"Alright Im looking for a decent Radar Detector but at a reasonable price, any recomendations for places to look?"
Your car is already equipped with an anti-cop device; it's called the speedometer. Simply keep the needle close to the posted speed, and you won't be pulled over for speeding :)
On the flip side, if you spend a ton of money on a dectector, a GOOD (stress the good) officer will simply pull you over and cite you anyway; due to having a detector onboard you're virtually gauranteed to lose if you contest it. The only reason detectors "work" is there are quite a few lazy cops out there who only use the radar. In my experience I've found that the BEST "detector" for highway travel is the good old CB radio tuned to 19. The CB is great since you also get traffic/weather reports and can ask directions if need be and such--it's such an excellent tool that I hate to be without one anymore.
Hint--The police officer doesn't have to use Radar/Lidar to cite you for speeding. For example, timing cars between fixed points is really easy (I can't stress enough how easy this is). No detector in the world except the "mark 1 eyeball" will detect that.
J_A_B
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Mk I. eyeball is great. I got by with it for years. But there are certain situations where only a detector (or a locator like V1) can save you. And it adds to your general SA. If you are in the middle of BFE and you get a good Ka spike on a good detector/locator then you know smokey is on the prowl, and it's time to keep your eyes peeled and be ready to slow down. Also where I live we have some "revenue collection" areas where the speed limits are artificially low in undeveloped parts of city. It should be marked 55 or 65 but they mark it 45 to make a few bucks. They only have 2 or 3 units devoted to speed enforcement so it is like a shell game, and the detector lets you know which road has the speed trap that day.
It's all a matter of knowing how to exploit the tool. If you don't know how to use it to full advantage then it's not worth the cost. If you are willing to learn how to maximize it then it's worth every penny and more.
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Originally posted by Vulcan
For godsake get your foot out of your mouth gixer. I've been using radar detectors and laser jammers for many years now & they are absolutely worth their weight in gold. Laser Jammers are NOT illegal as they broadcast on the infrared band, same as the sun, halogen lights, and lotsa other stuff.
If you don't understand the technology, or even do some research, just don't reply ok - it just come out looking like a completely uninformed tard.
My girlfriend is a cop, I don't think I'm as uninformed as you on current technology that the police use currently or have coming up. Your information is only what you read on the net in reviews, or some sales guy has told you..
That's for the personal insults, new level even for you.
...-Gixer
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lol gixer well we drive alot in the usa..and I do knwo my area..
i do agree with vulcan...and th emajoirity here does..so u lose..sorry..
funked..i feel exactly the same
We in California..Northen Cali have no SPeed cameras....
Red Light cameras yes..
...and gixer you make it sound as we dotn drive on our freeways?
we get all our infor from..net--or sales guy?..lolool
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Yeah, I've been in the car with Funked when he got a speeding ticket using an inferior radar detector. Classic situation: freeway in rural illinois, no traffic in sight, clear night, straight road, 17 mph over the limit, radar detector is beeping intermittedly -- probably cellphone towers. Turns out it's a cop driving the other way illuminating as he passes. 10 minutes later we're on the side of the road talking to Mr. Smokey.
And I remember moose getting the full treatment from the flying tires? what was it? 3 tickets, lidar and radar?
I did quite a bit of cross-country driving in the last couple years, and have hit my share of speed traps. I do drive considerably over the limit, but yeah, Mk. I eyeball is pretty handy. I don't have spidey sense, but a car braking downrange puts me on the alert and drops me down... Haven't gotten a ticket in 10 years (and that was, idiot, in a hurry, going accelerating into a known speed trap, look down, see 90, look up, see cop, smile and pay the bills). Never had a radar detector either. Then again, some may argue that there's no point in putting one on a 1993 Olds cutlass Ciera with a 4-banger, but Jezebel likes to be driven fast.
Radar detectors are just like the radars used to catch speeders: they're tools that are designed to support the user's sense-perception of the environment with highly accurate data. They aren't supposed to be a "crutch", but many people use them that way.
