SatNav and police radar detector combined

Ok, so I was driving down to the kingdom of Graz today and was very grateful for the warnings given to me by my SatNav of fixed speed radar sites to try and help me fight off the advances of the Austrian treasury.

Shame, thought I, that I don't have a radar detector to help me avoid the buggers sat by the side of the road pointing hair dryer type devices at me.

Anyway, what I was wondering is, does a device exist that combines the two?

I haven't seen one but I would bet that it would be a surefire winner and fly off the shelves of Saturn, Media Markt et al.

Updated, most of the text was missing from original post.

I think they do exist, and even detect radar, lasers, and whatever else the buggers use, but the devices are now illegal to use. You can own them, you just can't use them! In fact I think in DE the law even restricts what your sat nav is allowed to do to warn you of approaching fixed cameras. Of course it knows your speed, and knows the location of fixed cameras, and generally they know the speed limit in any area, but they're not allowed to produce any sort of warning that you're breaking the law.

Radar detectors are illegal in Germany (see § 23 1b StVO).

I have not heard of or seen a combo Satnav/radar detector. TomToms come close as they have the automatic update feature
which can update the maps speedtraps and cameras placement info based on actual semi real time user inputs.

My Tom Tom not only gives an audible warning when I'm approaching a speed camera, it also flashes red on the speed reading when I'm exceeding the posted speed limit.

Likewise in Austria Allers but in Germany it just turns red, unless I havent been past any speed traps in the Fatherland.

You can make it sound any warning noise of your choise. You just have to configure it to sound the alert when you are with-in
100m of the POI. Then when you get near the POI it will sound and flash.

I did only mean fixed ones, like in the overhead gantries, it flashes a speed limit sign and gives a loud warning. You have to tell it to do this in the set up menu though. Obviously it doesn't detect the sneaky mobile ones.

Hmmm, mine does exactly that in Austria, need to find a known speed trap in Germany to test it or need to look at my setup per country perhaps?

But that's not the same as what the OP was talking about, ie. devices that can detect the laser/radar beams on the portable devices and produce enough of a warning so you can slow down. These detecting devices are illegal.

I realise that, I was replying to your statement that "they're not allowed to produce any sort of warning that you're breaking the law." which mine does by flashing red when I exceed the posted speed limit.

The legal status is weird in a way. Surely it is better if somebody detects a speed trap and actually slows down, rather than carry on speeding but getting a ticket from the plod?

It certainly is, but that's the plod. I was pretty sure that it is illegal for these devices to warn you of approaching speed cameras, but maybe that's just BS and it's really only the speed camera detection things.

The warning comes very short time before the device & it warns even if the device is for the traffic in the opposite direction only. The solution is of course not to speed...


The programmed speed limits are not always correct...

Reminds me of the old radar detectors in the U.S. that would go off when you drove by a building with electric doors.

Hey, I have a novel idea! Don't drive more than 5 km over the speed limit. Costs nothing and relieves stress levels. This has worked for me for years.

it is illegal to use the warnings as you drive along

what you are supposed to do is check your route for speed cameras before you set off, then switch off that option

riiiight...

As I turn into an increasingly old git I find the same works for me too

I don't find it does reduce the stress levels, though. Far too many people tailgating you (including driving school and police cars).

Being tailgated isn't stressful though. It's relaxing and brings a smirk at the thought that you're slowing someone down.

Radar/Camera warnings are illegal in Germany, but speed warning is permitted and is available in most mid to top end models.

That's all true but I've noticed that for many Hermanns they're not, in their opinion, tailgating, ie. deliberately driving closely behind in an aggressive manner with the intention of forcing you out of the way ASAP, but that's just the way they drive and they see nothing wrong with it. Coming from the UK I found them insane in my first few years here, and still find it utterly stupid, but I have backed off playing the game you describe, which I call the 'your blood pressure not mine' game as for some they just don't understand that they're doing anything that anybody could think is wrong. Still, you're right that when you get some aggressive little prick caught in your exhaust it's highly amusing to keep him (inevitably) there as long as possible.

