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Radar Detectors

Mon, 2004-02-02 01:00 — DriveSmartBC

Radar Detector

Sometimes the simplest questions can make you think. I was asked if radar detectors were legal in British Columbia by a work experience student I had taken out on patrol. The answer is, yes, they are.

The student paused to think this through. Speeding is illegal was the next observation. Yes, that's true also.

So, it's not OK to speed, but it is OK to have a radar detector. Isn't that like telling drivers it's OK to speed as long as you don't get caught?

What do you say now? ICBC and other traffic safety concerns spend millions of dollars in advertising telling us that speed kills and that we need to slow down and follow the speed limits. On the other hand, anyone can install a device in their vehicle with the sole purpose of evading the consequences of willfully disobeying the speed limit.

Some Canadian provinces outlaw possession of a radar detector in vehicles. In France, you are not only charged for having one but your vehicle is seized as well. Few other countries allow radar detectors, why do we?

Reference:

IIHS Special Report on Speeding

Comments

Thu, 2009-04-09 00:29 — carguy

The answer is an easy one -

The answer is an easy one - human rights.

I recall reading comments from a judge in the US. The reasoning went something like this: "If the state places citizens under electronic surveillance without a warrant, it can hardly object when those citizens want to know when they are being monitored." I believe that the evidence in the case revealed that the police officer was using radar to check the speed of all cars passing by, not just the ones where he had reasonable and probable grounds to suspect speeding.

Citizens of socialist countries like France (and Canada) are often too happy to give up freedom for a little bit of perceived security. It really comes down to where you stand on the matter of personal freedom and limiting the power of the state.

And it's not that radar detectors are used for the "sole purpose of evading the consequences of willfully disobeying the speed limit." There are US municipalities that are very candid about hiring police officers, giving them radar units, and telling them to go and generate revenue to balance the city budget. A tiny mistake, like coasting down a hill slightly above an artificially low speed limit, can result in an expensive ticket if a police officer's motivation is money. A radar detector can provide a reminder to a law-abiding motorist to check his speed. It seems that some Canadian municipalities are getting in the on the act too.

FWIW, I suspect that radar detectors, even the best ones, are not terribly strong protection for people who enjoy high speed driving. Radar technology is more sophisticated than it used to be, and there are probably too many curves and hills in BC for a detector to provide much warning in most cases. Lidar (laser) detectors seem to be pretty much hopeless; they only give a warning after the police officer has clocked your speed!