The Escort Radar 9500ix is radar detector with a bit of a twist. It is coupled with a GPS and is the first radar detector to offer artificial intelligence in order to cut down on the number of false alarms. What’s more, it has an updatable Safety Camera Database which contains speed camera, speed trap and red light camera locations across North America.
I must confess to having mixed feelings about radar detectors. If someone drives for a living they serve a very good purpose. I don’t know how things are in the States, but I know from firsthand experience that the men and women in blue play a little dirty when it comes to locations. Speed traps get set up to detect drivers as they pass into areas where speed limits change or at the bottom of long steep hills where your car may gain speed without you realizing it. If you are doing a lot of driving in such a situation, incidental tickets are bound to cut into your bottom line.
On the other hand, speeding kills. There are enough bad drivers on the road as it is and adding speed to stupidity only makes matters worse. Speed cameras and the like are a significant deterrent to speeding, and when you start minimizing risk of detection, that deterrent disappears.
Price: $500 [Escort Radar via Acquire]
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Tags: cars, radar detector, Technology, Transportation
3 responses
Jul 11, 2008 at 2:30 pm
I guess if you’re seriously exceeding speed limits such that you’re going to get high cost tickets, these gadgets would be a necessity. It is a great blend of GPS and Radar Detector technology.
Jul 14, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Whether or not “speeding kills” has been debated for many years. There is evidence that higher speed limits do not always lead to more accidents and therefore fatalities. See http://www.physorg.com/news133455659.html which states that “researchers at Purdue University have determined that raising the speed limit from 65 to 70 on Interstate 65 in Indiana has not increased the probability of fatalities or severe injuries.”
Saying that speed kills sounds good but it is not a cut and dry issue; ask the Germans that drive the Autobahn well over 100 mph on a daily basis.
Aug 9, 2008 at 7:15 pm
Wow, I thought this was going to be a review on the 9500ix, not a commentary on radar detectors. Thanks for nothing…
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