If a cop is just looking to give a speeding ticket, it doesn't matter to him whether he gives it to you or to the next car.
And I've seen far more highway patrol cruisers parked on the road, fishing for speeders than I have seen patrolling the road. But why should a highway patrol spend money to upgrade their radar systems if they work, they're still largely effective and the easiest road to improvement is better training/discipline.
Now, what I'm waiting for is someone to combine radar detectors, GPS and Wireless technologies to create an integrated detection network.
P.S., my brother got busted by a bear in the air a few years back, doing 56 in a 55 zone. no, he was really clocked at 56, it wasn't a "negotiated drop".
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Im a Cop. There are a few "completely uninformed tards" ( to use your words) in this thread but Gixer isnt one of them.
Keep playing with your toys boys. He who dies with the most toys wins and our side has more than enough to guarentee a better than even money bet.
I and others will be waiting for you and your dinky toys.
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Spook and Gixer, again, your Aussie stuff does not apply to the USA. Raptor is from NC = North Carolina. 99% of USA police radar is K and Ka band. You still see X band every once in a while in rural areas.
And it's almost all continuous-wave stuff. They have instant-on equipment but they only use it in static speed traps. The mobile guys just radiate all the time.
Lidar is rare. And it's usually a clumsy tripod setup. Mobile lidar is not in use here to my knowledge.
And "speed cameras" are not used here except in a few test installations.
You guys may be experten down there in kangaroo land but that don't mean diddly up here. :)
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Here's a novel thought..............ever considered sticking to the speed limit ?? It even has the added bonus of saving lives !! Go figure :rolleyes:
I've been a part of Emergency Services for 20 years & i've seen the results of speeding.............again & again & again.
Keep deluding yourselves guys, & Spook, Gixers girlfriend & myself will keep picking up the pieces.
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I'll hook.
I've seen people crash out while speeding. Their problem wasn't that they were exceeding the legal limit; their problem was that they were exceeding the speed limit at which they could safely operate their vehicle. For some drivers in some conditions, that "actual safety limit" (as opposed to "arbitrary legal limit") is 0 mph/kph.
Of all the electronic gadgets and crap that people are putting in their cars, a radar detector is one of the few that actually encourages situational awareness instead of distracting the driver from the environment.
Go ahead and see if you can turn up on the internet a study that claims radar detector users are involved in larger numbers of accidents:
I grabbed from here (a balanced source), the following summary of arguments pro and con banning radar detectors:
http://www.ncsl.org/programs/transportation/radar.htm
Opposition to use of radar detectors comes from three sources - police officers who contend that detectors hamper law enforcement efforts, municipalities that rely on revenue from speed traps and the insurance industry. RADAR, a Florida organization that lobbies against laws banning radar detector usage, maintains myths exist concerning radar reliability.
RADAR argues that lack of generally accepted standards for equipment performance, training requirements and enforcement policies contribute to the misuses and abuses of radar. Many local jurisdictions or individual officers operate speed trips for purposes more related to raising money than safety, RADAR maintains. A survey by the research firm of Yankelovich Clancy Shulman showed detector users had 23 percent fewer accidents per mile traveled than nonowners, and drove almost 60,000 miles farther between accidents. The survey concluded that radar detector owners are at least as safe drivers as nonowners.
The National Institute for Highway Safety in Virginia, however, sees a strong need for banning detectors. The institute maintains that radar detectors are bought and sold for the sole purpose of avoiding speeding tickets. They also encourage speeding. "The only, only, only reason [to have a radar detector] is to help you break the law," says Julie Rochman, the institute's communications director. Institute research has shown that interstate highway drivers with radar detectors reduced their speeds by at least five miles per hour or activated their brake lights when exposed to police radar. Before this exposure, vehicles with detectors were traveling significantly faster than other drivers.
