How Does Police Radar Determine your Speed?

This post contains affiliate links.

When you’re on the road, you should follow the speed limits. That’s common sense, right? There are times when you’ll be in a hurry, or you won’t see a sign posted, or the limits change abruptly and you’re going faster than you think. Even if it’s an honest mistake, law enforcement doesn’t want to hear it, and will track you with radar. In many instances, you won’t even see a police officer tracking people’s speed, and that is something that many can relate to. How does police radar determine your speed, today you’ll find out a few facts on how this may affect you.

How Does Police Radar Determine Your Speed?

​

The following is an exploration of the question, how do you think a police officer uses a radar  to determine your speed. Plus, how can you use a radar detector to alert you when law enforcement is watching. Can police detect your radar detector? This is another question that we will explain in the following article on speed traps, radar, and what you can do to avoid issues.

The Science of Things

You can look online for questions about radar and detectors, etc. Yet, the explanations that many people give are a bit harder to define. If you are expecting a simple answer from most websites, you’re going to be lost. To help you understand how a police officer uses a radar to determine your speed, then take into consideration a few notes on science, below.

The first thing that you should know is that a radar uses radio waves. The waves are sent out across a spectrum in one direction and targets a moving object. A moving object reacts to the frequency of the radio waves and changes the spectrum slightly, and that change is known as the “Doppler shift”. Inside the tech of the radar, there’s an algorithm that crunches the math of the physics of the shift, and then delivers a number. That number is the speed at which an object is moving.

The technology that measures the speed of a baseball pitcher throwing a ball to the plate, is the same thing that police officers use to detect the speed of a motor vehicle. This of course explains stationary radar.

What About Moving Radar (Science)?

Moving radar systems take the technology mentioned above, and work towards designating shifts on the go. The same tech is found here, only there are extra components that will help police officers get a handle on the moving target’s speed. In the high-tech radar  for monitoring speed, there is an antenna, a rear-facing element, a full display, and several modules that are meant to help an officer go hands free if need be. The radar sends radio signals that are several bands, so that officers detect changes in speed, and steady speed while they are in motion as well.

Can Police Officers Detect Radar Detectors?

There are a lot of myths associated with radar detectors. Ask yourself the question and look online for is about whether the police can detect things. Can police detect your radar detector? That’s the question that you’re going to find a lot of people asking, and some will have the wrong answer.

The easiest way to answer this is simple, yes and no.

First, police officers cannot detect a radar detector that is newer modern models. But, there is something that you can do to garner negative responses. The negative element is that of radar jammers. Radar jammers are different than radar detectors. Radar detectors are NOT illegal, and police officers aren’t going to catch you. Yet, if you have a radar jammer, even if it is part of a detector, you could face a serious problem.

Radar jammers are illegal. They can garner you a fine of up to $50,000. Yet, detectors are NOT illegal, and police officers can’t detect them. But, radar jammers, and this is important, are illegal and will cause problems.

Should You Get A Radar Detector?

If you are interested in getting a radar detector, take your time. Read the benefits, and different options on the market. If you do buy one, don’t buy anything that has a jammer built in. Jammers are illegal and can cause you to get in serious trouble with the law. Instead, focus on detection only, as you’ll find that it’s not illegal and it’s easy to work with.

​

keepspeedincheck.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We also participate in other affiliate programs which compensate us for referring traffic.