Are radar detectors and jammers illegal in Australia?

Is having a radar detector or jammer in your car against the law in Australia? In fact, are radar detectors illegal in Australia, even if they’re not in your car?

Here’s the bottom line: It’s illegal in every state and territory in Australia to use a radar detector or jamming device. In some states it’s also illegal to even own or sell such a thing, and the fines for disobeying these laws are harsh.

In most cases, the legislation covers even having the device in your car, even if it’s not turned on. Or even in your caravan while you tow it. And while not all states ban ownership of a detector if you leave it at home, having a radar detector in your car is against the law where ever you find yourself.

Regardless of anything anybody else tells you, this is the legal viewpoint from which a magistrate will begin, so make of that what you will.

So, with that disclaimer out of the way, what is a radar detector or jammer? Fundamentally, a detector can detect the radar or LIDAR used by police radar units (and mobile speed cameras) and warn the driver via a flashing light and a buzzer, that their speed is being measured.

A radar jammer, meanwhile, came into use by drivers because it sends out its own signal designed to confuse the police radar and render the measurement useless.

It's no accident both these technologies owe a lot to military operations. And while some countries will tolerate private ownership of a signal jammer Australia is not one of them.

Why are radar detectors illegal in Australia? The reason the authorities take such a hard stand against this tech, of course, is that they see your ability to see police radar before it sees you as an attack on road safety. As in, you’ll be more likely to drive faster if you think you can avoid radar detection and the ticket that comes with it.

The cynics among us might also suggest that state governments that have become addicted to the cash that speeding fines generate, don’t wish to see the golden goose murdered by motorists who can fight back.

As a result, these devices have been outlawed for decades in some states while others, WA, for instance, took until 2021 to ban detectors. Which is why, today, anybody advertising detectors for sale is likely to be a Perth based business. But they’re certainly making up for lost time with a fine of $1200 and seven demerit points on your licence.

So what happens if you get caught with a radar detector in Australia? The penalties for having a detector or jammer in your car tend to be pretty harsh and vary from state to state.

Even if you know the answer to the question; are radar detectors legal in QLD, what you mightn’t know is that there’s a huge range of penalties for being caught with one.

For instance, you might receive an on-the-spot fine of $400, or, if the matter is referred to the courts you could be looking at $5750.

In NSW, where detectors have been banned since 1987, there are also hefty financial penalties as well as a massive nine demerit points added to your licence if caught with a detector.

And that’s independent of whether the unit was working at the time or even working at all. Like other states, getting caught will also see the officer confiscate the unit on the spot.

In Vic, the situation is similar with a little extra sting in the tail in that it’s illegal to even possess a radar detector, even if it’s switched off and living in a box under your bed. And you’ll cop a fine of up to $3846 for equipping your bedroom with a detector.

In SA, they really want you to feel bad, because the fine for using a detector is $499 plus a $99 victims-of-crime loading. SA makes the distinction between owning a detector and using one, but both are illegal and you could be stung for both offences if caught with one in your car.

The ACT will issue a $3200 fine for using a detector, while in Tasmania, the fine is $1040. The Northern Territory which, until a few years ago had no upper open-road speed limit, takes a pretty hard line with a $6480 fine which would pay a lot of speeding fines if you were so inclined.

But what’s the reality, do radar detectors work in Australia? They do if you have a unit set to detect the band or frequency that police use in Australia. Modern units will also act as a police radar and laser detector Australia-wide, which, again, is why they’re viewed so dimly.

In the old days, radar detectors would be accidentally set off my all sorts of microwave signals, even including automatically opening shop doors as you passed them.

But how do the police know you’re carrying a detector when they pull you up? Is it really true; can police detect radar detectors?

You bet they can. In fact, they’ll even spot the difference between a jammer and a radar detector meaning there’s really no place to hide.

Even if the speed detector in the oncoming police car hasn’t caught you exceeding the speed limit, the cops will still know there’s a detector on board your car.

Don’t think the authorities aren’t keeping up with trends, either. Right now, all sorts of technology is banned along the same lines, meaning a blanket ban on mobile phone jammers, Wi-Fi jammers and GPS jammers Australia wide.

And who knows where the next generation of police scanner detector technology will lead. The odds are stacked against anybody attempting to use a radar detector or jammer, and really, they have been for many years.