Radar, Laser Detectors

A radar detector is an electronic device used by motorists to determine if their speed is being monitored. more...

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The term originates from early speed-detection technologies, in which police bounced a radio wave off a moving vehicle with a device called a radar gun that determined the vehicle's speed by the Doppler-effect-moderated change in the wave's frequency. Most of today's radar detectors detect signals across a variety of wavelength bands - usually X, K, and Ka bands (and Ku, in Europe, also recently approved for use in the U.S).

Newer speed-detection technology uses pulsed laser light (LIDAR, commonly referred to as laser detection) rather than radio waves. Modern "radar detectors" have been adapted to suit that technology, by detecting the infrared light emitted by these new detection methods. LIDAR detection is not nearly as reliable as the detection of radar, since the light is much more focused and often aimed below the windscreen level, where the detector is usually mounted. (The reflective coating of the vehicle licence plate is an excellent laser beam reflector.)

There are many products that are advertised to claim to "scramble" or "absorb" radar; many of these scrambler devices do not work at all, and if they do work, it is by emitting an active radar scrambling pulse, which makes the device illegal to operate under in many jurisdictions. There are also LIDAR jammers that are currently legal throughout most of the US, some Canadian provinces and other countries. LIDAR jammers, like police lidar guns are regulated by the FDA for eye safety as Class I devices. They operate on the principle of destructive interference to "jam" most LIDAR guns in most circumstances.

Despite the advent of LIDAR speed detection, radar remains more prevalent for several reasons, not the least of which are the lower costs of radar (although some insurance companies supply laser guns to police departments for free) and total amount of radar equipment in historical service. Popularity of LIDAR speed detection is on the rise, though, as costs decline and ease of operability approach radar; existing radar guns reach their end-of-service life; and they are rotated out of service replaced with newer technology. LIDAR also has the advantage of being able to be used in higher traffic density areas (ie; crowded multi-lane highways of major cities) where conventional radar guns have trouble isolating a single vehicle's speed.

Popular radar detector brands include Beltronics, Cobra, Escort, K40, Valentine One, and Whistler.

Radar detectors have often been criticized on the grounds that they encourage the breaking of traffic laws.

Areas where illegal

In some countries and areas, such as those listed below, using or possessing a radar detector is declared illegal and may result in fines, seizure of the device, or both. Generally these prohibitions are introduced under the premise that a radar detector driver will pose a greater risk of accident than a driver who does not. Not all research agrees with that premise, such as the 2001 Mori report which suggested that radar detector users on average posed a 28% less risk of accident and also traveled far more miles.

Read more at Wikipedia.org