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Radar Detector Ontario Rules: Understand the Provincial Restrictions

Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act prohibits driving a vehicle equipped with, carrying or containing a speed-measuring warning device. The statute also gives police search and seizure powers when there are reasonable grounds.

Radar detector Ontario rules are stricter than those in some neighbouring jurisdictions. Section 79 of the Highway Traffic Act defines a speed measuring warning device broadly and bars driving on a highway in a vehicle equipped with, carrying or containing one. The provision allows an officer with reasonable grounds to stop, enter and search the vehicle and seize a device found there.

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Common questions

Questions before you buy

Is a radar detector legal in Ontario?

No. Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act prohibits driving on a highway in a motor vehicle equipped with, carrying or containing a speed measuring warning device.

Can police search a car for a radar detector in Ontario?

Section 79(3) authorizes an officer with reasonable grounds to stop, enter and search a vehicle believed to carry such a device, and to seize one found there.

Does switching off a radar detector make it legal in Ontario?

The statute addresses a vehicle equipped with, carrying or containing the device. Do not assume that turning it off or unplugging it removes the legal issue.

Can I bring a radar detector into Ontario from another province?

Do not carry it in a vehicle travelling on Ontario highways. Check the current statute and seek qualified legal advice if your circumstances are unusual.