(submitted by a radar jammer customer)

Introduction  |  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  6  |  7

My 7th Mistake: I used my jammer as a radar detector only

At least the jammer was still a functional radar detector. Good radar detectors like my old Escort and Passport had provided adequate coverage all those years before the "scrambler."

I decided to keep the jammer in the car and use it as a radar detector , just not expect it to scramble anything. Mistake number seven, $76 fine.

Cruising down a country highway, in Apple County again, I passed from a 60 zone into a 50 zone, and Pop, another ticket. The 302 warned me only when the oncoming trooper was about 700 feet away, not before.

The trooper told me he clocks every oncoming car, and that it's a common practice. I know there were cars within a mile in front of me, because they had passed me moments before. Their radar detectors obviously worked much better than radar "jammer."

The Claim
The claim in radio commercials and in online and automotive magazine ads, that the radar jammer dealers and manufactures are so confident in their product's effectiveness, that they include a free one year ticket rebate program, in which will pay any ticket you receive for one full year.

The Catch
The catch is that so many restrictions apply with their "No more tickets rebate" you will never get a dime. Even if are lucky enough to meet all the obligations in their fine print, you will only get $100.00 back from your $300.00 purchase.

The Experts Speak
I went back online to the web to look again for independent test reports on any Radar Jammer products, and I found plenty this time.

Reputable sources agree with my experience - that the Radar Jammer devices are worthless for jamming, and inferior for detecting, either radar or laser.

Why are these companies still in business? Because people are gullible, myself not the least among them. Law enforcement is never going to go after these companies, because they are doing them a favor.

Don't make the same shopping mistakes I made. Every reliable report I can find says Passive radar/laser detector/scramblers do not work, and I totally agree.

What's the Answer?
Now that I have three tickets on my record, I've decided my only radar defense is to drive within the speed limit, but even that's not a sure thing.

My experience with certain officers and courts have shown me that the law is in their hands. You might have a great detector, you might have the ultimate jammer, you might even drive the speed limit. But if they decide you're speeding, it's your word against theirs, and you'll be paying a fine.

As one attorney told me, "the judge always assumes the defendant's testimony is self-serving, and disregards it." Another said of Apple County District Court, "The case is decided when the ticket is written."

Whatever happened to that ultimate weapon of speeding drivers, the CB radio? It was so simple -- an ad hoc community of drivers anonymously helping each other -- and so effective!

Risk Rises with Speed
One other note before we part... Safety is used as a justification for enforcing with radar, but speed traps are usually positioned on mundane stretches of open road across the USA.

Why?

Too many drivers slow down in dangerous areas, leaving the cops with no one to stop, which hurts revenues. Thus the absence of a speed trap is not a sign that it's safe to drive fast.

Even at the speed limit, we drivers are responsible for our own safety. At higher speeds, the risk goes up, and the responsibility does not go down.

Have fun, and watch out for yourself.