The Effectiveness of Police Radar Detectors
Within a month of returning to America nearly two years ago, I bought a car… and a radar detector. I actually call it a “storm trooper detector” because it detects storm troopers. Yes, that’s a Star Wars reference. And yes, I call police storm troopers.
In the past 23 months, I have been pulled over three times:
- For running a red light on the Las Vegas Strip ($150 or so ticket).
- For changing lanes on the freeway without using a signal (no ticket, just a “warning”).
- I’m about to explain.
Last night, while driving home from Ashley’s house, I got on US-95 at Tropicana going north. For those familiar with this location, you know that between the onramp for Tropicana and the upcoming offramp for Flamingo are the same lane, and there’s only about a half mile between them. When I got on the freeway last night, there were a couple of large trucks (you know… 18-wheelers) in the far right lane, essentially blocking my entrance to the freeway. My choices were to slow down dramatically and get behind them, or speed up and get in front of them. The best option seems obvious.
Though I sped up, I didn’t have much distance before I either had to get into the right lane or be forced back off the freeway at Flamingo. In fact… I almost didn’t make it. I ended up driving in the shoulder for about 100ft before getting in front of the trucks, and at this point, I was probably going 75-80mph (in a 65mph zone).
It was about this time that my storm trooper detector went berserk. I slammed on my brakes, but it was too late: sirens and blinding lights came on behind me, and I quickly made my way back to the shoulder, coming to a stop.
I got cited for going 70 in a 65 zone, and for “failure to obey traffic signals,” ie. waiting too long to get over, and driving in the shoulder.
I’m not sure how much the ticket will be worth… I’m guessing not a whole lot (relatively speaking), but still. I didn’t let it bother me too much last night as I drove the rest of the way home, but tonight on my way home form Ashley’s I noticed I was incredibly paranoid as I cruised down the freeway. I wasn’t driving any slower or less erratically (moving around between cars, trying to get home as fast as possible). In driving school many years ago I remember them saying you should pay attention to what’s going on at least twenty seconds in front of where you’re at. Now I was paying attention to the twenty seconds in front and the twenty seconds behind me. I normally check out the rear view mirrors frequently, but this was ridiculous. I was practically looking behind me more than I was looking ahead of me.
Any reasonable person can realize that can’t be safe.
So I’m going to blame the cops with making me a less safe driver.
But additionally, and more importantly, I’d like to rant about the absurdity of getting fines for breaking traffic laws.
Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, when I hear people relate their traffic-ticket-woes, they, or someone else who was with them, will say “… but I guess I/they deserved it.” I’d like to try to correct this incorrect way of thinking.
The proper purpose of law is an oft debated topic, but I would submit that it is “…in order to…establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.” These are the words of the Preamble to the Constitution, which is the Supreme Law of the Land. Many have restated it even more simply: the purpose of law is to insure an individual’s rights of life, liberty, and property.
If I am speeding down the road, am I infringing upon anyone’s rights to life, liberty, or property?
- Liberty - This is the easiest to answer. My driving fast is in no way inhibiting someone else’s freedom.
- Property - Should my fast driving cause me to ram into someone else’s car, home, or any other property, I will be trespassing their right to property.
- Life - This is usually the one people will say I am harming. By driving fast, I am putting others at risk of bodily harm. However, just as with property, I am not actually harming them UNTIL the point of impact.
Imagine I am playing a home-run derby with my friends at a park which is located in a densely populated residential area. The point of our game is to slam baseballs as hard and far as we can. Near many homes, this game is inherently risky. Any one of the balls could go crashing into a car, home, or a passerby. Yet no one would say “they deserved it” if a storm trooper came by and gave them a ticket for hitting baseballs too hard. Besides, there aren’t any storm troopers that hang around parks giving out tickets… why? Well, I don’t really know, but my guess is that it has something to do with it not being very lucrative.
The real reason why we have traffic laws isn’t to protect people, but to have yet another form of taxation on the populace. And just as taxes are evil, so are traffic laws.