Ten Tips For Flying Under The Radar

"Justin Hughes" (justinhughes54) 08/21/2015 at 08:00 • Filed to: how to drive

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As car enthusiasts, we like to drive… well, enthusiastically. This enthusiasm can occasionally attract negative attention from law enforcement agencies, who disapprove speeds in excess of posted limits. I enjoy a spirited drive as much as any enthusiast, and yet – knock on wood – it’s been a long time since I’ve been stopped, let alone cited. It seems I’m probably doing something right, so I figured I’d compile some tips for flying under the radar, staying out of trouble, yet still having a good time behind the wheel.

Read the full article on Right Foot Down or continue below

1. Obey The Law

In Chris Rock’s informative public service announcement “ !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ,” this is his first suggestion. And really, despite being a comedy sketch, this is a good piece of advice. If you’re not speeding or driving aggressively and your car is in good shape, they have no reason to stop you. So be sure keep all of your lights working and your registration and inspection (if you have those) up to date, too. Any of these being out of line is a reason for the police to stop you, even if your driving is perfectly okay.

2. Use Your Brain

Now let’s talk about how things work in the real world. Nobody obeys every traffic law to the letter 100% of the time. How did you sneak into the cookie jar as a kid and not get caught? By doing it when mom and dad weren’t looking. Generally speaking – and there are exceptions for red light cameras, speed cameras, etc. – you can’t be cited unless you’re caught in the act. There’s a certain stretch of road on my commute that I enjoy because it’s twisty, hilly, goes through the woods – and there is absolutely nowhere for a cop to pull off and set up a speedtrap. So I can have a little fun through this section, then rein myself in before entering the residential areas on either side. I won’t speed through those, not only because there are many places where police can and do hide, but also because it’s impolite and dangerous. So be smart about where you play, and don’t do it where you’ll put anyone else in danger.

3. Know The Territory

This isn’t always possible if you’re taking a road trip to somewhere you’ve never been, but get to know your regular stomping grounds. I know all of the places police tend to hide along my daily commute, and I always take a bit of extra care passing through them. Also be aware of places where a 50mph zone suddenly drops to 25. That’s how they get you – and sometimes massive speed limit drops like this are designed more to generate revenue from speeding ticket fines than for safety – but if you know it’s coming and Obey The Law as you pass through, you’ll slide on by. The time of day can be a factor here too, such as when school zones knock down the speed limit.

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4. Maintain Situational Awareness

There are many, many reasons why you should be doing this. It’s doubly true if you’re driving in a spirited manner, for safety as well as for not getting caught. Constantly scan the road ahead, and check the mirrors occasionally too in case the boys in blue come flying up from behind. If you don’t Know The Territory, identify potential blind spots where a speedtrap might be lurking and slow down accordingly. Be aware of who’s around you, where they are, and where it’s most likely they’re going. And watch out for the unexpected. Other drivers are wild, unpredictable creatures, so keep an eye on them.

5. Fly Casual

Han Solo was being snarky when he gave this advice to Chewbacca, but it’s actually quite solid advice. Don’t attract attention to yourself, but don’t look like you’re trying to not attract attention. If you speed, don’t speed too much. On a 65mph highway you can sometimes get away with 75, but not 85. You can punch it around an empty on-ramp for fun, but don’t merge onto the highway already going faster than everyone else. And don’t weave through traffic. That’s what earned me my first ticket *mumblemumble* years ago when I was young and stupid.

6. Use Waze

I already !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , but it’s worth mentioning again because of how well it fits in here. If you don’t Know The Territory, Waze can help. You can often see farther down the road on the screen than you can through your windshield. The alerts are extremely helpful to Maintain Situational Awareness beyond your line of sight. I’m talking about road hazards just as much as police sightings.

7. Use Rabbits

You’re cruising down the highway at a brisk but reasonable pace. Suddenly, a sports car (or wanna-be sports car) goes flying past you like you’re standing still. If you wish, you can increase your pace by following this car, yet not staying too close to it so that you’re not associated with it. This driver is obviously not following my advice, especially the part about Flying Casual. If you’re avoiding attention and they aren’t, they’re more likely to be the one who gets bagged instead of you – especially if you Maintain Situational Awareness.

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8. Don’t Push The Limits

Even if you do have a clear back road or on-ramp to play with, don’t push your car to its limits. The street is not the place to be driving 10/10ths or anywhere near it. The sound of squealing tires travels pretty far, and any cop who hears it will come looking for the source. But worse than that, the consequences of a mistake will almost certainly lead to a crash if you have nothing left in reserve. Your car will get hurt, you might get hurt, and other people might, too. The police will definitely show up, figure out how it happened, and nail you for it.

