Scott!

I see that the dictatorship - oops sorry - government is looking at passing a law to make Radar Detectors illegal again..


Would be interesting to know their reasoning for this, other than loss of revenue as I reckon everyone should have them as they are a safety device..

As we know ALL cameras are placed at accident blackspots or where there is a dangerous area.. so if a Radar Detector gives you 400yds notice of said camera surely it is giving 400yds notice of a dangerous section of road, enabling people to adust there road awareness accordingling....


What do you reckon?


Scott!

hooksin

I replied to a previous thread regarding detectors, I STILL havn't bought one as I couldn't make my mind up between Valentine 1 or Laser Jammer....or BOTH would be nice.

When I hear that the government are banning them again, they I think they MUST work so I definetly want one.
What make me laugh is that whatever gadgets government introduce, someone immediatly invents something that will detect them all.
I mean who BUYS software any more....same principle...MSoft give trial versions, someone write an .exe for it....GREAT isn't it??

Nick

HunterB

I wouldn't recommend any jammer product for the simple reason that the Plice ain't stupid. If they target you and their equipment fails to read or gives a ridiculous reading, they're going to pull you to find out why. Then you're in deep doos for perverting the course of justice.

Valentine 1 seems to get the best ratings anywhere for detecting Gatsos, etc. Nothing will beat a laser targetted at you, although you might be lucky if your detector picks up any stray harmonics reflected from another targetted vehicle before you're targetted. Nothing will pick up Truvelos either because they don't use radar or laser, although the Morpheous Geodesy uses GPS technology to warn you of any camera sites loaded in its database. Nothing picks up mobile Plice using Vascar or any other time/distance device.

There's no substitute for vigilance. You pays your money ....

AWD

I thought that radar jammers have always been illegal. Detectors were made legal a year or so ago as they are passive devices, but anything that jams or alters radar signals has always been illegal.

hooksin

HunterB -

If nothings beats the Laser stuff, inc vascar, then why are they thinking of banning them again??
Where did you get your info from...a reliable source?

hooksin

[QUOTE]Originally posted by hooksin:
[B]HunterB -

If nothings beats the Laser stuff, inc vascar, then why are they thinking of banning them again??
Where did you get your info from...a reliable source?

AWD - they are illegal.....don't you want one then??

Scott!

I think I read it iin the Auto Express article on Radar Detectors last week..

Scott!

Andy-D

There was alot of information in Auto Express last week on detectors, including reviews of the models and the whole issue of speeding laws in the UK.
I can confirm and agree with Auto Express that the detectors DO NOT detect VASCAR. I bought the one they recommended (Bel 980) and two days later , obviously according to 'SODS' law, got pulled by an Impreza police car that had the VASCAR system. The detector picked nothing up and I received an SP30.
It does pick up Gatso cameras and gives you plenty of warning with the cameras suspended above the M25.
After having used it for a while now I have to agree with Scott. It has actually made me drive slower (although receiving an SP30 has also done this ) and I really slow down when a gatso is detected, thus helping the cameras serve their purpose even more.

I'll keep using it and wait to see if their deemed illegal, if so I'll probably continue to use it anyway.

HunterB

hooksin,

The Government currently gets a minimum of 40 pounds every time someone gets done for speeding. This is soon to go up to 60 pounds under current proposals. If you were in Government, wouldn't you want to ban ANYTHING that might get in the way of this kind of revenue generation? Correct, and they will. Control freaks control - that's what they do.

Laser speed detection devices - laws of physics prevail. The operator (Mr Pliceman) will often be standing on a motorway bridge, and often dressed in black (ref the M40) so as not to distract motorists . He will acquire his target at a distance of anything up to half a mile using a telescopic sight not unlike those used on high-powered rifles. He will aim at your number plate. The laser pulse will travel from his device to your car and back again at the speed of light (that's even faster than you can hit the brakes even if your laser detector detected it) and you're nicked . Photograph of your vehicle obtained, with the number plate and your face in the frame. Also, the spread of the laser beam at a distance of half a mile is only about four inches so, if the operator is aiming at your number plate, your dash-mounted laser detector won't be in the beam pattern so will probably stay quiet.

VASCAR doesn't use any emitting device - the operator presses a button when you pass a particular spot and again when you pass another spot which is a known distance away. It's a simple mathematical operation to work our how fast you're travelling from the time taken to travel a known distance. The in-car VASCAR computer will have the result on display before Mr Pliceman stops you to have a word.

Speak to any traffic officer - he'll be absolutely delighted to show you the range of devices that he has at his disposal to catch speeding motorists. I'd call that a reliable source.

Take care out there.

Brian

hooksin

HunterB -
thanks for the post,
in ref to laser devices, I was led to believe that laser jammers are mounted in your number plate, 1 either side and detect the laser as just before it hits, thus sending a jamming signal to confuse Mr Plod's laser gun. This obviously happens at the speed of light (much the same as my cars 0-60 times).
Agreed that the detectors are no-good against laser guns.

Yes....I know all about VASCAR (shouldn't have included that one in the previous post...oops), I got a 6 month ban due to good ol vascar. Clocked @104 in a 70 limit, it was 2 years ago mind & havn't been done since...in reflection I don't drive as fast as I used to...getting on a bit you know.

cheers
Nick

Stuart H

The Queens Divisional Court Judgement dated 27/01/1998 makes it clear that the use of radar detectors is <B>NOT</B> unlawful.

In the past it has been alleged that use of radar detectors was contrary to s5(b)(i) of the Wireless & Telegraphy Act 1949 (amended by s3 of the Post Office Act 1969) but these sections deal with the interception of wireless communications with the intention of obtaining information concerning the content of a message or the address of the sender etc. So that is a non-starter.

The other way that it was looked at was if the apparatus required a license, but that is also a non-starter as under the Wireless Telegraphy Apparatus (Receivers)(Exemption) Regulations (SI 1989 No123) radar detectors and similar instruments are exempt from licensing regulations.

So there we are, radar detectors are legal. But having tested all the major ones at work I'd hang onto your money as most of them are totally useless. Its also worth noting that no model will work if you have a heated windscreen.

The legality of laser jammers is less clear. There are no laws against transmitting light and there are no laws about their ownership or use. However, all but one of the models I've seen send the guns crazy and a warning comes on that the system has been jammed. I am aware of cases where people have been charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice after they've been caught using these things.

Its also worth remembering that (as has already been pointed out) these things do not detect VASCAR or SPECS.

Radar Jammers are <B>VERY VERY</B> illegal as, amongst other things, they can cause the instruments on aircraft to malfunction and cause them to loose control (you get away with the speeding ticket but not from the 747 that hits you ). They also don't work on GATSO's.

Sorry for all the heavy legal junk at this time on a Saturday!


[This message has been edited by Stuart H (edited 21 October 2000).]

hooksin

Stuart - sounds like a "thread closer" to me....
No doubt there will be a new gadget in a month or so anyway that will detect everything...even my wifes bad moods

SimonH

Very little (ie. none) danger of a Radar Jammer causing any problems with an aircraft's instrumentation and even less chance (ie. er, less than none) of it causing control to be lost.
Not that I'm condoning their use of course.