Radar Love: The Changing Status of the Radar Detector in a Hyper-Surveilled World (Columns) (Column‪)‬

IN THE FALL and winter of 1961, in the back pages of Popular Science, Ebony, The Rotarian, and other magazines, a new product began to appear in small display advertisements. "Warning!" its headline advised. "Radar Speed Trap ahead." The photo showed a tiny device, sheathed in a "smart leatherette case," sitting on the dash of a car with a disembodied hand twisting its dial. It was called Radar Gard, retailing for $39.95, and while the device was clearly designed to elude law enforcement officials using radar guns to fine speeders, the ad copy also emphasized its status as a safety device. "Warns you to slow down if you're traveling too fast. Helps prevent accidents by making you more speed-conscious." No doubt such claims didn't pass the smell test for those who prefer zero-tolerance speed limits to technological workarounds. Fifty years later, that dynamic remains in place. "There's no legitimate defense for" radar detectors, an Orlando Sentinel editorial insisted in January 2011. "Radar detectors serve one purpose: To warn speeders about cops ahead so they can slow down and avoid a ticket. And then resume speeding."