By comparison, I reduce my speed by at least five miles per hour and activate my brake lights when eexposed to police radar -- and I don't have a detector.
for a little less balance: http://auto.consumerguide.com/auto/editorial/imho/index.cfm/act/opinion03
I also find that the incidence of speeding (And all kinds of dangerous vehicular activity) increases significantly as I approach urban areas, as does the number of really nasty accidents I see. Yet the speed traps seem to be disproportionately in the countryside.
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Originally posted by Raptor01
cops have a tendancy to go for the red sports car before something like an SUV if both are speeding down the road. Unless of course they are lazy then they go for whichever they reach first (dont be up front or in the back... try and be in the middle)
I assume something going for $140 with built in jammer isnt going to do that great a job at detecting or jamming?
Valentine One. Everything else sucks.
I do not own a detector. However, I own a 2004 Explorer, but on the last 2002 explorer I owned, a cop "caught me on laser doing 62" in a 45. Funny thing is, I saw him before he saw me and had the cruise set for 47. He pulled me over, gave my stuff, he came saying "I wrote you up for impeding traffic ($125) and since your insurance is expired, I wrote you up for that as well ($80)". Funny thing is I got out of it how? I just pointed to the Expiration Date of the P.O.I. He knew it was BS just as much as I did.
Karaya
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Speed laws in the US have little to do with safety. It's all about revenue. It's basically a tax for using the roads as God and Henry Ford intended.
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Originally posted by Dinger
I'll hook.
I've seen people crash out while speeding. Their problem wasn't that they were exceeding the legal limit; their problem was that they were exceeding the speed limit at which they could safely operate their vehicle.
You know, i'd like a dollar for every time I heard that excuse. Sorry, but you have a half baked theory of superior driving abilities, I have the end result of such. Delude away though !!
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What is with the Australians thinking they have the foggiest clue about what happens on the highways in the States? Speed limits here are set artificially low to enhance local revenues. The limits have nothing to do with safety.
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Originally posted by Gixer
My girlfriend is a cop, I don't think I'm as uninformed as you on current technology that the police use currently or have coming up. Your information is only what you read on the net in reviews, or some sales guy has told you..
That's for the personal insults, new level even for you.
...-Gixer
Wow you can get blow-up-cop dolls now?
Given I've owned, and been protected by this equipment for many years now I'd say I've got good knowledge of how well it does or doesn't work.
Police training does NOT include Laser technologies, or electronics such as radar frequencies.
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Speed laws in the US have little to do with safety. It's all about revenue.
Ayup.
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Originally posted by baders
Here's a novel thought..............ever considered sticking to the speed limit ?? It even has the added bonus of saving lives !! Go figure :rolleyes:
I've been a part of Emergency Services for 20 years & i've seen the results of speeding.............again & again & again.
Keep deluding yourselves guys, & Spook, Gixers girlfriend & myself will keep picking up the pieces.
Heres another novel thought!
Before I got my laser jammer I got ticketed for doing 118km/h in a 100km/h zone. Problem was the cop did me at 475m, the bare limit on the handheld range range for a LIDAR gun. I wasn't doing 118km/h, but the Holden Commodore coming up behind me was. He was also attempting to laser me between trucks and other traffic crossing his line of sight.
Cops story? ... "you were the only vehicle on the road at the time". Figure that one out... given it was 8:20am on the Wellington motoryway.
At the same time a friend of mine in Auckland told me how he got laser'd by a cop up there doing 120km/h, he changed lanes getting ready to pull over, pulling in front of a large truck. Well the cop sped passed, missed him completely, he comes around the corner and sees the cop with a car indentical to his (burgandy honda accord) pulled over).
I put my $$$ out for the laser jammer not to speed but to drive without being harassed by the road-nazi's. Its revenue gathering, nothing more nothing less.
If the NZ Police and NZ Government were really interested in road safety they'd fix the crap roads we have.
