Radar detectors or locators are electronic gadgets which are used by motorists to detect radars used by police or law enforcement to check whether the speed of the vehicle is under the limit. Since speeding has been a major concern for most countries, police use radars to monitor vehicles speed.
To prevent themselves from getting ticketed for speeding, people use radar locators so that they can decrease their vehicle’s speed at the right time. However, if you talk about their legality in terms of usage, they are completely banned in certain countries, and in case authorities find you using any radar detector, it may result in seizure of your device, paying the penalty, or both.
Radar detectors are highly demanded by people driving their vehicle for long distances as they need to make it to their destination in relatively less time, without overlooking or violating traffic norms. Some radar detectors even use GPS technology that allows users to store locations manually where they can be monitored by police or law enforcement.
Is it illegal to have a radar detector in your car?
The use of radar detectors is strictly prohibited in some countries. Further, these devices are allowed to be used in all non-commercial vehicles, but if you talk about commercial vehicles such as trucks, their usage is restricted.
Type of Radar Detectors
Radar detectors can be classified in the following 3 categories, which are as follows:
1. Corded
Corded detectors have the best detection range as compared to their other counterparts. One can easily place it on their windshield by suction cups. However, since they are mounted on the windshield, they are at a high risk of falling off, and the cord can be a cause of distraction for the driver at the time of driving, if not attached correctly.
2. Cordless
As the name suggests, these radar detectors do not use any cord. These can be used anywhere in the vehicles and offer the same range as corded detectors. From the safety perspective, these detectors gain upper hand as they cannot cause any distraction to the driver.
3. Remote mount
Remote mount radar detectors can be permanently fixed in your vehicle. However, few people believe that they do not offer the same range as their aforementioned counterparts do. Also, since these models are discrete, they are almost undetectable by thieves.
Now that you know different types of radar detectors, you can decide for yourself which one you may need for your vehicle. However, before buying one, make sure you pay heed to the features of these detectors such as compatibility with your phone, alerts (visual or voice) laser detection, mode, GPS tagging, etc. In the end, irrespective of the type of device you choose, what is more important is, you drive safely.
