Passive Radar/Laser Detectors
Discussion
I know that these are going to become illegal soon, but assuming you acquired one of these devices and concealed it in the car inside the dashboard or panelling, is there really any way the police would know you are using one?
Do they give off any tell-tale signals like a TV does or are they truly stealthy?
Do they give off any tell-tale signals like a TV does or are they truly stealthy?
They're entirely passive. Hide the sensor and theres no way of detecting it other than making sure its turned on (of course you've wired it to a hidden switch), and pointing a radar emitting device at the front end of the car.
Look at it this way though - how many times have you been pulled?
Look at it this way though - how many times have you been pulled?
lunarscope said:
Completely-legal garage door openers are the way to go.
Except they're not. Using one leaves you open to "Obstructing a Police Officer Pursuing His Duty" (ish words) or the much more serious "Attempting to Pervert The Course Of Justice" - which carries the possibility of a seven year custodial sentence.
Anyone thinking of installing such a thing should read the Speed Trap Bible. www.ukspeedtraps.co.uk and click on Laser Jammers.
Remember these speed guns may be attached to video cameras. They'll have a picture of your car, a "--|--" reading on the gun and your registration plate.
Cars have been impounded.
Personally I would not risk using such a device. A laser warning may or may not help you. If it reflects off the car in front you'll get a warning and time to slow. If it hits you you're nicked. So it improves your chances of avoiding a ticket.
IMO this is worth it. And, even though radar/laser detectors are to be made illegal, since they cannot be detected (unlike the jammers) I'd go ahead and use one.
I have an Origin B2 with a laser detector on it. If they do become illegal do you think it will be acceptable to disconnect the laser part and keep it out of the car as then you are only using the passive GPS part. What really annoys me is I am sure that the government will not compensate people if they make these things illegal, as they are not cheap!
parrot of doom said:
They're entirely passive. Hide the sensor and theres no way of detecting it other than making sure its turned on (of course you've wired it to a hidden switch), and pointing a radar emitting device at the front end of the car.
Look at it this way though - how many times have you been pulled?
Not quite true, radar detectors can emit low levels of RF. In the US the police have equipement to detect this, and the selling feature of some detectors was the low radiated field.
www.radarbusters.com/support/speedlabs-2004/radar-detector-detectors.asp
Don said:
Remember these speed guns may be attached to video cameras. They'll have a picture of your car, a "--|--" reading on the gun and your registration plate.
Which on its own, is entirely worthless in court.
They'd have to find the device as well...
I am toying with the idea of fitting one on the new car. Cooperman wrote a marvellous piece about Jammers a while back. Loads of good advice in there.
Plotloss said:
They'd have to find the device as well...
Read the story on UK speedtraps...before you make up your mind to have one or not.
Bloke drives by a trap - not speeding. Laser Jammer goes off, though.
A few days later cops turn up at his house at some unearthly hour with a low-loader and drag the car off.
Perverting the course of justice charge.
Steve's advice is now to remove the device a.s.a.p. if it goes off and hide it very thoroughly...
Clearly this depends on whether or not they can be bothered, whether or not not getting a reading is deemed suspicious or not etc etc. But one could be unlucky and end up facing a charge a LOT more serious than doing 85 on the motorway!
Don said:
They'd have to find the device as well...
Read the story on UK speedtraps...before you make up your mind to have one or not.
Bloke drives by a trap - not speeding. Laser Jammer goes off, though.
A few days later cops turn up at his house at some unearthly hour with a low-loader and drag the car off.
Perverting the course of justice charge.
Steve's advice is now to remove the device a.s.a.p. if it goes off and hide it very thoroughly...
Clearly this depends on whether or not they can be bothered, whether or not not getting a reading is deemed suspicious or not etc etc. But one could be unlucky and end up facing a charge a LOT more serious than doing 85 on the motorway!
If you do it right the old bill turn up at the registered office of the limited company registered as the keeper. This would be your accountant's office and he would refer them to your trading address. Of course, he would phone you to tell you the old bill had been around. You would then remove the jammer before they ever got near the car.The advantages of having a car registered to a limited company are in its traceability. Of course, one would never deliberately hide the identity of the driver (would one?!), but for someone with, say, 6 points, it is attractive to start a small limited company with a accommodation address and register the cars to that company. When 'push comes to shove' and the heat is on to identify the driver, you just put the company into liquidation, pass all the company paperwork to the accountants and refer any enquiries to that accountant who, in liquidation, is responsible for all records and paperwork under the companies act.
The day before liquidation you re-register the keeper to a new limited company.
It may seem complicated, but if a ban would be expensive for you, then this is an excellent countermeasure. They would not be able to lay the prosecution papers before a court within the 6 month period, even if you did end up having to admit to being the driver.
Don said:
They'd have to find the device as well...
Read the story on UK speedtraps...before you make up your mind to have one or not.
Bloke drives by a trap - not speeding. Laser Jammer goes off, though.
A few days later cops turn up at his house at some unearthly hour with a low-loader and drag the car off.
Perverting the course of justice charge.
Steve's advice is now to remove the device a.s.a.p. if it goes off and hide it very thoroughly...
Clearly this depends on whether or not they can be bothered, whether or not not getting a reading is deemed suspicious or not etc etc. But one could be unlucky and end up facing a charge a LOT more serious than doing 85 on the motorway!
Fortunately the new car has a nice mesh grill on the front that it can be mounted behind.
Just put me arm up underneath and remove the jammer from its wiring harness after any journey where you think it may have been effective...
Alternatively register the car to your holiday home...
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