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Operation Slow Down

  • 06-07-2012 9:07am
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 18,272 ✭✭✭✭Atomic Pineapple


    http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0706/operation-slow-down-gets-underway.html
    A 24-hour garda crackdown on speeding gets under way this morning.
    "Operation Slow Down" began at 7am and will continue until 7am tomorrow.

    Gardaí say the operation is designed to raise awareness of the dangers of excessive speed and reduce the number of speed related road crashes, which will save lives and reduce injuries.

    Statistics shows Friday and Saturday are the most dangerous days on the roads, and July and August the peak months for fatal collisions.

    Gardai say a 1% reduction in speed leads to a 4% decrease in fatal crashes.

    Anyone know any more specific details on how they are raising awareness and also how they are making sure to target excessive speed as stated rather than punishing people just going over a stupid limit?


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Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 5,269 ✭✭✭Ardent


    Dunno, but I saw a guard with a speed gun on St Stephens Green this morning. Never seen a guy there before.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,052 ✭✭✭techdiver


    Ardent wrote: »
    Dunno, but I saw a guard with a speed gun on St Stephens Green this morning. Never seen a guy there before.

    Ah yes, St Stephens Green. On par with the back roads of Donegal with regards to danger.

    Same as last weekend, I saw a GoSafe van on Pembroke Road, once again another straight safe road. Along with the continue lazy presence of a Garda with a speed gun at the Point side of the East Link.

    Operation Slow Down, more like Operation Revenue Generation to me.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,375 ✭✭✭fletch


    I got stopped this morning on my bike on the quays for breaking a red light. In fairness to me, I stopped while the light was red but just moved off early before it was green (the sequence had been changed to increase the time between the light turning red in the other direction and the light turning green in my direction so it caught me out). In fairness to the Guard, he just gave me a good telling off and told me to be on my way. :)
    It didn't slow me down though as I had to cycle quicker to make up for the lost time :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,269 ✭✭✭Ardent


    techdiver wrote: »
    Operation Slow Down, more like Operation Revenue Generation to me.

    Ain't that the truth.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,188 ✭✭✭UDP


    draffodx wrote: »
    http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0706/operation-slow-down-gets-underway.html





    Anyone know any more specific details on how they are raising awareness and also how they are making sure to target excessive speed as stated rather than punishing people just going over a stupid limit?
    surely breaking the speed limit is considered excessive speed.

    I assume they are raising awareness by people posting articles on online forums along with it being all over the news etc. For instance I know now that deaths have decreased but injuries have increased and that a 1% decrease in speed can result in a 4% decrease in fatal accidents.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 7,400 ✭✭✭Nonoperational


    Have gotten 4 points and €160 fines in the past few months doing 57 and 58km/hr. It's very hard to take, and neither were even close to being in areas known to be dangerous and neither were areas hilighted on the map on the guarda website.


  • Registered Users Posts: 18,272 ✭✭✭✭Atomic Pineapple


    UDP wrote: »
    surely breaking the speed limit is considered excessive speed.

    I assume they are raising awareness by people posting articles on online forums along with it being all over the news etc. For instance I know now that deaths have decreased but injuries have increased and that a 1% decrease in speed can result in a 4% decrease in fatal accidents.

    I disagree, the speed limits here are not done based on road condition, traffic throughput, time of day, weather conditions, amount of other traffic at the time etc.... all of which are ever changing variables that would both raise and lower an appropriate speed at any given time. With this in mind someone slightly breaking a posted speed limit could not be considered to be excessively speeding by any reasonable person unless the conditions at the time were dire (ice, snow, lots of traffic)

    The vast majority of Irish motorists are also unaware of motoring forums and come tomorrow they todays news and the information it presented will be all but a distant thought.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,141 ✭✭✭Yakuza


    gpf101 wrote: »
    It's very hard to take, and neither were even close to being in areas known to be dangerous and neither were areas hilighted on the map on the guarda website.

    Oddly enough, speed limits apply on areas that aren't on that map too...
    But I agree, getting points for being done at 57/58 (presumably in a 50) is harsh.

    Graduated punishments would be fairer:
    0 points+fine for up to 10% over the posted limit
    2 points+larger fine from 10% to 25% over the posted limit
    6 points+mega fine from 25% to 50% over the posted limit
    50%+ over the limit - automatic ban (12 points)
    (Just postulating a framework, the numbers could be tweaked)

    The cynic in me feels that even if we could all retrofit something to our cars to use GPS or something to prevent our cars exceeding the limits, the Government wouldn't push it as they'd miss the revenue from folks getting done for relatively minor infractions.


  • Registered Users Posts: 420 ✭✭Green Diesel


    techdiver wrote: »
    Ah yes, St Stephens Green. On par with the back roads of Donegal with regards to danger.

    Same as last weekend, I saw a GoSafe van on Pembroke Road, once again another straight safe road. Along with the continue lazy presence of a Garda with a speed gun at the Point side of the East Link.

    Operation Slow Down, more like Operation Revenue Generation to me.

    Prefer to see them in urban areas like that than on motorways to be honest. Might catch the 70kph-in-all-areas drivers.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,385 ✭✭✭Jemmy


    Heard about this last night, on the raod at 7.20am and no sign of anything over a 40km journey to work on main commuter roads! What a surprise :rolleyes:


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,188 ✭✭✭UDP


    gpf101 wrote: »
    Have gotten 4 points and €160 fines in the past few months doing 57 and 58km/hr. It's very hard to take, and neither were even close to being in areas known to be dangerous and neither were areas hilighted on the map on the guarda website.
    So you got got breaking the speed limit twice. Have you learned yet?

