Frank@home

Plse forgive if I'm being redundant, but I want to enjoy my new car FAST. How does one avoid "instant on" by the smokies? My Escort wasn't worth the plastic it was made of when I got "shot" shortly after getting my new 3 series coupe on an otherwise lovely 4th of July weekend outing in '98. I've been reluctant to let loose ever since.

MichaelC

sorry for the potentially stupid and unhelpful answer but i dont think you can avoid instant on radar. i have a v1 and when my buddy took over on a recent roadtrip and thought the radar was a license to speed, he was zapped within 10 minutes by laser and ticketed. the v1 did go off but it was already too late.

how to avoid tickets? always try to follow someone and stay in the right lane whenever possible. there. my unhelpful answer

another phil a.

Give the guy an eighth of a mile or so. I also watch out for blind rises and sweeping corners on the highway. A detector is limited protection against instant-on. Better detectors can pick up radar "scatter" from other targets more effectively, but a clever officer can minimize this scatter effect. Instant-on can be deadly!

Frank C@work

Thanks to all. It's pretty much as I suspected - follow a bear catcher and let them pull the cops out of hiding and don't speed with limited sight distance (where bears can hide). I will save the money on a detector and treat myself to a couple of good detailings instead. If anybody feels differently please respond.

another phil a.

from the post. A bug perhaps ?

Frank C@work

Funny I knew what you meant!

phred

you've got to be close enough to see the readout on his detector, which means you're too close to stop in time if he gets a hit and nails the brakes.

It's a risky way to do it. Better to spend the dough and get your own Valentine/Escort.

another phil a.

If I see one set or more of brake lights on the highway, I assume it is either because the vehicle is avoiding an obstacle or a cop. Both are reasons to pay closer attention to what is going on ahead.

Rick Foster

The "follow-the-sucker-ahead" ploy doesn't work so well when a cop is zooming up from behind. A Valentine detector, however, will generally give you lots of warning in this situation.

Also, the Valentine detector does a nice job of identifying _where_ the radar is coming from (by indicating ahead, then abreast, then behind). It can help you figure out if the source is actually a cop or a convenience store, for example.

Overall, I think a good detector is well worth the money.

another phil a.

But there is no substitute for some common sense, and paying attention to what other drivers are doing around you.