Can You Legally Make Your Vehicle Invisible to Radar in Texas

Speed kills. There is no doubt that speed contributes to many fatal auto accidents in Texas. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), speed-related crashes account for one in four fatal crashes.

Even so, some products frequently pop up in forums and online that promise techniques for making your car stealthy or invisible to police radar.

Before we address that issue, it might be a good idea to talk about the most commonly used method to detect police radar-the radar detector. In Texas, radar detectors are not illegal for private vehicle drivers. Only the District of Columbia and Virginia have outlawed radar detectors for passenger vehicles.

It is illegal in Texas to use radar detectors on any commercial vehicle. A radar detector is illegal if the vehicle is being used for business purposes in Texas

Radar detectors are largely ineffective today since most law enforcement agencies use LIDAR. Unlike radar, Lidar uses a small, focused beam of light rather than a wide wave. In addition, interferences like cruise control and lane assist can affect your radar scanner's signal.

For the record, there are radar detector detectors.

Advances in speed detection devices by law enforcement agencies in the US have made escaping detection when speeding is almost impossible.

Even if you could somehow make your vehicle invisible to Lidar or Radar detection, it would be illegal to do so in Texas.

Texas Transportation Code Section 547.613 states that it is unlawful to operate a motor vehicle that is equipped with a device that is intended to interfere with the proper operation of a radar or LIDAR system used by law enforcement to measure the speed of motor vehicles or to use or possess such a device with the intent to violate this provision.

This includes devices plastic license plate covers or sprays designed to defeat photo enforcement.

Stealth works on aircraft because we are talking long distances. The speed detection devices law enforcement agencies use are often less than a mile from the target vehicle. Even with highly expensive radar or lidar-evading tech, chances are you will be detectable at that distance.

Besides, many law enforcement agencies also rely on observation techniques and shadowing a speeding vehicle to get a visual confirmation of speed.

The verdict: some online vendors claim they have products that can make your vehicle "invisible" to police radar. They can't. Save your money because if you intend to exceed legal speeds routinely, you will need it to pay tickets and legal fees.

Even worse, you may need it for your funeral.