Anyone who has been caught speeding and had to pay a hefty fine, would have loved to have had a mobile speed camera detector in the car. These days there are so many speed cameras on the roads to catch speeding motorists that even on a regular route, their location would be difficult to remember. A great number of these cameras are cleverly hidden and not easily visible to the naked eye.
Speed cameras play an important role in making our roads safe and preventing accidents caused by drivers going too fast. For instance in an area which has narrow roads and cars parked on both sides, it is vitally important speed that limits are adhered to. This is because someone might suddenly step out of their car or a child dash out into the road. Similarly on motorways and highways where it is easy to go beyond the speed limit, bad accidents can occur with tragic circumstances. So having this type of detector will help to eliminate these dreadful occurrences.
However there are some areas where speed cameras are placed that seem to be there purely for catching out motorists. And they do this to generate revenue for the relevant local government administration. One way drivers can be alerted to these is to have a car speed camera detector so they aren’t easily caught out.
Drive safely with your car speed camera detector
These devices nowadays are very advanced and innovative using red light to detect speed cameras. Utilising a comprehensive database with the latest road updates, they will help you stay within the speed and keep you driving safely. A speed camera detector device like the award winning Cheetah C550 has over 25,000 possible combinations for the vocal descriptions. And this for every alert so you can set which one you feel most comfortable with. So in what is called the “whisper mode”, the detector won’t alert you if you are within the speed limit. As a driver you will not want to be distracted by constant alerts so this is a welcome option to have at your disposal. Or if you do know the route you regularly take, you can engage cancel mode but won’t be alerted to any cameras.
Reading the display for both initial set up and driving is also very important to get the best out of your mobile speed camera detector. You can adjust the brightness which you will want for driving in dark or night conditions. The distance from the speed camera that the warning alert is triggered can also be varied to suit your speed to allow enough time to correct it.
The best speed camera detector will be able to identify by GPS, all types of fixed cameras. These include Gatso, SPECs, Hadecs, Monitron, Truelvo and others. They will also give you free updates for life so that you don’t have to have a subscription and keep paying to get the latest locations.
How is your mobile speed camera detector mounted?
Many models come with a windscreen or dashboard mount and some you can place above the rear view mirror. The dashboard will be most convenient with those that come with a 12V in car cigarette lighter power cable. This so that you don’t have the lead interfering with your line of vision while charging. A USB cable will also be standard for connection to a computer.
If you are travelling in different territories then it will be crucial that your particular model displays the alerts in either MPH or KPH, dependent on which country or continent you are.
Different types of vehicle
Another very important feature of your GPS speed camera detector is the ability to select what type of vehicle you are driving. On all roads you have different speed limits for the varying types of vehicles and the correct limit needs to be alerted. So if you are driving a truck, motor home, towing a trailer or just a standard car then be sure you have chosen the right vehicle category.
Some top of the range detectors will be able to filter out false alerts that may occur from pedestrian crossing monitors and automatic door sensors. They may also include an HD wide angle dash camera and optional rear view camera which is a great added extra to have. A micro SD card comes with these models to capture the dash cam footage.
Are all cameras switched on?
AS everybody knows, not all cameras are switched on and operating. The best speed camera detector will alert you as to whether the radar is operating and that the camera is live. Often the cameras that are not switched on are prominently placed so they are visible in order to be a deterrent. But there is no way of knowing which are on and which are off so this feature is very useful.
The most important thing is driving safely and within the prescribed speed limits of the road you are on. Observing the rules of the road and with the help of a mobile speed camera detector, you and your fellow citizens will travel safely and experience many years of driving enjoyment.