The technological developments of the past decades have contributed on a large scale to forming a whole market out of speeding (namely, avoiding speeding tickets). The old "Fuzzbuster" technology from the 70’s has spawned a wide range of newer and more advanced devices like jammers, radar detectors, scanners, etc that are all employed for avoiding speed law intervention. Recent studies state that about every one out of ten cars roaming US highways has an "anti-radar" system installed in it.

The question at hand is whether such devices are legal to use? When driving in Florida, it all depends on the technology employed for such purposes.

Laser and Radar Jammers

In Florida it is forbidden to interfere with police radar and laser signals, so using such devices is not allowed. Moreover, in many states using such devices in your vehicle is considered a crime and has far more dramatic consequences than a mere fine.

Police Scanners

In general, using such devices is banned in Florida, but there are certain groups of drivers that have the right to employ them. These include amateur radio operators, licensed alarm system workers, Press worker on assignment or drivers having the permission of Chief or Sheriff I written form.

Stealth Coatings

Using stealth coatings that reduce the efficiency of police LIDAR laser guns ("Light Detection and Ranging"), which are employed for measuring the speed of a moving vehicle, is not prohibited in Florida, and moreover in none of other states. Numerous court files and defense processes have attracted much attention to this technology, which is claimed by some experts to cut the effectiveness of police speed measuring systems by half.

Lidar and Radar Detectors

Using such devices in Florida is perfectly legal, unless the vehicle of commercial purpose and weighting over 10,000 lbs.

Due to the fact that from the legal point of view there are many complications connected with jamming and radar detecting technologies, police officials, safety advocates, and auto insurance companies keep pushing the legislation restricting the use of such devices. Their success has been marked by far in Washington DC, Virginia and on US military bases.

One of the suggested reasons for such modest success in the camp against radar detectors and jammers is that the actual radars and lasers are susceptible to a rather high rate of inaccuracies and errors. Some sources suggest that about one in four speeding tickets given out after using radars and lasers is issued due to an error. The most common causes for such errors include:

• RFI (Radio Frequency Interference) from other radio signals

• Erroneous angle of the laser gun towards the moving object

• Poor device maintenance and condition

But no matter how accurate are the lasers and radars, when driving in Florida one should remember that speeding will result in a fine. With that said, the best way to avoid such fines is using common sense and responsibility rather than complicated technologies. And don’t forget that speeding will heavily affect your auto insurance rates so you’ll pay even more than just a ticked in the long run. The choice is yours to make.