Laser Detectors - What You Need to Know
Laser detectors are used to detect the presence of a police laser gun, which are commonly used throughout the US and Europe as a deterrent to potential speeders, as well as to generate revenue. The right detector will allow you to drive the way you like, and at the same time relieve the headache of costly speeding tickets.
Police are increasing their use of laser speed detecting technology, which works by transmitting a series of light pulses, whereupon the difference in speed between these pulses and a reflection (your car) is used to calculate speed. These lasers generally determine the speed of your vehicle from about 1000 feet away, and a good laser detector will sense the laser from about 1.5 miles away. This may sound like a large distance, but if you're going fast, and your detector goes off, you should slow down right away.
Unlike radar, it's easier for a laser detector to spot police lasers the farther away you are from the source, rather than closer. This means that you will want a quality detector, with a fair amount of range. There are combined radar/laser detectors on the market for as little as ten dollars, up to 400 dollars, and beyond. You are investing in the opportunity to avoid speeding tickets and hassle, and spending a bit more for quality may well be worth it. But this doesn't mean you can't get a quality product for a reasonable amount of money.
Although its use is continually on the rise, laser speed detection is still a costly enterprise. Because of this, many police still use traditional radar technology. It's not nearly as effective or precise as laser technology, but it seems to get the job done. Because of this you may want to consider a combination radar/laser detector, rather than one or the other.
Several factors can decrease or increase the effectiveness of laser detectors. These include where and how the detector is mounted, the darkness of tint on your vehicle's windows, as well as the quality of the my guide on best laser tag gun that is being used. Many people like to mount their detector on the dashboard, although this makes it quite conspicuous, and in some states radar and laser detectors are illegal. If you do happen to be pulled over with one, you could receive a ticket for this, along with speeding. Another mounting option is on the visor. This can make it easy to see warning lights going off, and also easy to remove if there does happen to be a police officer behind you. Obviously, the detector needs to be in a place where it has a clear path to the windshield, making it as effective as possible at tracking the light pulses being transmitted by police laser guns.
If much of your driving is done on highways or large multi-lane roads, and you are often in a hurry to get where you're going, a laser detector will be a great investment for your car, as well as your peace of mind. The stationary speed cameras that are more and more often being implemented on these roads usually rely on laser technology to determine speeds, and wouldn't it be nice to know where to take it easy, and when it's okay to fly?