For most people, driving the speed limit is just common sense. The safer you drive, the less likely you are to be in an accident. Unfortunately, not everyone feels that way. There are, and will always be, a select group of people who forget that highways are not international speedways.

For these people, avoiding a speeding ticket can be tricky. With the use of radar jammers, however, it is becoming increasingly common for them to avoid being caught. A radar detector jammer scrambles the signals emitted from detector radar devices, allowing the speeder to get away.

Radar jammers, as the name signifies, are compact devices used primarily to scramble detector radar signals, particularly those emanating from speed guns used by policemen. Now that you know, you'll probably ask, "Are they legal?" While purchase of a radar detector jammer is permissible by law, the now amended Communications Act of 1934 clearly stipulates that intentional use of a radar detector jammer will be construed as malicious interference.

Contravention of these laws can invite heavy fines and/or imprisonment. Before investing in a radar jamming unit, it would be advisable to first check state laws governing their ownership and use, as well as the models and types permitted. There are basically two types of car radar jamming devices available; active and passive.

Several models are available with approximately 90% of the models falling within the latter category. Active jammers constitute a mere 10%; however, it is important to note that this type is considered illegal by the US federal government since December 1997.

Since radar jammers are purchased for the purpose of avoiding a speeding ticket, it would only make sense that marketing and advertisements would try to emphasize their effectiveness. What they fail to mention, however, is that passive radar jamming units are only effective within about 100 feet from the speed gun.

Since most people are much farther away when their speeds are recorded, these models are just shy of useless. Illegal active devices are much more effective in preventing your speed from being detected; however, the result can easily be jail time and/or hefty fines, when the unit is discovered. Both active and passive radar detector jammer units can be purchased in today's market, especially online. Active jammers come with hefty price tags, sometimes exceeding $1,500.

So how are police fighting back against this technology? Many policemen and state patrol are now able to detect when radar jammers are being used, and are able to pull a driver over for this. Additionally, the speed guns used nowadays are extremely advanced and much more difficult to jam. For most, testing their unit's effectiveness by speeding past a state patrolman probably doesn't seem like the wisest option.