GPS-based detector sales to soar
GPS detector makers will cash in, one such predicts
A maker of GPS-based scamera warning devices reckons up to half a million motorists could face prosecution this spring. That's when a ban on radar and laser-based devices comes into force.
As a result, vendors of GPS devices such as Morpheous' RoadPilot are set to cash in big time, according to one such vendor. They believe that when the detector-banning Road Safety Bill becomes law, motorists previously undecided which type of warning device to buy will plump for GPS.
According to the makers of Cyclops, a GPS-based in-car warning system (above), the market for in-car driver aides has exploded during the past 18 months as the number of fixed speed cameras jumped to well over 5,000. During 2004, an estimated three million fixed penalty fines were issued, with thousands losing their licences in the process. Cyclops "conservatively estimates" that the number of vehicles carrying laser or radar detectors stands at over 500,000 today.
Despite the impending ban on the ‘use and carriage’ of these detector systems, Cyclops anticipates the Government’s plan will actually fuel the market for the safer GPS based alert systems.
"The ban on laser detectors is now pretty clear to the industry", said Cyclops' Steve Wreford. "However, clarification of the changes in the law for drivers will ‘unlock’ significant demand from consumers who have, up until now, been unsure of the legality of the different systems on the market."
With a maximum of six points for motorists caught exceeding the limit by a large amount speeding -- for example 45mph in a 30mph zone -- some could lose their licence in just two offences under the new legislation. This, said Wreford, will further stimulate the market for GPS systems even more.
"Sales of GPS driver aides will soar during the second half of the year," said Wreford. "Before now, the average motorist has tended to shy away from making a purchase fearful of buying a potentially illegal unit. That will change, and for stockists that could mean a doubling or trebling of annual sales by 2006."
Wreford likens the impending boom to the satellite navigation market. "Five years ago, it was labelled a luxury item. Today, it generates 500,000 sales annually as more and more people see the benefit. There is no reason why GPS driver safety devices won’t go the same way as road safety camera sites increase over the next few years."
All sorts too, businessmen in their Mercs, school run mums in their MPV's the lot.
It just goes to show that everyone, not just petrolheads, view the speed camera explosion as a plague...
First of all, how will the Old Bill know you have a radar detector? The hardly ever use hand-held radar any more and the only other radar devices are the Gatsos. When did you last see a pursuit car at a Gatso site?
Laser detectors are virtually useless anyway as when you get the warning you've usually been 'clocked' already. How will plod know you have one and, more important, how interested will they be in knowing that you will know that you've been clocked after the event?
The laser jammers, which are what this legislation is primarily aimed at, are another matter. The latest ones will tell you that they have jammed a hostile laser, but that won't mean you've been caught unless there is a pursuit vehicle at the laser-camera location, which rather defeats the object of the camera somewhat. If you do get the warning that you've just jammed a laser, then take out the unit before plod can come and check your vehicle. Better still if the vehicle is registered to a company, as they will first have to visit the company, then you'll know to temporarily remove the jammer unit.
You speed, it's illegal. So if you are prepared to offend against motoring law, why would you be worried about offending against this new law in respect of detectors?
v8thunder said:
Problem with the GPS systems is that, by satellite you know where everything is, but so does whoever has access to the satellite. I wonder sometimes whether the government let people keep their GPS scamera detectors to see if anyone's speeding in lieu of tracking devices and ultimately speed control.
This isn't quite the case. GPS recievers do not transmit your position anywhere. Tracking systems that do use SMS messages to transmit the coordinates.
Me - I'm going to buy a radar/laser detector before its illegal to sell them.
Just goes to show how ignorant politicians are about real facts and how focused they are on personal power and aggrandizement.
The 'use and carriage' aspect no doubt makes this a much more serious and easily prosecutable crime than, say, burglary, fraud, MPs fiddling expenses claims, illegal wars - no matter how potentially desirable they may be, and beating people senseless in the street.
Personally I am inclined to support 24hr drinking solely on the basis that it should keep so many BiB busy full time (and provide another source of overtime for them) that we motorists might just get a bit of a break.
How many people do you see using mobile phones? Lots... And that's far more obvious then a little piece of electronics in your car.
They'll soon get fed up of stopping people with mobiles and PDAs that look like they could be jammers/detectors.
A pox on Tony the Liar and all his ill-informed minstrels.
james_j said:As a byproduct of receiving the radar signal, the detector has to generate radio frequencies, very low level admitidly but still detectable
jammers chaps, not detectors.
Laser detectors don't jam anything.
Radar detectors CAN emit a superhet frequency which can cause radio interference. That's whats being banned.
Are you sure about detector emissions? I'm sure they receive only.
From what I have read on here this proves to be enough of a deterant to most people going down to France for Le Mans remove who them from their cars before leaving home. So I guess that this proves to an extent that some kind of ban would stop people using them (depending on how it is enforced and what the penalty is).
For using your phone in your car you currently only get a £30 fine. Not a big deal, but if the police were going to confiscate £400 worth of kit and give me a large fine I'd think twice.
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