Qs rules for speeding with or without a detector.

The issue is people think they can just drop a detector in their car and not do anything else. "Speeding" requires many things on your end to be done "properly". There are many ways to protect yourself even without a detector.

1. Awareness. You need to keep your head on a swivel (should be doing this anyway). Always checking sides of the road, behind you for the motorcycle or Crown Vic. And suspect ANY Crown Vic. ChP has been using unmarked white ones and are very hard to spot. Keep an eye out for the kind of cars in your area, know them.

2. Slow down. Take it easy when you can't be sure. Just don't set the cruise for 90mph and fall asleep. If you cannot be sure about vehicles behind you or epsecially when you enter an area that is a known speed trap, slow down! At least go the speed of traffic.

3. Lane choice. Middle lanes are best. People think cops are only looking at the left lane. Actually they look at all lanes but find it easiest to nab people in the left (fast) lane and the far most right lane (next to to where they are sitting). Lots of speeders weave and bob in and out of the right most lane and cops know this. The ones on static patrol will actually be zapping people in the right most lane.




4. Terrain. Be aware of the terrain. Even the best detector is going to have issues with line of sight. You crest a hill and WAM you're hit with instant on or laser. This goes back to step "2". When you can't be sure, slow down. Coming around a blind bend in the road? Slow down, even if your detector is silent. This happens far too often to people.


5. Learn your areas speedtraps. You don't need expensive GPS detectors for this. Just learn where the police sit. They often shift around a couple common spots. Yes this mean you won't be able to go balls-out on your journey. You need to slow down at those common locations, pass them safely, then return to cruising speed. Again, don't just rely on the dectector.

I have not used a radar detector on city streets in years and I am speed freak! I've only ever gotten caught once and that was because I was ignoring all the above rules plus doing other things no one should ever be doing on the highway. And I thank the officer for giving me a huge pass. He knew what I was doing and that it was not just a blatant defile of safety and laws.

The only time I find detectors useful are at night and on long trips. It has saved me many times on trips from LA to Vegas (usually done at night). Mainly from other cars being hit first and the detector alerts me. Or police that run with their radars ON all the time. This is when it helps because at night it is difficult to maintain the above rules.

Drive safe and speed with care. No one should be doing 100mph on the roads ever. Not in a city center especially. Save that for the open stretches of lonely highways.