Defenses Against Traffic Laser Guns.

From a Michigan NMA Activist.

• JAM IT!  Laser guns can be effectively jammed, and there are several devices available that do just that.  The Lidatek LT-10 Laser-ECHO is one that has proven itself in at least three independent tests done by CAR&DRIVER magazine, BMW Club of America, and SPEED LABS.  The Lidatek both detects and jams laser, so you know when you are being zapped and can respond accordingly.  This is expensive equipment, but technology that works doesn't come cheap.  The price varies significantly depending on whether you equip your vehicle with one "transponder" or as many as three. There are currently no specific laws in Michigan that prohibit the use of laser jammers, and the FCC does not regulate infrared laser light.  The Lidatek jammer can experience false alarms on VERY rare occasion -- almost always caused by flashing strobe lights on emergency vehicles, school busses or heavy equipment.  It gives you a heart attack when it happens, but you'll likely go months or even years between false alarms.  You can visit the Lidatek web site at http://www.lidatek.com or you can call them at 888-543-2832 or 206-348-5888.

• COVER IT! While we are blessed in that Michigan does not require a front license plate, this is what the cops are aiming for when they shoot you from behind.  License plates are designed to be highly reflective and will return a laser shot from a much greater distance than virtually anything else on your car.  There are several license plate covers available that reduce the effective range of a laser gun dramatically.  My first suggestion would be the LASER GUARD from Taylor-Bell Technologies.  It cost about $50 the last time I checked and could be ordered direct from Taylor-Bell at 800-945-1141.  Just as effective - and perhaps slightly more so, according to a C&D test - is the T3 ALPHA from T3 Technologies, but this plate cover  has a distinctive green tint.  I've got one of these, and frankly I'm concerned that while the plate is perfectly readable, the discoloration caused by the T3 ALPHA might attract unwanted police attention.  In any event, it beats a laser ticket!  The T3 ALPHA is reportedly available from BROOKSTONE, but did not appear in their latest catalog.  If you are interested, you can call BROOKSTONE customer service at 800-846-3000 and ask them about it.  The T3 ALPHA also sells for about $50.  Using one of these plate covers with a Lidatek jammer may be overkill, but considering that laser shots from the rear come at comparatively short range, you might want to stack the deck as much in your favor as possible.  Finally, if you have a front license plate on your car for some reason, even one of those silly vanity plates, GET RID OF IT!

• SMOKE IT! A general rule of thumb regarding laser is that anything that reflects visible light well will likely do the same for an infrared laser beam.  Exposed headlamps are highly reflective, and in Michigan (with no front plate) this is what returns the laser signal most from the front of the car.  While I have seen no specific tests, there is every reason to believe that the dark tinted plastic headlamp covers sold everywhere from auto parts stores to J. C. Whitney probably reduce your vulnerability to laser guns significantly.  One caveat:  These tinted covers typically snap on and off, and you'll need to take them off for driving at night.  It is both illegal and a bit reckless to drive around in the dark with these things dimming your headlights to maybe 10% of their uncovered strength.  It's a hassle to regularly have to take these things off and then snap them back on in the day time, but it's a cheap alternative to a jammer that may reduce your laser vulnerability.

• MASK IT!  Light colors and chrome reflect laser well, dark colors do not.  If you've got a light-colored vehicle or a lot of chrome on the front, you might want to consider getting a black vinyl mask or "bra" for your car.  A mask combined with smoked headlamp covers may make your car nearly invisible to laser from the front, although I've seen no specific tests to confirm this.   CAR&DRIVER has tested cars against laser guns on several occasions, and they have reported that black cars with concealed headlamps (Corvette, Firebird, Probe, RX-7, etc.) are virtually immune to laser guns from the front without a license plate to reflect the beam.  It stands to reason that a bra with headlight covers could achieve the same stealthy result on other cars.  Unfortunately, these "bras" are better suited to drier climates and you'll need to wash it often and clean off the grime that can accumulate underneath.

• HEAR ABOUT IT!  I can hear the snickers already, but here it is:  The most effective technology against freeway speedtraps is the CB radio.  Yes, it is annoying to sift through the aural garbage spewed out by some of our truck-driving brethren for that all-too-rare warning of a speedtrap, but it will definitely save you speeding tickets if you can put up with it.  Police are much more circumspect with their use of radar than they used to be -- at least on the freeway -- and advance radar warnings are increasingly rare. With laser, you will seldom if ever get advance warning from a detector.  Obviously, VASCAR, pacing and simple timing techniques are entirely undetectable.  With a CB radio, you will typically hear of stationary speed traps miles in advance and you'll frequently be warned of any cop who ventures forth on the freeway.  Turn if off once you're off the highway, though -- a CB is useless for speedtraps off the freeway or away from significant truck traffic.

• SEE IT!  The most important and effective devices you have in the battle against speedtraps are your own eyes.  Most drivers -- and from my experience, most cops -- seldom look more than 4-seconds ahead of their vehicle.  If you make a conscious effort to ALWAYS look as far down the road as possible for patrol cars and likely hiding places, you will see most speedtraps before the cop ever triggers his radar or laser gun.  This is not an idle boast:  I have, on at least two occasions that come immediately to mind, blundered into laser traps at speeds of 95 and 110-mph.  On both occasions, the cop was parked in the median and I slowed to legal speed several seconds before the Valentine-One told me I'd been shot with laser.  Police seem to acquire a peculiar arrogance when they pick up the laser gun, as if it makes them invincible and you're not gonna beat them no matter how carelessly they position themselves.  If your vision is correctable to 20/20 and you make a serious effort to train yourself to look as far in the distance as possible when driving, you'll usually spot them first.  I also recommend studying the details of both MSP and local police cars every time you see one.  Commit their tail-light patterns to memory, so you'll recognize them at night.  Scrutinize the width of their tires, any anti-sway bars that might distinguish them from civilian versions of the same car, the specific police lights they are most often equipped with.  This may sound ridiculous to some of you, but this is exactly how military pilots train to distinguish between a MIG or a Mirage in a fraction of a second at great distance.  If you really work at it, you'll get to be quite good at it to the point that Caprices and Crown Vics almost seem to leap out of traffic from 1/4 to 1/2 a mile away.