9. Take It To The Track

If you want to explore the limits of your car, there are better, safer places to do it than on the street. Autocross is an excellent way to do it. Though speeds are fairly low, there’s nothing to hit except cones, so go ahead and drive 10/10ths and see what happens. Worst case, you’ll spin out, kill some cones, and have a good laugh. For higher speeds, go to an HPDE event, or a drag strip if those pesky curves get in the way. Best of all, you won’t have to worry about getting caught for speeding, because there is no speed limit here – you’re Obeying The Law. It’s also much safer with limited access to the track, and traffic is either tightly controlled or there’s none at all.

10. Skip The Radar Detector

You may notice I haven’t even mentioned radar detectors until now. I only mention them now because someone will comment that I skipped this part. I’ve used them in the past, but I haven’t for years. Many people swear by them, and insist that any enthusiast needs one. It may be an unpopular opinion, but I personally don’t agree. In my experience, they go off more often for non-police radar sources than actual police radar or laser. Many illuminated road signs these days blast out radar just to get you to slow down, with no speedtrap at all. If a speedtrap is running laser or instant-on radar, you won’t detect them until it’s already too late. Yes, some detectors are better than others, but even a Valentine One will suffer from these shortcomings.

Finally, if you do get stopped, possession of a detector indicates an intention of speeding. Even if they’re legal where you are, it’s far more likely that you’ll get a ticket than a warning if you have one on your dashboard, or even the telltale suction cup marks of where it usually sits. If you’re in Virginia or Washington DC, where they’re illegal, you’ll get a ticket for that, too. In Quebec they can even confiscate it. To me, it’s just not worth the expense and hassle.

Follow @justinhughes54

(Photo credits: Justin Hughes, Ben Schumin, The Windsor Star, GoblinHall, Indiana Public Media)

LongbowMkII > Justin Hughes 08/21/2015 at 08:08

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Rabbits are a vital part of any road trip meal. Comes with a free side of schadenfreude when caught.

Rainbow > Justin Hughes 08/21/2015 at 08:15

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Oh oh oh! Have a dashcam! In several states, speed limits are literally dependent on the road conditions. If you can prove that it was sunny and dry with good visibility, you can (sometimes) get away with 5, 10, even 15 over.

But don’t do it just to do it. Make sure you understand your own local laws.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > LongbowMkII 08/21/2015 at 08:15

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I've never heard that term before. I use "bear bait".

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Justin Hughes 08/21/2015 at 08:16

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One of your points bars me from fun :(

My tires suck and squealing happens well within the limits.

Justin Hughes > LongbowMkII 08/21/2015 at 08:17

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Stopping at the Road Kill Cafe?

Justin Hughes > Rainbow 08/21/2015 at 08:18

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Good point! I have a dash can, but mainly for evidence of Masshole drivers if I need it.

Justin Hughes > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 08/21/2015 at 08:19

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Better tires help you go faster...

Van Man, rocks the Man Van > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 08/21/2015 at 08:26

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I normally call it a “blocker.”

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Justin Hughes 08/21/2015 at 08:32

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Bear in mind it’s a truck. I quite enjoy how it handles, but I’m not sure how much faster I’d go even with better tires. They would at least stop the squealing though.

Funny, I know that it was slower on snow tires, but it didn't bother me quite so much because it never made any noise.

jariten1781 > Justin Hughes 08/21/2015 at 08:41

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Talking to police officers this doesn’t really do a whole lot. Unless the rabbit is in reckless driving speed territory and you’re not they’ll either pick the one most likely to have secondary violations (dark tint, young driver, etc.) or the easiest one (aka the dude in the back of the line). I suppose, if you let them get over the horizon it may lower your risk a bit, but at that point you won’t know if they slow or exit and there’s a chance you’ll get tagged if they pass while the cop is still finishing up his last go.

jkm7680 > Justin Hughes 08/21/2015 at 08:49

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TractorPillow > Justin Hughes 08/21/2015 at 09:06

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I guess if you follow tip one then you can pretty much skip the rest of the article.

And, yep, definitely swear by my radar detector. I don’t rely on it 100% but it’s saved me from enough tickets over the last 5 years to justify its price several times over. I like to put my “right foot down” too much to always follow tip one.

Fun article, but if you're gonna do ten tips, number them, small thing but makes it easier to read.