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Originally posted by baders
Here's a novel thought..............ever considered sticking to the speed limit ?? It even has the added bonus of saving lives !! Go figure :rolleyes:
I've been a part of Emergency Services for 20 years & i've seen the results of speeding.............again & again & again.
Keep deluding yourselves guys, & Spook, Gixers girlfriend & myself will keep picking up the pieces.
Its hard to do the speed limit when every other car on that road are going 15mph over the speed limit. Then a cop turns onto the road and finds the one in the back the easiest to pull.
Radar detectors cant replace common sense but are good when coming around a curve where a cop is waiting in a hidden entrance (or some drive hard to see). Im sure a radar detector might give more insentitive to drive slow (depending on the driver) if it goes off a few false times.
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Conversation topic: The presence of law enforcement is a road condition. The radar detector is just a tool for determining it in some cases.
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Originally posted by FUNKED1
What is with the Australians thinking they have the foggiest clue about what happens on the highways in the States? Speed limits here are set artificially low to enhance local revenues. The limits have nothing to do with safety.
Road Trauma is the same wherever you go, its got nothing to do with our knowledge of US Police practices. More to do with observing the end result of drivers with "bullet proof" qualities such as many here.
Lets just hope that Spooks equivalent in the US does not come knocking on your door one day with a tragic message for your wife or girlfriend ehh ??
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Originally posted by baders
Road Trauma is the same wherever you go, its got nothing to do with our knowledge of US Police practices. More to do with observing the end result of drivers with "bullet proof" qualities such as many here.
Lets just hope that Spooks equivalent in the US does not come knocking on your door one day with a tragic message for your wife or girlfriend ehh ??
For every road death caused solely by excessive speed in NZ in the last 12 months I can point to 4 others caused by bad roads, bad driving habits, or lack of attention to the road - none of which neither the NZ government or NZ police are doing anything about.
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Originally posted by Vulcan
For every road death caused solely by excessive speed in NZ in the last 12 months I can point to 4 others caused by bad roads, bad driving habits, or lack of attention to the road - none of which neither the NZ government or NZ police are doing anything about.
Excessive speed on public roads is bad driving, where's the difference?
Speeding on public roads is a cheap thrill. If you really want to speed and have fun take it to the track. 100 times better,far more challanging and more rewarding. Any monkey can drive a car/bike in a straight line and say wow look I'm doing 140kph.
Vulcan spend a couple evenings with the traffic police and you'd change your opinion completely. 20kph over a speed limit dosn't sound much but it is when you go to pick up the pieces.
...-Gixer
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Originally posted by Vulcan
Wow you can get blow-up-cop dolls now?
Yes, maybe you could trade in your blow-up sheep for one, I think they sell them in Wellington too.
...-Gixer
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Baders do you really think I am risking my life driving 60 mph in a 45 mph zone on a deserted (no houses, no businesses, nothing), flat, straight, road, where I can see for a 1/4 mile in any direction?
The road I described is where the local gendarmes seem to spend most of their radar enforcement efforts. By sheer coincidence it happens to be the road that Silicon Valley commuters use to bypass the city.
This road would be safe with a 75 mph limit. Instead they put a 45 mph limit on it. The ridiculous limit and the radar officers are there not for safety, but purely to collect revenue from out-of-towners who are using "their" road.
Multiply this situation times a million and you will have some idea of how speed enforcement works in the USA, and why most of us show utter disdain for speed laws.
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Originally posted by Gixer
Excessive speed on public roads is bad driving, where's the difference?
Speeding on public roads is a cheap thrill. If you really want to speed and have fun take it to the track. 100 times better,far more challanging and more rewarding. Any monkey can drive a car/bike in a straight line and say wow look I'm doing 140kph.
Vulcan spend a couple evenings with the traffic police and you'd change your opinion completely. 20kph over a speed limit dosn't sound much but it is when you go to pick up the pieces.
...-Gixer
bad driving doesn't have to mean fast driving. Get over yourself.
