How to Avoid Speed Traps

Nothing is worse than sailing along the highway, only to be pulled over and ticketed for speeding. By locating speed traps before you travel, you can avoid this expensive experience, which can also waste a lot of your valuable time.

Difficulty: Moderately challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Maps
• Radar Detectors
• Car Insurance
• Maps

1. Do the obvious: Don't speed. Note posted speed limits and be especially careful when coming down hills or rounding curves where speed traps may be located.

2. Familiarize yourself with the maximum speed limits in all the states you'll be visiting (see the Summary of State Speed Laws available at nhtsa.dot.gov). Speed limits vary from state to state and knowing them could save you a ticket.

3. Get on the The Speed Trap Exchange website (speedtrap.org) and find all the speed traps along your route. Take the list with you on your trip.

4. Buy a radar detector. It will warn you of an upcoming radar device, giving you time to slow down before you're clocked. Expect to pay between $200 and $500 for a radar detector.

Tips & Warnings

• By federal law, radar detectors are illegal in commercial vehicles (such as trucks) in all states. Radar "jammers" are also illegal in all states.
• Some law enforcement agencies use both laser and lidar to catch speeders. The latter is especially difficult to avoid.
• No detector can save you from the consequences of speeding, although it may help by allowing you to detect radar or a laser before they detect you.
• This information is not intended to encourage you to exceed speed limits or to otherwise break the law.

[radardetectors]

on 8/9/2009 check out this great radar detector review.

http://www.radars.com.au/best-radar-detector.php

[mrjameswells]

on 7/18/2007 screw that just use pigradar.com

[Jezzamcbezza]

on 10/26/2006 There is a huge variance in the quality of radar detectors. Do your research, there's lots of bogus claims out there. As mentioned above, radar jammers (if they are active) are illegal in all states with huge penalties for getting caught with one. Passive radar jammers (they don't transmit, they only "reflect") are about as effective at jamming radar as having a tissue box sitting on your dash. Have a read about the bogus jammers at http://www.delonixradar.com.au/FAQ.html#Q12 or check out the video proof on radar roy's site where on two seprate occasions a news crew did a study with these type of products and found them to fail 100% of the time.

Laser jammers on the other hand do work, and are only banned in Minnesota, California and Utah.

on 8/8/2006 Never speed through residential areas. It's just plain stupid. People, especially kids, may be out on the street on run in front of your vehicle unexpectedly. If you're pressed for time, don't make it up until you're out on more open roads.

Also, radar guns operate by wide angle sound waves. Turning on your windshield wipers will do nothing other than make you look even dumber once you've been pulled over. Same goes for putting tinfoil in your hubcaps and hanging a CD from your mirror -- short of using a jamming device, which is illegal, there is nothing you can do to "mess up" a police radar gun. Your best bet is to slow down as quickly as possible and hope that you didn't get tagged yet.

on 8/8/2006 Do not fall into a sense of false security by following or passing a larger vehicle, such as an eighteen wheeler. By the press of a button the officer can lock the speed of a smaller car, even if it is beside a slower large truck.