RADAR DETECTOR USE IN TRUCKS IN 17 STATES

Radar detector use and speeds of large trucks were measured on interstate highways in 17 states throughout the continental United States. Data were collected from a passenger van traveling below the truck speed limit using a "radar detector detector" (RDD) device to determine radar detector use and nondetectable radar to measure speeds. At least 52% of all trucks and 50% of trucks carrying hazardous materials were using radar detectors. Among tractor-semitrailers, at least 59% were using radar detectors with rates ranging from 39% in California to 69% in Oklahoma. Trucks with radar detectros were more likely than those without radar detectors to be traveling at illegal speeds. Overall radar detector use among trucks in these largely midwestern and western states was considerably higher--about one and a half times--than that observed in an earlier study conducted in seven eastern states.