Do you remember the compact disc? Just a few decades ago, he revolutionized the world of the music industry. But not only. Very quickly, the automotive world took hold of this very fashionable gadget to equip car radios and replace the traditional cassette. But, strangely, the CD was quickly associated with a strange rumor concerning police road cameras.
To protect themselves from these moving speedometers, some drivers have taken to placing the shiny disc behind the glass in order to deceive the radar beam. A curious practice that quickly spread, especially in Eastern Europe. Myth or reality ?
The CD, big star of the 80s/90s
Insert CD – Source: spm
For the record, the compact disc, abbreviated as CD, was an unprecedented musical phenomenon towards the end of the 20th century. Designed by the giants Sony and Philips, the CDs appeared on the market in 1982 and were first marketed in Japan. The very first of its kind was an album by pianist Billy Joel. He will be closely overlapped by ABBA, the first musical group to record on a CD. The success was dizzying. Audiences of music lovers were seduced by this brilliant little disc: it quickly conquered the market and spread all over the world. The CD then became very popular in the 90s.
Compact disc: revolution in the automotive industry
And of course, other sectors are taking advantage of this unprecedented success to profit from it. Like the automotive industry, which is gradually swapping the cassette player, which has become obsolete, for more modern car radios which incorporate a more efficient system capable of reading these musical discs. Even today, we find this type of reader in cars, although they have in turn been relegated to the background, since the advent of the Internet, Smartphones and USB ports.
But what interests us today is to try to understand what is the relationship between the use of the CD and the famous mobile speedometers, called radars, used by the police to monitor road safety. Why have some drivers got into the habit of placing these discs, shiny side up, behind their windscreen? Where does this amazing practice come from, why did it quickly spread and above all, would it really be founded?
CD protect from police radars? Fact or crazy rumour?
Tarnishing a CD – Source: spm
You should know that the devices of the time sent a beam of microwaves when measuring the speed. By bouncing off the car body, depending on the length differences, the speed of the vehicle could be calculated very quickly. At that time, a rumor swept among motorists: we thought, then, that if the CD was placed behind the glass of the windshield, it was capable of blurring the impact of the beam sent by the radar, and the policeman therefore could not correctly measure the speed of the moving car. In other words, it was an ideal trick to fool the radar and go unnoticed. Myth or a reality?
Some gullible people actually believed that this technique really worked. But let’s be serious, this is just a crazy rumor without any rational basis. CD does not have any property capable of affecting the radar beam in any way. It’s just an ordinary reflective surface, like a piece of metal, glass, or a mirror. Anyone who drives with this disc behind their windshield will certainly not avoid a speeding fine. In truth, if some drivers continue to hang them, especially truckers, it is only for decorative purposes. The shiny appearance of the disc simply provides an entertaining visual touch. Nothing more. Finally, the safest option to avoid getting a fine is to obey the maximum speed limit, for your own safety and that of others.
Read also Why are laptops no longer equipped with CD players? few people know
Via SPM