SNL-LOL > jariten1781 08/21/2015 at 09:10

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I use rabbits because:

1. their brake lights tell me something may be up

2. they set an upper bound of how quickly I should go. Without it I may slip into 25+PSL territory

3. radar signals bounce off rabbits very well. Not so much for laser but you need all the help you can get.

Justin Hughes > jariten1781 08/21/2015 at 09:12

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Good points. And none of these tips are ironclad (even obeying the law).

Justin Hughes > SNL-LOL 08/21/2015 at 09:16

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Funny story about rabbits and radar.

In the 1980s, one of my dad’s ham radio friends had a VW Rabbit. He also had a pair of 10GHz transmitters mounted in his car, facing forward and backward. 10GHz is an authorized ham radio frequency, which he was fully qualified to use. It’s also smack dab in the middle of X-band, which at the time was still pretty widely used for police radar. If he was cruising down the highway and someone went flying by at 90mph, he’d transmit, then watch the guy slam on his brakes because of the full strength instant-on radar.

BigBlock440 > Justin Hughes 08/21/2015 at 09:16

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Used to do this, still got tagged for 85-ish (they were going faster). I let them get just out of my sight (top of a hill) and I’m not sure if they slowed down enough or what, but the cop pulled out when I passed and got me instead.

Now, I just do my own thing. If someone’s going that much faster than me, I’m not speeding up to pace them anymore and they’ll be out of my sight shortly. If they’re not going significantly faster than me, they’re not going to catch up to me, so I don’t really even worry about it anymore. $200 every 50k-100k miles isn’t all that bad a fee if you want to go fast.

Justin Hughes > jkm7680 08/21/2015 at 09:17

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This. Don’t even drive there!

Justin Hughes > TractorPillow 08/21/2015 at 09:20

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Good idea. Done! The number thing popped into into my head right before I published, because people like numbers, especially in headlines.

As for radar detectors, YMMV. Yours works for you, so keep using it.

TractorPillow > Justin Hughes 08/21/2015 at 09:26

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The thing about lists is that everyone complains about them being click bait, but people keep reading them so it must work. Even just scrolling through your article for a second time after you put numbers it made it much more aesthetically pleasing, very weird how our brains work.

Roundbadge > Justin Hughes 08/21/2015 at 09:29

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First, let me preface this with, “I know better. I really do.”

Tuesday, I was cruising along in a place I’ve never seen cops...thoroughly frustrated at the jerks around me doing the speed limit. I usually do the ‘fly casual’ thing...except didn’t this day.

4 lane state highway, technically 25 MPH zone, but not a cop in sight...until I get over the rise....

I look down, and I’m doing 50. Oh...God....

I look up at the cop, parked, pointed directly at me...and what’s he doing?

.....smiling...and waving at me....?

I slowed the eff down and waved back. Thanks unnamed cop. You’re one of the good ones.

Yeah...I got lucky.

Justin Hughes > TractorPillow 08/21/2015 at 09:30

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It is. I didn’t feel the numbers were important. The tips aren’t even in any particular order, which is why I didn’t use them the first time. But I agree - for whatever reason it does look better with the numbers. Thanks for the suggestion!

Justin Hughes > Roundbadge 08/21/2015 at 09:34

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Lucky. They’ve done that to me on occasion, too.

When I drove my ex-cop P71 I got a lot of waves from cops. A few took a very close look at my car. One state trooper, ahead of me on the highway, even pulled over into the breakdown lane, let me by, then drove behind me and passed again to get a real close look. My car was unmarked, of course, since I’m not a cop, but it still had the spotlight, which was folded down, and two antennas on the trunk lid, fully functional for my ham radio equipment between the front seats. He took off and didn’t give me any trouble.

EmbraceTheRasp > Justin Hughes 08/21/2015 at 09:38

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This.

Just cruising in left lane. Worst idea ever. Plus it’s annoying to others who might make a good rabbit. (Though we grew up calling them ’bird dogs’ because you follow them around letting them flush cops out. )

When following left-lane rabbits, it’s fun to let them crest the next hill while sitting a quarter mile back watching for brake lights.

Roundbadge > Justin Hughes 08/21/2015 at 09:42

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Neat trick!

I think it had something to do with the fact that I was driving a cheap base-model truck that wasn’t falling apart, and I’m a 40-year old man in a polo shirt. I like to think I looked like I knew better, therefore he let me get away with it. Clearly it made an impression, as I’m talking about it now. Had I been a kid in a “VTEC, YO!” Civic, I probably would’ve been done for.

