Each year more than 24 million drivers in the US receive a traffic citation. Frequently changing speed limits, new red-light cameras, and unclear road signs make navigating the streets challenging. Naturally, drivers using radar detectors are (far) less likely to receive tickets. According to a leading online traffic school course provider, the average US driver receives a traffic citation (warnings included) every 3.2 years. With the cost of a citation ranging from $90 to $600, it's easy to see how owning a radar detector can help you save money and time.

Avoiding Future Headaches

If you believe Benjamin Franklin that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure", so do we. Online defensive driving and online traffic school courses give drivers a convenient and cost effective way to keep tickets from showing up on their record and impacting their insurance rates. A radar detector goes a step further in helping drivers avoid hearing those unfortunate words "Do you know why I pulled you over?"

How Defensive Driving For Dummies Works

While the process for taking online defensive driving courses to dismiss a citation can vary from state-to-state, most follow a basic pattern. That is:

Step 1: Go to www.DefensiveDrivingForDummies.com and register for the online course. It's self-paced, allowing you to start and stop at your convenience.

Step 2: Take the course.

Step 3: When you've completed (and passed) the course, you'll receive you're certificate of completion in the mail.

Step 4: Avoid another costly ticket by buying a radar detector from BuyRadarDetectors.com.

Are you Eligible To Take Defensive Driving Online?

While rules for online traffic school eligibility will vary from state to state, most typically use these five factors:

1. You have a valid in-state, non-commercial, drivers license or permit;
2. You have proof of vehicle insurance listing you as the driver;
3. You were not charged with speeding 25 miles, or more, over the limit;
4. You were not ticketed in a construction or school zone;
5. You have not taken (and are not currently attending) a driver safety course to dismiss another ticket.

For more information go to www.DefensiveDrivingForDummies.com or call 1-800-875-4409.

In addition to a touted increase in performance, Cobra claimed improvements to both form factor and ergonomics to increase driver comfort, safety and convenience. The new Vedetta features a 2.4-inch TFT color LCD display mounted on a multi-axis hinge with a ball-socket type suction cup mounting bracket for 270 degrees vertical and 60 degrees horizontal rotation. Traditionally, radar detectors need to be mounted in a central zone on the windshield for optimal performance and detection of radar and laser signals. However, the Vedetta allows you to mount the detector almost anywhere on the windshield or dash of your vehicle and still be effective, according to Cobra.

The Cobra Vedetta also offers an integrated GPS receiver and free, lifetime access to its AURA™ national database of known speed/red-light cameras and speed traps. Other features of the Vendetta radar detectors include backlit touch-sensor controls, IntelliMute™ speed-sensitive muting system, Voice Alert, SmartPower (auto shut off when vehicle ignition is turned off), Signal Strength Meter, 8-Point GPS Compass (available on SLR 600 and SLR 650G), User-selectable Speed Alert, storage for up to 1,000 User-marked locations and IntelliShield™ quad-level False Signal Rejection System.

Cobra calls the Vedetta™ Series "The New Standard in Radar/Laser Detection" and said the new series will be available in the US sometime in the second quarter of 2012. Whether it actually sets such a new standard or not remains to be seen, but when it does arrive we will perform our own benchmarks and post the results right here, on our blog. The suggested retail price is expected to range from $199.95 to $299.95.

Our handy comparison chart includes all the current Escort radar detectors we currently offer, from the high performance, cordless Solo S3 and the in-dash, undetectable 9500ci to the state-of-the-art, compact Passport iQ that looks and feels like a typical GPS device. We organized all models and their features into an easy to read grid for quick and simple comparison between each one.

Whether you need an Escort radar detector with GPS that installs discreetly in your vehicle or one that you can move from one vehicle to another with ease, the Escort Comparison Chart will help you decide which model to choose without having to hunt around the net to find out.

The 2011-2012 Escort Radar Detector Comparison Chart is FREE to download and print at your discretion.

For an even quicker comparison here is a glance at a few selected features of the Escort radar detectors: