Planet 9

I had escort 8500 x50 for few months but only clocked a cop once, and given that I don't speed all that much I just gave it away... My impression was that they either don't have radars any more, or use lasers, or both... for some reason I kept driving by one cop after another without a beep.

Do you have any experiences with laser shifters around PA and NJ? Do you know if lidars are used often? Any stats you know of with regard to breakdown of conventional radar vs lidar equipment available to cops in these states?

thanks!

Lidar is getting more and more popular. In my opinion, using any detector without active lidar countermeasures will only increase your chances of getting a ticket as they will only provide you with false confidence. I am routinely saved from lidar traps by my Escort SRX.

I would recommend either an Escort 9500i + ZR4 or a new 9500ci.

I'm short on time right now, but I will provide more info later.

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Gator Bite
PCA Cayman Register Advocate

Thanks Gator, 9500ci is the one I was looking at... As far as confidence.. I don't think I'll ever get my confidence back after I got ticketed by a cop who confessed he didn't have a radar (or lidar), but was pretty certain I was speeding..
That's one of the things I never understood about radars, law and detectors - if they see you, say, speeding about 90 in 55, but don't clock you for whatever reason - will they just wave you "nice car..", and not do anything? Do they have to show you a proof that they have your "number" ?

This is a myth. They don't have to show you anything, and asking to see the gun is essentially the same thing as calling the officer a liar, which is likely to have a less than desirable affect on his/her attitude.

An officer can write you a ticket without radar or lidar backup, but in court they are almost always dismissed if you fight them and ask the right questions. They don't stick well.

The 9500ci just started shipping, and Escorts last day of sponsorship is today. We are discussing renewal with them and hope to test this new product soon. Sit tight.

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Gator Bite
PCA Cayman Register Advocate

Watch "Speeders" some time on TrueTV if you get that channels. Its virtually all laser.

In Pennsylvania most local cops are not allowed to use lidar or radar. There is a state law stating that only police dept. with X amount of officers are allowed to use it. This has limited use to the State Troopers, Philadelphia and some other larger cities in PA.

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FREE SPEECH FOR ALL

2007 Cayman S
2008 Cayenne Turbo
2002 Carrera Cab
1995 993 The track car
1984 944 The former track car

former

2004 Cayenne S

reeeeeeeeeealy... I'm in Bucks... so that answers it. Thanks catchacab!

Holy cr*p. I drove to Philly and back yesterday from Connecticut. I took my Cayman S on this 350 mile round trip. Anyway, the NJ State police were handing out tickets as if they could achieve world peace by doing so. My God, I was half wondering if they were getting a commission or something.

I must have seen at least 10 cars being ticketed on the side of the road. After the first 2, I adjusted my speed to 9 MPH over the limit and activated the cruise. No sense tempting fate like that. After that, I saw 3 traps that were targetting me, but no tickets.

Too bad for that guy in the Cayenne S who went screaming by me after exit 6. I had the displeasure of going by him later as he was being ticketed.

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Gator Bite
PCA Cayman Register Advocate

I have a friend who is a local chief of police, he told me that the state of PA has given out grants to local law enforcement for speed control, in PA the local cops use a timing between two points and they also have a device that looks like a realestate lawn sign that emits two light beams that is reflected back to determine speed

__________________
FREE SPEECH FOR ALL

2007 Cayman S
2008 Cayenne Turbo
2002 Carrera Cab
1995 993 The track car
1984 944 The former track car

former

2004 Cayenne S

Hmm.. so if you blast by one on the back road, how will they know how fast you were going? Just a guess?

I don't know a thing about Pennsylvania laws. However, I am a cop in Florida. Befoe joining the force I always used a radar/laser detector. Now I wouid not recommend wasting your money on them.
I keep my radar or laser on standby until I spot the car I want to target. When I activitate the unit I have instant confirmatin of the speed and by the time your radar/laser unit responds I have locked in your speed.
In my mind only lazzy cops leave the unit on all of the time.

Instant on radar and lidar are todays biggest threat to drivers in regard to speeding tickets. But they are not impossible to detect and avoid.

Instant on radar - Like you said, by the time the warning tone reaches the drivers ear drum, the officer is reading their speed. No reaction time. BUT, todays better detectors are extremely sensitive. The new Escort 9500ci can detect K band up to 10 miles away. Ka band up to 2 miles away. Chances are, there is a car 2-10 miles ahead of you that the instant on officer has targeted.

An experienced radar detector user knows not to be the 'first car in the pack' and can hear instant on radar in use from miles away (pun intended).

If you don't let yourself be 'first in pack' you can also count on the motorist ahead stepping on their brakes. It's a human guarantee. Ever seen a cop on the side of the road where there is a traffic jam? I've seen cars doing 25 mph in a 55 all step on their brakes because they are going by a cop. The same happens up ahead when the pack ahead of you sees the cop (assuming he's visible).


Lidar - Instant on by nature, and the lidar beam is very narrow so you are very unlikely to pick it up if it's being shot at a car up the road. BUT, products like the Escort ZR3, ZR4, SRX and 9500ci are very good at making your car invisible to the lidar gun. Because Lidar is used in short range, the officer only gets one or two chances at capturing a car's speed. Approx 33% of the time the trigger is pulled geographic conditions cause an error, so not being able to get a speed is no surprise to an officer.

I'm speaking from experience. My SRX has saved me sooooo many times from so many Lidar traps that I am a very firm believer in these systems. I have gone cooking through some surprise lidar traps WAY above the posted limit without ever being stopped. It's amazing.

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Gator Bite
PCA Cayman Register Advocate

The system is named VASCAR. The white lines you see painted all over the roads in PA are timing lines. They time you going through the lines. If your speed is greater than 10 mph over the limit, then they ticket you. If your speed is not greater than 10 mph over the limit they (by PA law) are not supposed to even pull you over (doesn't mean they won't, but the ticket will not hold up in court if you cite the right cases to them). VASCAR is inaccurate and relatively easy to fight.

If there are no white lines and they pull you over, then chances are they're just guessing that you're speeding.

General advice when pulled over is not to get verbal with the cop - ask what they problem is, take the ticket if they give it, make lots of notes around the circumstances, then move on. Do not be memorable at the stop.

Look at your ticket. On the ticket it will tell you the law that was broken, i.e. speeding, the clocked speed and the method of determination. Without those details any ticket is going to get thrown out if you let it go to court. The onus is on them to prove that you were speeding, without proof they have no case. If you get lippy during the traffic stop, then they'll just ticket you for something else and that will be harder to get out of.

Here's a link that is useful if you ever get pulled over by a VASCAR trap.

Ticketed for Speeding: Problems with VASCAR

Huh.. interesting... thank you Wellardmac.

You're welcome!