I've looked into it, talked to a dealer, and done a fair amount of research. Depending on the model, they are fairly reliable. It will jam long enough for you to get down to speed, then you need to shut it off so they can get a reading on your speed. Just do a google search and there are two different websites that are excellent. One does research every year in El Paso Texas and the other does similar testing. Just do some reading, but I think it's worth it if your area has high laser usage. You'll want to get a very nice radar detector or an integrated unit as well.
The police in the US are not "way beyond this". I've had my radar detector save me from numerous tickets already. I've also witnessed CHP using laser guns up and down the 405 on a regular basis. If you are doing in excess of 100mph, I don't think any system will work, but if you are cruising a "reasonable" amount of speed over, then it'll give you enough time to get back in line.
Drive properly? That's nice - but irrelevant to the issue. In California, if you drive the speed limit on the highway, you are most likely impeding traffic. You are a hazard. Conversely, if you are safely keeping with the flow of traffic, which in this state is often 75 / 80 mph, you are ALWAYS at risk of being picked out for a ticket. I don't think I've ever seen a highway patrol officer actually drive 65 on an open highway (no traffic). It's this grey area of what is posted and what is safely exceeding the posted limit that is the problem.
As I see it, it's more about staying with a group of cars and not getting isolated (herd of buffalo) that really makes the difference.
I am not advocating driving like a maniac, but admonishing people to drive properly is subjective and vague. And driving properly (at least here) will often mean exposing yourself to getting a ticket.
Laser reports your speed back to the gun faster than you can blink. Detectors are useless against laser. This thread piqued my interest so I checked out the details. "Most traffic LIDAR systems send out a stream of approximately 100 pulses over the span of three-tenths of a second."
With radar going the way of the dino because cops can't ensure which vehicle they are targeting, laser (LIDAR) systems are becoming more and more prevalent. I got pulled over about 2 years ago and my "best in class" 8500 X2 never even blinked at me.
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2006 Audi A3 2.0T DSG - Lava Gray Pearl
Laser jammer
