By Michael V. Copeland
LAS VEGAS – One thing technology should have nailed by now is evading speed traps set by radar-toting officers. The old days of the “fuzz buster” were a bit hit and miss (just ask my insurance company.) But come on, if we can remotely land and guide a robotic rover on Mars, I should never get a speeding ticket again. And what? You bought that Porsche 911 or that Tesla Roadster so you could drive slowly? I don’t think so.
Sure, there are still a few spots where it’s illegal to use a radar detector, but for those places where it’s within in your driving rights to fight technology with technology, Cobra, that ‘70s brand icon, has some gizmos you might want to consider. I took a peek, while they were setting up their booth today.
Top of the Cobra line is the $259 XRS 9950, which will be available in April. It’s got a 1.5-inch bright organic LED color display, and gives continuous updates on car battery voltage, signal strength and what direction you are headed on a digital compass.
But here’s where it gets very cool. The XRS 9950 has the option of being paired with a GPS locator. Seems like a no-brainer, but in addition to driving directions, Cobra has mapped out the locations in North America where pesky speed and red light cameras are located. Such cameras can’t be detected by some whiz-bang technology, but if you know where they are located relative to your car’s position you can get a warning before you get (yet) another ticket.
Does it work? Standing in the Las Vegas Convention Center at exactly zero MPH it worked fine. But the real test will come on the open road. We’ll let you know as soon as we can get our hands on one, and a driver with a really fast car. Volunteers?