Are police radar detectors in a car worth it?

SurpriZe@lemm.ee to Asklemmy@lemmy.ml – -3 points –

I'm planning to go on a long trip around the country where speed limits are ridiculously low, even on highways, and that's all the road police care about (even the slightest of speed-limit infringements) and was wondering if a radar/speeding-camera detector would be worth it.

Can't use Waze or anything like that because these apps don't have enough data on Southeast Asia (Vietnam specifically).

If they are at all reliable, how much should I expect to spend on the one that wouldn't get me in trouble?

Do they work as well at night as during the day?

And is there anything else I should know about them?

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Here's an idea: Maybe just drive speed limit.

Some places may have speed traps, so it may just be a way for the police/local government to make quick money.

Drive the speed limit, it's there for a reason. Don't be so selfish.

Are you sure they use radar in your country? Here the police used lasers. They do not set off detectors.

But then I did see auto-shops sell speed-radar detectors. I'm just not sure if it's worth it.

Have you done much driving in Vietnam?

If you're screaming up and down the highway from Hanoi to ho chi Minh then maybe worth it.

Otherwise IDK how it could be worth it? You can't drive fast at all on city streets et cetera in Vietnam.

Also what is the fine? I've always found the fines in SEA to be pocket change.

Thanks for the info.

I definitely do not plan to speed within cities, that's for sure!

It's just for country roads, which is where I've been caught going 85 km/h on a deserted highway with a 80 km/h speed limit. It was a ridiculous situation where they refused the bribe and almost made me lose my driver's license.

Also, I wouldn't call it pocket change as the average bribe would be costlier than (or at least the same as) your average speed radar detector in the local auto shops. I've just never owned one and was wondering if it's a sham.

Could it be that you look like a wealthy foreigner?

I've never paid more than $10USD either "street side" or at the police station anywhere in SEA.

I know police tend to get itchy palms around special holidays and so on.

As others have mentioned, you need to be sure your device will detect what the po po are using. Some "police radars" are Lidar / laser. Australia has been using these for 20 years. Undetectable basically.

Even radar, you'll only detect them if they're sending active pings. A hand-held "gun" will only do that when they pull the trigger so to speak.

Perhaps you're right. I don't think I'm particularly wealthy looking, but I for sure don't have the negotiating skills when it comes to law. What do you usually tell them?

I think if you're a foreigner in a car you're "wealthy looking".

I'm not a particularly skilled negotiator either. I usually just say "I'm on my way to x and I'm going to be late". Then they will say "oh ok, did you want to pay the fine here?".

Ridiculous situation?

Are you referring to this post?

It feels like you're not mentioning something in this post. Either way.. Don't speed in the country either

It's the cameras on the road catching you, not radar. Just pay attention to the routes you drive and avoiding speeding around those cameras.

I live in Vietnam too and I've never not been able to bribe the police for any traffic violation. No matter what you did and no matter what fine they demand, offer 200k. 200k no matter what. They might make you sweat it for a few minutes, but 200k will get you on your way and you won't lose your bike.

I've lived here seven years btw. Where are you living?

I just tried converting that to euro to have a better frame of reference for your 200k. Are those really equivalent to about 8 Euro or did I make a mistake with the conversion?

I'm driving a car. Bikes are of course easy to bribe with. I live in Nghe An.

Ohhh ya... Car is a different story, they know, or at least think you've got money...

That somehow depends on what "the country" is you are driving in.

Vietnam. Can't use Waze here I'm afraid.

(I'm assuming US) a radar detector is definitely worth imo. It practically pays for itself if it prevents a speeding ticket at least once, but the main thing to keep in mind is that it will only pick up cops that are actively trying to detect speed. Meaning, you should still be on the look out for cops on the road and not to confuse it with a "cop detector". And a lot of times, it picks up other noise (toll booths, random security systems, etc) -- it takes a little while to get used to differentiating false positives.

But after a while, it becomes kind of like another sense available that you can use as you drive to know when/where you need to slow down. And if anything, it's peace of mind too. You'd honestly be surprised by how many cops you pass on the road that aren't actually tracking your speed (these by the way won't show up on the radar detector because the cop isn't actively radaring you). As long as you slow down and don't give them any reason, you should be okay.

As per cost, I'd budget around $500 to $700. I found this one to be quite good: https://store.valentine1.com/Store/item.asp?i=20020

Edit: (to answer the night/day question) time of day makes zero difference in a radar detector because science. It's the same level of effectiveness throughout the day. Just make sure it has a clear view to the front and back windows and you should be all set.

Given so many nannys on this thread, this is a fantastically helpful (if not relevant to the OP post).

In the States I've actually found Waze to meet most of my needs.

Thanks for the suggestion.

I'm in Vietnam by the way. Would you say there isn't such a thing as a cheap radar detector? Got not more than 50-80usd to spend.

Poor assumption on my part. As for cheaper alternatives, I don't know any off hand but I'd imagine you'd have to do the tuning yourself (for better or for worse) which means your false positives will vary.