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Originally posted by FUNKED1
Baders do you really think I am risking my life driving 60 mph in a 45 mph zone on a deserted (no houses, no businesses, nothing), flat, straight, road, where I can see for a 1/4 mile in any direction?
Yes I do think that. Many is the time when we would say to ourselves "how the hell could this crash happen ??" Yet they do.
I'm out of that side of things now, gone into marine rescue & glad of it. I'd seen enough.
How about you go down to your local Emergency Service people & ask THEM what its really like, maybe go for a ride with them.
Vulcan, you better do the same.
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Originally posted by baders
Yes I do think that. Many is the time when we would say to ourselves "how the hell could this crash happen ??" Yet they do.
I'm out of that side of things now, gone into marine rescue & glad of it. I'd seen enough.
How about you go down to your local Emergency Service people & ask THEM what its really like, maybe go for a ride with them.
Vulcan, you better do the same.
Why? whats your point?
Why don't you and Gixer get off your little soap boxes and take some literacy lessons you pair of uneducated neanderthals.
Where do I state I speed in this thread?
Where do I advocate speeding in this thread?
I didn't. First I noted I was ticketed whilst travelling within the speed limit. Second I noted that our government is more interested in the revenue gathering than actually get the road toll down.
I live on the most notorious road in our country for accidents for 5 years. Every weekend I heard the ambulances, fire engines, helicopters go buy. And guess what ... those accidents were NOT the result of speeding, those accidents where the result of poor road designs and people not watching what they're doing.
So what did our glorious road-nazi's do to fix this stretch of road? The dropped the speed limit from 100km/h to 80km/h and put a fixed speed camera in. Well guess what, a 80km/h headon collision (net 160km/h) is gonna have this many more survivors than a 100km/h (net 200km/h) headon: 0, NIL, nada, zip.
What did they achieve from this exercise... revenue.
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and again, check out the links I posted. More accidents have as a listed cause someone going considerably under the speed limit than someone going over the limit.
Of the top of my head, there are four ways an accident can occur:
A) Mechanical/Operator failure
B) Road Hazard
C) loss of control (Failure to stay on the road)
D) Other automobiles.
A-C) all involve speed, but the speed is different for each vehicle. There's no way one of your road trains has the same mechanical and maneuverability characteristics as funked's WRX.
D) on the other hand, is reduced by generally homogeonous speeds. The shear between a high-speed vehicle and a low-speed one is extremely dangerous. I can't speak for Australia, but from what I've seen in continental Europe, the shear (120 mph cars braking for 50 mph trucks) is much greater than in the US; coincidentally they have a much higher fatality rate per mile driven.
In the US, you get situations where every car is going between 5 and 20 mph over the limit, and cops sit around and pick off people at random. Does it contribute to road safety? No. Is it safer to drive at the speed limit? No. Doing so would only increasae the shear and the chances for vehicle-on-vehicle crashes.
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Baders, I have law enforcement and emergency room and EMT personnel in the family, so you don't have to scare me with horror stories. I've heard all the nasty stories, seen tons of accident site photos, and had people close to me in horrible accidents. I know what happens to meat in a car crash.
But with all due respect, you only view accidents after they already happened, and my understanding is that your training is medical not technical, so I would not put much stock in your assessments of accident causes.
Speed increases the amount of kinetic energy available to damage occupants in an accident, but it doesn't really make an accident more probable. There are many other factors to consider as others in this thread have noted.
In any case, the whole point of automobile travel is to get from point A to point B in timely fashion. Risk of death or serious injury may increase as speed of travel increases. But obviously the risk is acceptable in light of the time saved - or else we would walk everywhere. It's really of question of how much risk are you willing to take on in return for reduced travel time.
For my part, I keep my speed low enough so that travel is sufficiently safe for me. I don't have accidents that have anything to do with speed. I don't even get close to having accidents that have anything to do with speed. If the safe speed is higher than the speed limit, then I am going to violate that limit when circumstances allow.
