ORLANDO, Fla. – News 6 traffic safety expert Trooper Steve Montiero answers viewer questions about the rules of the road every week, helping Orlando-area residents become better drivers by being better educated.
Trooper Steve was asked Monday, “Is it illegal in Florida to use a radar detector in your car?”
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Despite what you might think, it’s not illegal.
“But if I stop you and I see this, you’re getting a ticket. Why? Because this just tells me a few things. One, that you have a need for speed, and two, that you’re looking for us out there,” he said.
Trooper Steve said drivers can use a radar detector, but they cannot use a radar or laser jammer.
“There’s a big difference here. One, you’re stopping a device from working on the law enforcement side. The other is simply detecting it,” he said.
Trooper Steve said radar detectors may not help as much as you think.
“Most of the time when this starts going off, if it says laser detected, we’ve already got your speed, so you might as well pull over. Sometimes the radar device will bounce off and you could detect it beforehand. However, most of the time, we’ve already got your speed,” Trooper Steve said.
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