ESSSIX GmbH - Accountant/Wagon Thumper > Justin Hughes 08/21/2015 at 09:44

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This is how I live.. Cheers.

minardi > Justin Hughes 08/21/2015 at 09:46

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Another trick: as much as possible stay in the right lane (but don’t pass other cars from that lane). They tend to check the left lane for speeder.

Justin Hughes > ESSSIX GmbH - Accountant/Wagon Thumper 08/21/2015 at 09:46

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Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Justin Hughes 08/21/2015 at 09:55

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Oh god that is the scariest feeling. When you see a cop, you pass by him, and then he turns around or comes out behind you. Even when you know you aren’t speeding and all is legal, you just start shitting bricks and wondering what is going to happen. But then the cop turns at the next turnaround and you continue on your way. Its just so tense in those moments lol.

Justin Hughes > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 08/21/2015 at 09:57

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I know, right? I wasn’t speeding and knew my car was legal, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to stop me anyway.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > BigBlock440 08/21/2015 at 10:00

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"premium driving fee". Just like those premium parking fees for parking anywhere you want in the city. They will even move your car for you to a convenient lot for an additional fee!

functionoverfashion > Justin Hughes 08/21/2015 at 10:00

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Funny story, maybe your dad’s ham radio friend was my friend’s uncle who did the exact same thing... although I’m sure there are several - maybe even dozens? - of ham radio operators with the same idea.

He called it his “brake light tester.”

functionoverfashion > Justin Hughes 08/21/2015 at 10:00

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Generally, these tips are spot-on. I will disagree with the anti-radar detector sentiment, because I have a valentine and it’s very carefully installed so that it’s not obvious to anyone looking in from the outside. I’ve used it as a tool, and had it help me out plenty, when used properly, like with a rabbit... also the cops in my town drive around with their radar on all the time. So on winding roads, I know when they’re coming way before I can see them. In many places, this is not true, but for me it’s a reason to have it.

However, an argument against radar detectors is that I find K-band going off far more often with cars that have blind-spot, radar-guided whatever, stop-assist, all that stuff - much of it relies on K-band, in particular new GM products. There isn’t a plethora of new cars around my area, but on a road trip recently I found my K-band going off almost constantly on the highway.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Justin Hughes 08/21/2015 at 10:05

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I was once followed for about 30 miles by two cops. Must have been out looking for DUI because it was 4th of July around 10pm and I had NJ plates driving out of state Eastern Long Island. Was very annoying going the speed limit the whole way back, and coming to complete stops at stop signs. Felt like I was under the gun the whole time. I knew as soon as I did something remotely wrong, lights would go up behind me.

Justin Hughes > functionoverfashion 08/21/2015 at 10:08

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The V1 is the best there is, no doubt. Plus if you Know The Territory, you’ll know that you’re always going to get three false positives coming from that shopping mall on the right. The beauty of the V1 is that if one day you see four false positives, you’ll know something’s up. Knowing whether the locals leave radar on all the time, like yours do, or stick with instant-on is part of that, too.

Great point on the modern self-driving systems using radar, too. I hadn’t thought of that, but you’re absolutely right. That’s how adaptive cruise control works, so why wouldn’t it use the same speed detecting technology that’s worked in police radar for years? Unfortunately using the same band as police radar makes detecting police radar on K-band almost impossible, as you say. I could put on my tin foil hat and say they did that on purpose...

WhiskeyGolf > Justin Hughes 08/21/2015 at 10:22

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Worth noting that Waze really is a great resource, but due to the crowd sourcing nature, it’s only really useful on heavily trafficked roads with lots of users. And don’t forget to tag locations when you do see something.

functionoverfashion > Justin Hughes 08/21/2015 at 10:23

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Yeah, it used to be just a few makes and models. Like, on my morning commute, I’d see laser and think, “oh, here comes that Infinity Beluga Whale...” and sure enough, there it was. Now the worst offenders are the newer Suburban/Yukon/Escalade SUVs, they emit extremely strong K-band to the REAR which I can’t totally figure out. My V1 will count like 3 sources when I’m near one of those things. Like, as strong and broad as one of those speed-display signs. If my locals didn’t still use K-band I might have disabled it already. I disabled laser on my V1 because of too many false alarms from vehicle guidance systems.

Justin Hughes > WhiskeyGolf 08/21/2015 at 10:33

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All true. I wrote a whole article on Waze over on Right Foot Down , but your points are worth repeating here.

