Evasion Devices
There are plenty of gadgets out there that claim to help you get away with speeding. Most of them don't work!!! But some do.
GPS Systems - The best option for fixed speedtrap warnings. This system knows where you are an compares your position with a built in database, most can be updated via a modem or internet. You get a consistent warning every time.
Gadget for the dashboard... Yes ....Ticket saver ......Yes.
Radar Detectors - Don't rely on all of these, well not all of them. The better ones such as the Bel 990 and Valentine One can give you a good warning on Gatso's
The way a detector works is it picks up a radar signal that might bounce off another car close to you. Automatic Doors, Traffic lights and Temporary Traffic lights also set off these units along with other innocent devices. If the police target you first, you're caught, because then you have no advance warning to slow down. If you're going to get one, make sure it has VG-2 detector detection. A VG-2 radar can sense if the targeted vehicle is using a radar detector, and police love to pick on people with one! Learn to understand the unit, they can save you if you think about things, learning about the vocabulary of the burglar alarms, traffic light sensors and all that. If you pay attention even the lower cost units could save you. An important note, Radar Detectors do not work through Heated Windscreens, Nor do they Pick up traps like VASCAR, DS2, Speedmaster and alike, They are only good for RADAR signals.
Gadget for the dashboard... Yes ....Ticket saver ......Yes.
Laser Detectors - These are absolutely worthless. There's almost no reflection of a laser beam, so the only way a laser detector will go off is if you're the target, its too late then. They pretty much just tell you that you've been caught. Some manufactures claim 360-degree coverage, what about door pillars blocking the laser light etc.
Gadget for the dashboard... Yes ....Ticket saver......No
Radar Jammers - These work, well sort of, if you are a distance away from the Speed trap you may have enough strength in your signal to jam the trap, but as you get closer it's another story. Read on.....
There are two different kinds of Jammer, active and passive. Active Jammers are illegal in some countries, they beam back garbage to the radar receiver. A passive jammer is running constantly and basically scrambles the radar signal so the police get either an erroneous reading or no reading.
Be warned, radar guns and Gatso's can punch through most jamming at ranges of 150 feet or less.
I spoke recently to a salesman selling the Rocky Mountain Radar unit called, Sprit II he confirmed that he would not speed past a Gatso with one of these units in his car, he didn't trust it to do th1e job at a distance of less than 150ft. So would you spend £250 notes on it... I think not.
Gadget for the dashboard... Yes ....Ticket saver......Not a chance...
Laser Jammers - These use invisible IR. beams that break up the laser beam by interfering with the frequencies that the beam uses. They reduce the likelihood of a laser locking onto you by a pretty large margin. Most of the systems sold at the moment give you a warning that the jammer is working while it blocks the signal, some models give only 5 seconds to slow, others like the Blinder jam for as long as a laser is fired at them, giving plenty of time to slow down.
Gadget for the dashboard... Yes ....Ticket saver ......Yes.
GATSO Proof ' Number Plate Protectors. - Well some work well and some don't, There are several types on the market.. the Flash buster Type which has a highly reflective backing and letters that have the same reflective properties as the back don't work well, if at all. I have heard that the police can still read the letters and numbers, this is not totally confirmed though, but at between £50 & £80 for the plates I would want a guarantee that they worked.
Another type is from 'ON TRACK', they seam to work in the following way, Photo radar operates at known angles to the direction of traffic flow. Using a passive, state-of-the-art light-bending lens, the camera is unable to identify your vehicle because of the angle of the plate in relation to the Gatso. A 5-minute installation is all that is required and at less than £40 it could be a good buy. I have tried one and yes they do work.
Are they legal? Well, that's a bit of a grey area, the number plate is still completely readable from straight on, but you could get prosecuted for Perverting the Course of Justice, so one officer told me. They also have the technology to process the picture to get the VRN information if needed, but we could not see how.
Gadget for defence... Yes/no... Ticket saver..... Yes / Possibly