ROANOKE TIMES 

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, April 7, 1991                   TAG: 9104090484
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: D-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

RADAR-DETECTOR PROHIBITION IS USELESS

A MARCH 26 editorial stated that Del. William Robinson Jr., D-Norfolk, had "demonstrated utter disdain for the law and for the law-enforcement community" by using a radar detector while driving in Virginia.

This broad condemnation of Del. Robinson was petty and unfair. A minor vehicle-equipment violation hardly constitutes "utter disdain for the law," and I applaud Del. Robinson for his efforts to overturn this useless law.

I have, on countless occasions, observed city, county and state police not wearing seat belts, rolling stop signs, and exceeding posted speed limits in non-emergency situations. These violations are a great deal more severe than the use of a radar detector, a device for which there is no proven negative safety impact. The law-enforcement community creates utter disrespect for itself when it breaks the very laws it is charged with enforcing, and is therefore far more culpable than Del. Robinson.

The bottom line is that Virginia's radar detector law has no substantiated safety benefit. I challenge this paper to prove otherwise before condemning one who chooses to practice such harmless social disobedience. JIM CATES ROANOKE 


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