Jonathan Harper > Justin Hughes 08/21/2015 at 10:36

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While I agree radar detectors can be pretty useless in urban areas, my V1 plus Waze in the RAM mount is a pretty bulletproof combination.

Justin Hughes > functionoverfashion 08/21/2015 at 10:36

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Right Foot Down just had a Mazda CX-5 to review , and even it has adaptive cruise control. It’s available on the Subaru Legacy as well, among others. The technology is filtering down from luxury cars to everyday cars like these, so the K-band and laser interference will probably just keep getting worse.

Tripper > Jonathan Harper 08/21/2015 at 10:49

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YUP

dagibby > EmbraceTheRasp 08/21/2015 at 12:15

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We’ve always called them bandits, they made couple movies about them starring Burt Reynolds.

dagibby > Jonathan Harper 08/21/2015 at 12:16

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YUP 2x

Britt > Justin Hughes 08/21/2015 at 12:41

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Rabbits+Situational Awareness.

A poster below said that rabbits didn’t work for them... Me, I watch their brake lights and brake as well... Because if the deceleration is quick enough the RADAR can’t lock on and because if the rabbit suddenly hits his brakes while I, a quarter mile behind do as well, the cop SEES the rabbit do it, but at that distance can not see me do it as easily (plus he/she is distracted by the rabbit slamming the brakes!)...

So, for me it is paramount to not only let the rabbits go by, but to keep them close enough to see their brake lights and to keep that in my peripheral vision once they are past.

Bladecutter > Britt 08/21/2015 at 13:13

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“if the rabbit suddenly hits his brakes while I, a quarter mile behind do as well, the cop SEES the rabbit do it, but at that distance can not see me do it as easily (plus he/she is distracted by the rabbit slamming the brakes!)...”

This video my wife captured on Monday is perfect proof of your statement above.

The rabbit, the Mitsubishi Eclipse, gets busted, while the Hyundai Accent, which was going faster, doesn’t get tagged, because the officer had already locked his sights on the Eclipse.

Of course, neither of them actually saw the cops, or hit their brakes at all, but that’s besides the point. My wife knew about this spot being the most common point on the whole highway for having police presence.

Bladecutter > functionoverfashion 08/21/2015 at 13:26

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The worst part about all the new cars using X or K band for their blind spot monitoring (Audi, Hyundai, Kia, GM) is that there are other companies who don’t use X or K band (Mazda), yet still have the same feature. Why can’t everyone use the same tech that Mazda does, so that we can live our lives unassaulted?

The newest versions of the Valentire filter much better, however. We have 2 older V1’s, bought in 2009, and the newest one we bought 2 months ago ignores more of the blind spot cars, and the highway traffic volume radars that the older ones are constantly yelling about. It’s nice not getting into traffic behind a high end Audi, and having 6 or more signals.

The worst part is that if you buy one of these cars, you’re constantly setting your own detector off, unless you disable the systems in your car.

ESSSIX GmbH - Accountant/Wagon Thumper > Justin Hughes 08/21/2015 at 13:47

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You should add that the level of attention your car naturally attracts, that’s a big factor, tints, wheels, stickers, ride height etc. all those things get noticed (profiled, if you will).

Me, all I drive are wagons..sport wagons at that, and not even car enthusiests see me. Though lately Ive gotten pulled over a lot.

First, after changing some breather hoses I went for a test drive to check if I fixed my suspected boost leak (I was even still wearing my head lamp), It was a 55mph road that is dead after 8pm. Got clocked at 70, didnt even see him, and when I pulled over to pop a U to head back home he pulls up behind me. I went to court, got it reduced to no points.

Second time I was crusing down one of those roads, similar to the twisty one you mentioned, where theres no shoulder and its nice and smooth. Came around the bend (wide curve) way too suspect (but no where near the limits of my car) and a cop going to opposite way saw me, and even pointed his finger at me lol. As soons as he could pop a U he did, and caught up to me a mile or so later. He was cool though. The ticket didnt have a speed since he didnt clock me; it just said observed. Still waiting on that court date. I have a clean record still so it will be written down like the others.

functionoverfashion > Bladecutter 08/21/2015 at 22:42

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Interesting. .. on a related note, my V1 is probably closer to 15 years old. I bought it used in 2003!

Urambo Tauro > Justin Hughes 08/22/2015 at 12:28

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This does not mean driving 5mph under the speed limit whenever you see a patrol car. It pisses me off how nervous people get around cops. Know what your rights are, and know what your rights aren’t.