I was reading the posts about which is the best radar detector and I was going to post my answer (the Valentine 1) but when I thought about it, I hardly ever use mine anymore.

Between myself and two friends, I've lived with the Escort, Passport, Bell and V1. All are good -- the V1's the best in my opinion and it did save me many times -- but having said that, in my humble opinion your best defense when speeding is to use your head and eyes... many people are nailed by cops pacing you with no radar.

Plus I drive a lot in the city and I get too annoyed by constant false alarms so I tend to use my V1 only on trips outside of the city.

Anyway, here are my speeding tips:

Watch for cars speeding up behind you/ pacing you, and at night make sure you know what the headlights (of whatever police cars are used in your location) look like. Watch unmarked cars for tell-tale antennaes etc.

Let a rabbit (another guy) speed in front of you.

Watch for rises in the road, or gentle curves (sweepers) where people speed but can't see what's around the curve / rise -- two choice places for speedtraps... also watch it on the opposite side of overpasses -- cover your brake (without applying it) when smoking through those places.


And finally, watch cars way up ahead for brake lights going off all at the same time.

In my last car, I was smokin' it down the highway (not stupidly, but definitely faster than the flow of traffic) when an M3 came up fast behind me -- I sped up and was going to change lanes and let him pass but I saw brake lights going off way up ahead just over a rise in the road... so I let off the gas and slowed down and the M3 started flashing his highbeams at me, riding my tail very close.

Finally we came up over the rise in the road and sure enough Smokey was there with radar on a tripod and a couple cars pulled over.

After we passed the bacon stand, the M3 pulled up along side me and the guy waved and mouthed the words "THANK YOU"...

Whenever I relate that story, people always say, "Man, you should have moved over and let him pass you!!"
LOL, yeah, I should have...


2004 G35C 6MT + Nav, Silverstone

 

ACK! I TOTALLY would've let that guy pass. But it's b/c I'm sadistic. Great post and here are some good links I found (Thanks Maxim Magazine!). One actually lists Red Light Cameras in your area, the other lists speed traps on Interstate Highways. Check them out!

http://www.beartraps.com
http://www.speedtrap.org

Live in the MD/DC/PA/VA area?
PM me to join the Capital G club!!!

 

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr>

Avoiding speeding tickets without a radar detector

<hr></blockquote>

Don't speed.

"I'm not saying you're full of BS, per se" - Zimbo



-JustICE

 

Those are good tips. I got a V1 mainly to remind myself not to speed. The two tickets I've gotten are both from lack of attention, meaning that I didn't even know I was speeding. I figured that a radar detector should at least help remind me to keep my speed in check. And since I was going to buy a detector, I might as well buy the best.
But yeah, I agree that the best defense against speeding tickets is to not speed.

<font color=purple>2004 G35 Coupe Diamond Graphite/Graphite 5AT</font color=purple>
Premium, Nav., 18" Wheels, Z-Xtreme Hyper Grounding Cables,
K&N filter, Clear Corners, 350Z Aluminum Pedals,
Sony Ericsson HCB-30

 

Great post. Very good and helpful info. I have the Escort 8500. So far it have been great, It has saved my a$$ on numerous occasions. But, like yourself, you also have to use your common sense and not put all your trust into a radar detecter. In my area the State Police use radar the most, while county Police mostly pace cars.

"Not all G35 owners are G35 Drivers"
2004 G35 Coupe 6MT-BS/BLK | Full Aero-Navi | Gounding Wires | Clear Corners | 35% Tint | 350Z Tube | JWT PopCharger | Passport 8500 |

 

Quote"Don't speed."

Can't argue with that advice.
But in my neck of the woods, almost everyone speeds... so the way to avoid a ticket is simply to go with the flow. In fact, the irony is that the few people who do drive the actual speed limit tend to pose a danger by not respecting the passing lane, so if you get a few of these drivers bottling things up then everyone else gets frustrated and start passing on the right... pretty soon you've got slow drivers in both lanes creating a "moving chicane".

The thing is also that the highways are engineered to allow much higher speeds than those posted, and today's cars are engineered to handle that... so the limiting factor is probably human error more than anything else... and most people will drive within the limits they feel safe at -- hence everyone speeds a bit. So even thought you're totally right and we shouldn't speed, sometimes it's easier said than done! ;-)

2004 G35C 6MT + Nav, Silverstone

 

I watch my rear view mirror; alot. Look for a change in behavior with the cars behind you. Is there a widening gap between you and the cars around you with another group of cars behind? Is the fast lane open but nobody is coming up it? Could be because CHP is back there somehwere and now everyone feels compelled to drive 55 in a 65.

 

You know I always wondered why they dont put a governor on everyones car set to the maximum speed limit. No I personally don't want this but I am curious why it isn't done.

"I'm not saying you're full of BS, per se" - Zimbo



-JustICE

 

Because putting a governor on everyones cars would suck.......a lot.

 

...one other - look up! No no not all the time, because then your neck would get sore, and oh yea - you would crash.

But when speeding along an empty interstate on a flat road, don't think you're alone. At least in the midwest, every once in a while you'll notice a nice thick white line painted across the highway. This is so those pesky helicopters above can pace you, and if you reach the next white line too quickly, guess what? Next entrance/exit ramp there'll be a cop waitin for ya.

- 03 Bril. Slvr Coupe, Aero & Wheel Pkg -

 

I've always find myself NEVER speeding on normal roads and especially residential roads, there's just no point and it can be dangerous. But with that said, i can't hold myself back from pushing the pedal down a little harder than i should on Highways. Bad habit, but this car is too much fun!

2003 white G35 Coupe
Mods: Pro 1- Intake and exhaust, tanabe springs, 19" ROH Drift R wheels

 

Because governing people's cars would cost the city a lot of money. They want you to speed so they can give you tickets. What, did you think they really cared about your safety?

 

if you're following a rabbit, and both of you pass a cop on the side of the highway, wouldn't he just nab the one closest to him? i'm curious because i always do that on the highway.

cb/graphite g35c - fully loaded
jwt pop charger - 350z tube

 

That's probably true but you never know. If I were a cop and I saw two people speeding the same (and I couldn't radio in to get both) I'd probably pull over the one I disliked more [img]/w3timages/icons/tongue.gif[/img] I'd probably single out the ricers.

Live in the MD/DC/PA/VA area?
PM me to join the Capital G club!!!