Guide to Choosing a Great Speed Camera Detector
Maybe you’ve already received a fat ticket or 2 in the mail because of a red light camera or speed camera. These machines are supposed to be “helpful” in deterring drivers to speed or run red lights. However, they are finding that rear-end collisions are become more common at intersections with these machines because people are so scared of getting caught that they don’t run the risk of going through the yellow light and suddenly slam on their brakes, causing the person behind them to slam into their rear bumper. But technicalities aside, these cameras are causing more than rear-end collisions for drivers. They are causing costly tickets that could be avoided with the use of a GPS-enabled speed camera detector.
The comments from critics and field testers confirm that these devices really work. They use the technology of GPS to help the unit know how fast the car is traveling and uses this information to alert the driver when they are going too fast or will shut off the detection mode when the vehicle is travelling slower than what police radar would bust them for. Additionally, the GPS helps the unit locate the vehicle in orientation to other points on the map. For example, it can pinpoint the vehicle’s exact location down to the intersection and street and that helps with its next feature: speed camera detection.
Speed cameras are popping up everywhere and avoiding them is somewhat of a blessing to any driver. While a speed camera detector is busy searching for radar and laser bands from police radar guns, it is also searching for red light and speed cameras so it can alert the driver to an impending threat. The Beltronics GX65 Pro Series takes it a step further by having a preprogrammed database of thousands of fixed-position red light and speed cameras so you can avoid the speed trap sites. These detectors alert in plenty of time to slow down and not get caught. Another great unit to look at is the Escort Passport 9500ix. If you decide on getting a radar detector without GPS technology, check out the Vector and the Cobra.
The stores might give you a lot of hype about whatever product they are told to promote at that time, so go online instead and get an objective view of each product before deciding. There are entire Web sites dedicated to information about the types of accessories you can buy for your speed camera detectors. Other sites are for road tests and reviews of how each of the units performed out on the street. Still other sites offer real customer feedback on what happened after they took the devices home and used them. I like to go to the manufacturer’s sites prior to making a purchase and give them my email address so I can sign up for online promotional prices such as free shipping or discounts on products (you can always unsubscribe after buying). I kept my subscriptions so I could get discounts when buying gifts for other people.