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One word Autobahn
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PS
I have been in 5 accidents in ~18 years of driving.
Three took place at less than 5 mph. Reversing, pulling out of a parking space, etc. Two were my fault, but there was no damage in one case and only minor damage in the other case.
The other two accidents took place at ZERO mph. In both cases I had stopped my car (either for a stop light or stopped traffic) and the person behind me failed to brake in a timely fashion. Neither driver was speeding.
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Originally posted by Vulcan
Why? whats your point?
Why don't you and Gixer get off your little soap boxes and take some literacy lessons you pair of uneducated neanderthals.
So what did our glorious road-nazi's do to fix this stretch of road?
Vulcan,
Your attitude and comments are immature. Discussion about radar detectors turns into a rave and personal insults. Leaving you as the only neanderthal.
...-Gixer
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Originally posted by Vulcan
Why? whats your point?
Why don't you and Gixer get off your little soap boxes and take some literacy lessons you pair of uneducated neanderthals.
Whatever dude..............just trying to introduce the very real result of speeding is all, you know, another perspective from EM Services side of things. No need to get abusive.
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I worked in Emergency Response for over 10 years, as a Tow Truck Driver. I have seen & cleaned up more fatal accidents then I care to remember.
With that said, I want to say that a bad driver is a bad driver whether or not they choose to use a radar detector. The same goes for good drivers.
SA is key. For me, where I live (between SF & Sacramento) the type of radar I can expect to come accross depends on where I'm driving. Inside the city limits of any of the towns in my area, you will find an extremely active revenue generating force of motorcycle cops armed with Radar. The cops in my town used to use on/off guns which I thought were tuff to detect. They just recently switched to a solid mounted unit which they can use while in motion.
The CHP uses Lidar on I-80 in my area, but not very often at all. Most speed enforcement on I-80 between SF & Nevada is done by Visual, Either from cops hiding at onramps, or by aircraft(very very very popular east of Sac). The CHP uses Radar on rural hiways, but interstate enforcement is mostly Mk 1 eyeball.
I agree that radar is more commonly used to generate revenue than to promote safety. I am a very safe driver, I use a detector, it has saved me a couple times, Its a Bel. I dont get alot of false alarms, & it picks up my local motor patrol well before my eyes do.
When driving on the highways I forget I have it, use my training & trust my instinct. If it goes off while im on the highway, I still slow down to find out why ;)
Anton
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I don't own a radar detector,but this thread is interesting to say the least.
I did a google search on blocking speed cameras and found this.Some interesting videos in the link,from news stations and one from Tech TV.
Edit:Couldn't get the link with the news reports to work.
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Originally posted by Gixer
Vulcan,
Your attitude and comments are immature. Discussion about radar detectors turns into a rave and personal insults. Leaving you as the only neanderthal.
...-Gixer
Well thats what happens when people like you regurgitate rubbish you hear without putting any thought into things. You wandered into this thread, mouthed off about something you have no experience with, then changed the topic to acuse those who do know what they're talking about of being speeders and endangering lives etc.
Immature is wanting to whip out a soapbox on topics you don't have a clue about.
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Originally posted by Gixer
Vulcan,
Your attitude and comments are immature. Discussion about radar detectors turns into a rave and personal insults. Leaving you as the only neanderthal.
...-Gixer
Well thats what happens when people like you regurgitate rubbish you hear without putting any thought into things. You wandered into this thread, mouthed off about something you have no experience with, then changed the topic to acuse those who do know what they're talking about of being speeders and endangering lives etc.
Immature is wanting to whip out a soapbox on topics you don't have a clue about.
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Originally posted by baders
Whatever dude..............just trying to introduce the very real result of speeding is all, you know, another perspective from EM Services side of things. No need to get abusive.
Yeah well maybe you should actually read what people are writing instead of taking a soapbox trip on the BBS.