Again, my Tom Tom, which is pretty much the basic model, warns when I'm approaching a fixed camera. It's not detecting them, the map software knows that there is a camera there.

No they are not. If they were then all of the radio stations would be in a world of shit every hour when they broadcast their blitz report..
And the various states would also count seeing as many of them announce the presence of speed cameras on many of the autobahns
using huge warning signs. Radar detectors are illegal. But simple telling people where the traps are via word of mouth or pre plotted
as POIs on GPS maps is not illegal.

I have not seen any speed camera warning signs along autobahns in Germany. Common in France and Netherlands.

Rare but exist - such as on the A7 Werratalbrücke Hedemünden...

Doesn't stop the occasional driver[sup]*[/sup] proving that they are "live".

*[sub]Not me...[/sub]

Hey Allers, I updated my TomTom over the weekend and it does indeed make the audible warning and the flashing speed sign when I approach the speed camera on the Irschenberg and one or two others.

I think the reason that I hadn't noticed before is that there are speed cameras about every 3 km in Austria and far less in Germany.

Actually I should probably update mine as well, haven't done for a long while.

Yes they are. See §23 StVO (1b)


I just bought a Falk F10 with that kind of service and there is a warning in the manual that you have to deactivate it in some countries (for example germany) while driving.

So does that mean I have to turn off my radio when I'm driving?

I think you could argue that warnings of radar traps on radio are random (based on information by listeners or based on intentionally vague information by the police) and it would be sheer luck if you get a warning right in the moment when you are approaching a radar trap. That´s a basic difference to SatNav based warnings and therefor it´s okay to treat them different. Next time you get controlled by the police, start a discussion about it - they will gladly explain it to you.

Been stopped a few times recently and the bobbies never asked to see if my SatNav was showing speed traps or not.

Well it would be a bit difficult to prove parked at the side of the road!

Of course they would never explain it that you are not a fault. The explanation of the rules/laws will always be in there favor.

I am confused. Why would, for example, Navigon, advertise that they have radar warners for 26 countries including Germany?


I thought that warnings for speed cameras in fixed and known positions were ok. What Falk, Tom Tom, Navigon are selling is just a static database of coordinates of speed cameras.
Attempting to detect mobile speed cameras, on the other hand, is forbidden

I don't think you can be done for having a list of the location of static cameras, if they could then you could be nicked for having a map with them marked in pencil.

The nav systems get round the law by not detecting the fixed cameras they just warn you when you are approaching a specific geographical location. They would still sound the alert even if the camera was removed.

Systems that actively (ok passively in reality I know) detect the radar and then warn you are 100% illegal to have in your vehicle even if they are disconnected and stored in the boot.

If they stopped you, they probably assumed that it wasn't.

I was waiting for someone to point that out fruit.

The problem was that I got nicked by mobile units pointing guns down the autobahn immediately after or before tunnels where they can hide, the buggers.

Yep, the only thing for them bastards is a radar detector.

Stop speeding before you lose your licence and get stuck in Austria. The horror of it!

Not really.. Newer radar guns, are not really using radar at all.. (Thus shouldn't be call Radar Guns)
Most of them use lasers, aka: LIDAR in which case you will need one of these

I stand corrected. Thanks DK.

I was thinking more along the lines of twin machine guns on the bonnet ( hood ) actually.

It would also have the advantage of clearing away the tide of yellow plated cloggies that are currently responsible for the endless traffic on all roads heading south.

You mean the frowning - smiling faces don't keep you amused?

Nope, 10km signs with a frown and 4km with a smile don't cheer me up at all sadly.

Because people will buy it to use that service, even if it is illegal. It´s not illegal to sell products with that feature. It´s not illegal to use the feature when planning a route. But it is illegal to use it while driving. Of course it is very unlikely that policemen would actually check your satnav... But if they did: the fine would be 75 euros and 4 points in Flensburg.