i have a snooper radar detector and a tom tom Sat nav... i use both, the sat nav for an accurate indication of current speed and i also use it to alert me of speed camera sites that are coming up and the radar detector to highlight any potential cameras and ' speed traps'- it also is a method of alerting me in areas i dont know.... but not necessarily for speed traps but for junctions, intersections and similar, alot of intersections and major junctions, or crossings and similar now have enforcement cameras and my snooper will pick these up approx 1/4 of a mile in advance, so you as a driver can be prepared for these. the snooper is also great for understanding why some drivers do the erratic driving ahead of you as they all frantically break to slow down as they approach the impending camera !- the snooper alerts me well in advance and you can check and if needed modify your speed well inadvance so as to drvie safely and smoothly.....
the latest generation of radar detectors are very very efficient, they will pick up bounced back laser, radar and k band signals, both front and rear, admittedly they are far more accurate on forward facing laser and radar signals....
i dont drive at excessive speeds, i dont drive like a total nutter as many seem to do now, ( my old diesel wont let me either ! ) and in 20 years of driving i have only once been 'done' some years ago for doing 34 in a 30 zone and got 3 points and a fine for it....i notified my insurance company of my misdemeanour and as i had several vehicles my policy premiums rose, the total increase on my policy premiums were over £200...
this is when i was bought the snooper by my wife...financially it was no brainer,if it prevented another stop at 34 in a 30 zone then its paid for itself !
i totally accept travelling at 34 was in excess of the speed limit which was 30, the road was clear, dry, the conditions and visability were good, its not in a residential area but a rural one, but the location is coming towards a T junction and the junction is just before the limit goes from 30mph back up to 60.... i was not overly familiar with the area then but i have travelled that stretch of road before, the camera was concealed within a van which was parked up in a field entrance parallel with the road, it was not marked up as a camera van or a roads safety partnership van, the van had roof rack and stuff and looked like a typical builders van...
the camera was in the van and the police cars which were marked were waiting approx 1 mile ahead in the layby- so i passed the van at 34 and approx 1 mile later i was flagged down and done by the officer.....it was a fair cop...
whilst the officer told me what i had done the other officers were pulling in other unsuspecting drivers, one after another,
there were 9 officers present and the motorists where lined up to get their telling off and their paperwork and fine.....this was in my opinion nothing more than a revenue generating excercise... its not an accident hotspot but the van was placed just before the limit reverts back to 60 so drivers were likely to be looking ahead and maybe increasing speed....
i paid my fine and i guess so did about 20 other drivers -( i estimate there were approx 20 drivers stopped during the 10 minutes i was being spoken to by the boys in blue)
since then any bleep from the satnav or the radar detector and i do a double check on the speedo and then anticipate anything that may be coming up ahead- the snooper is great for alerting you to any intersection or junction that may be ahead before you can easily see it too so its like an early warning system...
anyway i dont ocndone speeding, it is a crime, i dont use my radar detector in france where they're illegal but i use it everyday here in the UK,
the police force who did use the unmarked van no longer use ' builders' type vans now and there was alot of negative press at the time about them being sneaky and doing it....
if the police can do this IMHO to raise revenue then us joe public can use radar detectors and satnavs to counter this cash cow idea !
