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Is police radar jamming illegal?

Being caught in a speed trap is something many North Carolina drivers want to avoid. Some motorists think they can escape a speeding ticket by installing a jamming device in their vehicle. While approaching police radar, the jammer acts to prevent the radar from registering the vehicle’s speed. However, jammers are not permitted under federal law, so using one is not a wise move and may cause you more trouble than it is worth.

Autoblog explains that radar jammers are illegal because they broadcast on an unauthorized frequency. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) oversees all the frequencies that radar guns use, including radar guns used by law enforcement. Since the FCC does not approve licenses to radar jammers, attempts to use jammers to interfere with police radar are not authorized by law and can subject the user to fines and penalties.

In fact, the FCC goes as far as to ban advertisements for radar jammers. Since the FCC has the authority to regulate the marketing of goods and services, it has the power to halt attempts by individuals and vendors to try to market a jammer. So if you are led to a vendor that offers a radar jammer through an advertisement, know that the ad you read or watched is likely illegal itself.

The consequences of using a jammer to broadcast interference to police radar can be stiff. FCC fines can go up to $50,000 and possibly up to five years in prison. While you may not care for police radar in your neighborhood and the speeding ticket that can result from a speed trap, it is better to contest the ticket in court with a professional traffic violation attorney instead of using illegal means to circumvent the law.

Traffic violations can take many forms. For this reason, do not consider this article as legal counsel for your situation. Only read it as general information on this topic.