For drivers of a certain age, there was often a two-sided argument when we began driving without our parents: either we were going to speed and get caught, or we were going to get a radar detector. While the radar detector industry has undoubtedly suffered a downturn, they are still remarkably popular for daily commuters nationwide. That’s why we at Avondale Nissan decided to do a little homework, and why we’re here with some radar detector questions and answers for our friends in the Phoenix area.
Radar Detector Questions and Answers
Are they even legal? The short answer is, Yeah, mostly. The longer answer is, they are a legal to own and operate in all states except for Virginia and the District of Columbia, as well as on military bases and in commercial vehicles over 10,000 pounds. (To sniff out users of radar detectors in VA and DC, cops actually have radar detector detectors.) Additionally, two states — California and Minnesota — don’t allow any devices to be attached to a windshield either.
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Do they work? They do, to a degree. However, the addition of crash mitigation technology — which is available on Nissan models and which uses K-band radar — means that many cheaper radar detectors pick up every car that has a blind spot warning or what have you. Another development in recent years is that cops now use low-power digital radar guns, which usually have a longer range and are harder to detect. That’s why newer radar detectors are, by and large, much more expensive than they once were.
How expensive are we talking? The best radar detectors, which feature stealth capabilities, laser jammers and high-grade filtering, can cost over $3,000. Meanwhile, a few less expensive (and capable) models run around $300.
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Is there a better option? There are a few social apps that can alert you to speed traps and alerts, and the most popular (and arguably the best) of these is called Waze. It’s available on iPhone and Android, and it’s free to download. There are others such as Escort Live that integrate with different radar detectors, and they offer sharable information as well.
Did this help to answer some of your questions regarding radar detectors? We hope so, and hope that you’ll come see us soon at Avondale Nissan!