Laser Detector

A laser gun is a device used by police to determine whether the driver of a vehicle is speeding. LASER stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Police laser guns transmit on 904 nanometers. As a motorist, the only way you can determine whether a police officer has a laser gun is with a detector (well-known industry brand names include Cobra, Escort, and Whistler radar detectors).

The laser guns feature a tight, invisible beam of light that travels at 186,000 miles per second to target moving vehicles that may be breaking the speed limit. As a series of these light pulses is transmitted, the difference in time between pulses and reflections is used to calculate speed. This all takes place at the speed of light.

If an officer is using a laser gun, you can forget about receiving any protection from the other cars on the road. Lasers are instantaneous and precise. They are capable of picking out your vehicle from an entire group of cars. The police officer will aim the beam at the most reflective spot on your car (in most cases, this is your license plate). Then, they proceed to measure your speed.

Laser guns are a very expensive item. They can not be used from a vehicle in motion. For this reason, you probably do not have police officers using laser guns in large urban areas with heavy traffic. If you do most of your driving in these areas, you probably do not need a laser detector (a radar detector, however, might be in order). On the other hand, if you travel on major highways or in country areas, a laser detector in addition to a radar detection system might be very useful.