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Comment by ebbv | Hacker News Reader

This is OK advice except for the bit about don't use detectors. Quality detectors like the Valentine 1 will save you from tickets.

Yes, burst radars are very common these days and won't show up unless someone ahead of you gets lit up, but guess what? Unless you're alone on the freeway, there's a pretty solid chance someone ahead of you is gonna get lit up before you do and it will give you a warning to slow down.

I drove with a V1 for years and it saved me from many, many tickets. (I didn't get a single one the entire time I owned one.)

My point being; radar detectors are useful tools. It can be a worthwhile investment if you buy a good one and know how to make use of it.

(For anyone wondering, I sold my V1 to a friend when I decided the german sports car phase of my life was over.)

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Remote detectors have the double advantages of stealth and better positioning of components.

Bel Pro RX75 Plus off the internet for a few hundred bucks and installing it was as easy as running a few wires.

Radar under the fiberglass hood at the very front of the vehicle, it's away from everything ferrous, LIDAR receivers|emitters in both front fascia vents and on the rear license plate frame further concealed by a generic-looking custom frame.

The display cannot be seen from any angle unless you slouch like a gangster in the driver seat. There's absolutely no trace, no cheezy over-stretched coil from the visor down that can be seen from Nevada.

Might upgrade to BEL STi-R Plus.

I agree with you in the radar detector front, definitely beneficial. Where I live, with my detector, cops seem to just leave their radar on at all times, rather than targeting single drivers. My detector lights up 1/4 before I can even see the cop. Has saved me multiple times.

They're illegal in a nearby state however, and a cop can pull you over if they see a detector on your dashboard.

Keep an eye out on state or local laws of course, with any bit of advice.

Legality: http://www.radarbusters.com/radar-detectors/stateradardetect...

More importantly, a cop seeing a detector will often pull you over for the fun of "gotcha." Being HN, here's proof. My ex uni roommate is on CHP in Martinez. Copy & paste from iMessage: "LOL, definitely" Mostly, it's cop psychology is really all that makes the difference between getting hassled and not.

I guess I'd argue that if you can avoid the tickets without the detector through sufficient awareness and caution, why not save the money?

It's like, if you can avoid crashing through sufficient awareness and caution, why not save the money and avoid insurance? There's a risk <-> cost trade-off here, and on one side is higher risk lower cost and on the other side is lower risk higher cost.

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