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My radar detector is a Cobra with laser alert. The owner's manual points out that if the laser is targeted at you, then you're caught. Period. However, it also says that it is capable of picking up reflected laser - meaning that if another car is being targeted, some of the laser will be reflected and scattered, and your radar/laser detector may pickup that scatter and warn you that laser is in use. Apparently, because of the surface angles of the targeted vehicle, not 100% of the outgoing beam is returned to the sending unit, and that part that doesn't return to the sender may be picked up by devices in other vehicles and warn the drivers.

True story that happened to me once. The first radar/laser detector I owned was purchased from a Radio Shack. I think it was whatever their house brand was at the time. Anyway, I'm still in California, and I'm driving along the 118 Freeway in the north San Fernando valley, near Porter Ranch. All of a sudden, my detector lets off a laser warning at full intensity. I'm going about 70-75 in the left hand lane. There are NO cops around. NO overpasses. There is absolutely no reason that I can figure out for why my laser detector should be going off, but there it is, louder than heck. . . . .and yet, I'm not getting pulled over. Finally, the ruckus stops, and I keep cruising along.

A couple of weeks later, I'm out at the Edwards Airforce Base air show, and I get to talking with an F117 pilot. I asked him some kind of general question about the laser targeting system on the plane. He tells me that they sometimes fly training missions in which they cruise above the 118 at 30,000 ft and target cars below with their lasers to see if they can keep the beam on a moving target! Near as I can tell, that's what happened to me that day on the freeway.