If you have a generous soul, and a friend of yours is having trouble with speeding tickets, you might want to consider buying them a laser radar detector as a gift. This isn’t a cheap gift but is a very useful one. And if they are a really good friend they may allow you to borrow it for that trip through Ohio. Traveling these days requires a fairly detailed knowledge of local law enforcement. A detector takes some of the pressure off.
For The Long-Distance Traveler
If your friend spends a lot of time on the interstate you need to take that into consideration. A top-of-the-line detector would be in order here. A detector with good long range performance is usually one of the more expensive ones. It might also be a good idea to check out the performance of the detector when the threat is to the rear. If the recipient of the gift is traveling through states that outlaw detectors, and there are more of them every day, he will need a detector that is invisible to the devices used by the police to spot them. Most high-end detectors have this capability. The other thing to be considered is jamming police radar and laser guns. There are a couple of units on the market that have this feature built in. If your budget can stretch that far they would make superior gifts.
For The Local Driver
If your friend does most of his driving on local streets, in built up areas, you need a detector with a high level of discrimination. Many drivers in cities and built-up suburbs won’t use a detector because of the interference generated by local sources such as microwave towers and shopping center door-openers. For someone doing most of their driving in these areas you want to get a detector that rejects false alarms. Such a detector has special circuits that carefully measure the signals that it picks up. It will notify the driver of the signal but will label it as a false alarm. Most drivers will be able to quickly learn the locations of probable false alarms. Those who can’t be bothered should receive one of the detectors that is GPS enabled. These are terrific. They can remember any false alarms that trigger them, ignoring them in the future. They can also hold a database of stoplight and speed cameras, avoiding contributions to another boondoggle civic revenue stream.
For the Fast Driver
For the driver who just drives too fast all of the time, and pays no attention to the local police presence, a detector is a must. He would benefit greatly from the GPS enabled detectors with the speed trap database. But he is going to find himself getting pulled over anyway. The one thing an officer really hates to see when he walks up to a car is a detector hanging from the windshield. Policemen do think of traffic enforcement as a game. But they think of it as a game rigged in their favor and take a dim view of anything which tips the scale back in the favor of the driver. The detector which is appropriate in this case is the one with a remote-mounted antenna. These detectors usually come with a very small display which can be mounted out of sight on the dash. This display acts as the interface with the driver. The officer who pulls the driver over won’t know a detector is present and may even give a warning instead of a ticket.
A Good Gift
The laser radar detector really can make a good gift if a little thought is put behind it. If you’re really not sure what type of detector to buy, even after talking it over with the guys at the electronics store, consider using one yourself. Make the best possible choice and install it in your own car for a few weeks. If it appears to be doing the job the way you had intended, pack it back in the box and give it as a gift. If you really liked it keep it and buy your friend a brand new one.