Are Radar Detectors Legal in the US and in which States are They Prohibited?
Posted: Thursday, March 09, 2006
by N Cinneide
http://www.RoboticVacuumCleanersReviewed.com
A good number of the people with cars in the United States have their own radar detectors. Their reason is that they feel that the speed limit at present is very low. Most of the American people are not satisfied with moderate speed while driving. They want to be the fastest driver on the road as well as get to the places they’re going in record time they want to be always in the race.
Because of the radar detectors being known to every motorist, cops are hiding, in alleyways or behind bridges in order to avoid being detected by the radar detectors.
Motorists on the other hand are being clever themselves, they are aware of these techniques from the police, so more enhanced, top-dollar detectors have entered the market.
Though the policemen are always improving their chances of catching the radar detector users, they are unable to make the streets of the United States radar detector-free.
Radar detectors are legal in many cities and states in the United States. But this does not mean that radar detector units are legal in all of the states in the US.
Here are some of the states that deem radar detectors illegal:
1. The usage of radar detectors are prohibited in the Commonwealth of Virginia. They have laws banning the use of radar detectors. Not only are radar detectors illegal to use in Virginia, they are also illegal to have in the vehicle.
2. Radar detectors and radar jammers are illegal in Washington D.C. The passing of their laws to ban the use of radar detectors was set in 1995.
3. On US military bases, they are also illegal.
5. If you are a trucker or any other kind of commercial driver, radar detectors are illegal period. It is federal law that all "commercial" vehicles over 10,000 pounds are prohibited to use radar detectors.
The tricky part about radar detectors in some states is that although they are legal, the states have laws against mounting items on the front windshield and will ticket you if your detector is done so. Florida and Minnesota are two of those states. If you are traveling in those states, be careful if you have it mounted on the windshield.
Radar Detectors are legal and can be used in all other states if it is not a commercial vehicle:
• Alabama
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Florida
• Georgia
• Idaho
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• Mew Mexico
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Vermont
• Washington
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming
If you are traveling or just living in these states, enjoy the time with no tickets. Use your radar freely! Just remember to be careful in Florida and Minnesota if you have them mounted on the windshield.
Nicola Kennedy publishes articles and reports and provides news, views and robot vacuum cleaner reviews at http://www.RoboticVacuumCleanersReviewed.com.
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Top-level comments on this article: (4 total)The use of a radar detector in a passenger vehicle is legal in all states with the exception of Virginia, Washington DC. and while on military bases. Laser Jammers and Radar Jammers are illegal in the states of Nebraska, Minnesota, Utah, California, Oklahoma, Virginia, Colorado, Illinois and Washington DC.
radar in its self is illegal , since it calculates speed over distance which is entrapment in most states...by why would cops follow the law?Entrapment is when they CAUSE you to do something illegal, like heavily braking on the freeway to get you to tailgate. Your opinions of cops are probably based on crappy stoner movies and thus irrelevant. Good job on being cool because you hate cops! Woo hoo, you're original!and by the way entrapment is now legal in some states. I no it is legal in nebraskaEntrapment is illegal in all states, seeing as its against federal law...
Correct info -Are radar detectors legal?Yes! Radar detectors are completely legal to use in non-commercial vehicles in 49 states. Virginia and Washington DC are the only places in the United States that currently ban radar detectors. Radar detector use in commercial vehicles has been prohibited in the U.S. since 1995 and radar detectors are also illegal in most Canadian provinces. We do not track detector regulations in other countries.The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) provides these definitions for commercial vehicles:Commercial motor vehicle (CMV) means a motor vehicle or combination of motor vehicles used in commerce to transport passengers o property if the motor vehicle-(a) Has a gross combination weight rating of 11,794 kilograms or more (26,001 pounds or more) inclusive of a towed unit(s) with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds); or(b) Has a gross vehicle weight rating of 11,794 or more kilograms (26,001 pounds or more); or(c) Is designed to transport 16 or more passengers, including the driver; or(d) Is of any size and is used in the transportation of hazardous materials as defined in this section (49 U.S.C. 5103).Gross combination weight rating (GCWR) means the value specified by the manufacturer as the loaded weight of a combination (articulated) vehicle. In the absence of a value specified by the manufacturer, GCWR will be determined by adding the GVWR of the power unit and the total weight of the towed unit and any load thereon.Gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) means the value specified by the manufacturer as the loaded weight of a single vehicle.
Why is West Virginia not on this list? It is perfectly legal to use radar detectors in the State of WV.
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