New at Reason: Greg Beato on the Radar Detector’s Role in Our Hyper-Surveilled World

May 18, 2011

In the fall and winter of 1961, in the back pages of Popular Science 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, writes Greg Beato, that dynamic remains in place.

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