    I do agree that points should work on a graduated basis. 1-10km/hr over = 1 point, 10-20km over = 2 points etc..


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 8,723 ✭✭✭nice_guy80


    for example

    In westmeath, Longford, Roscommon, Offaly where I mainly drive the garda traffic corps always have the guns out on long stretches of road with plenty of side verges and no real dangers. or on a long straight road on the way into a town, where people might forget to slow down
    they know people will take advantage of a good road

    same with the speed cameras. located on stretches of road where a fatality happened. HOWEVER. Most of those dangerous stretches have been upgraded and so the road presents a much reduced risk of an accident. the policy is flawed.

    however, you will not see the Gardai out on the bad road, full of bends, with one/two places to pass out. These are the real dangerous roads imho

    more enforcement is the way to go, not cameras and speed guns


  • Registered Users Posts: 18,272 ✭✭✭✭Atomic Pineapple


    Yakuza wrote: »
    Graduated punishments would be fairer:
    0 points+fine for up to 10% over the posted limit
    2 points+larger fine from 10% to 25% over the posted limit
    6 points+mega fine from 25% to 50% over the posted limit
    50%+ over the limit - automatic ban (12 points)
    (Just postulating a framework, the numbers could be tweaked)

    This would be great but only if there was a full assessment of the current speed limits and new speed limits based on the actual road itself rather than the size of the towns it connects. And within that road allow for dynamic changing of the speed limit.

    There's far too many limits in the country that are ridiculous, both high limits on bad road and low limits on good roads.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,993 ✭✭✭Wossack


    didnt see any this morning on my drive to work


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,427 ✭✭✭Heroditas


    Wossack wrote: »
    didnt see any this morning on my drive to work


    Miserable day here in Dublin. You won't seem them out for the rest of the day.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,400 ✭✭✭Nonoperational


    Yakuza wrote: »
    Oddly enough, speed limits apply on areas that aren't on that map too...
    But I agree, getting points for being done at 57/58 (presumably in a 50) is harsh.

    Graduated punishments would be fairer:
    0 points+fine for up to 10% over the posted limit
    2 points+larger fine from 10% to 25% over the posted limit
    6 points+mega fine from 25% to 50% over the posted limit
    50%+ over the limit - automatic ban (12 points)
    (Just postulating a framework, the numbers could be tweaked)

    The cynic in me feels that even if we could all retrofit something to our cars to use GPS or something to prevent our cars exceeding the limits, the Government wouldn't push it as they'd miss the revenue from folks getting done for relatively minor infractions.


    Thank's Mr Obvious. Was done by the vans in areas not marked as being van zones on the map. I know I broke the limit and I have the points. Driving around like a bloody grandmother from now on :mad:


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,188 ✭✭✭UDP


    nice_guy80 wrote: »
    however, you will not see the Gardai out on the bad road, full of bends, with one/two places to pass out. These are the real dangerous roads imho
    i can imagine there are practical and safety issues with catching people on bendy roads with regards catching speeding, catching bad manoveurs and then getting onto the road to chase them down.


  • Registered Users Posts: 17,875 ✭✭✭✭MugMugs


    Did 100Km today and didn't see anything ! :)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 16,805 ✭✭✭✭Gary ITR


    I'll just do all my speeding tomorrow


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,004 ✭✭✭Cassidy28


    MugMugs wrote: »
    Did 100Km today and didn't see anything ! :)

    Same as me, normally I would see a Go safe van or two, but this morning there was absolutely nothing, and actually other people noticed this and the speed being done this morning was some of the worst that I have seen in a long time, or maybe it's something to do with the schools being off, less traffic more speed.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 28,576 ✭✭✭✭_Kaiser_


    Didn't see any in South Dublin this morning either but as above, it's rotten out today so no surprise.

    The Garda they had on the radio was annoying me though advocating everyone to slow down regardless - if its a 100 km/h road and it's safe to do 100, you DO 100.. not 90/80/75. At the very least don't hold up everyone else who doesn't have all day to dawdle behind you.

    As for his "only 6 mins in the difference" argument. That 6 mins could cost you 25-40 mins when you hit traffic in town in rush hour.

    No doubt they'll be all over the main exits out of town later (N-M7/N-M4/N-M3 etc) with people heading home on those oh so dangerous motorways :rolleyes:


  • Registered Users Posts: 11,866 ✭✭✭✭MuppetCheck


    techdiver wrote: »
    Operation Slow Down, more like Operation Revenue Generation to me.

    This operation was announced well in advance. You know what you have to do to avoid a fine and points. If someone choses to ignore the warning it's their own stupidity that's the revenue generator here.

    It's like an exam where you are told whats coming up and study something else completelty.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,141 ✭✭✭Yakuza


    gpf101 wrote: »
    Thank's Mr Obvious. Was done by the vans in areas not marked as being van zones on the map. I know I broke the limit and I have the points. Driving around like a bloody grandmother from now on :mad:

    Don't shoot the messenger, bud. I did say I thought you'd been harshly done by. I was pointing out that just because an area isn't on that map, you're never going to find speed enforcement activity on it. In fact, as I understand things, the private vans work on those maps, the guards can set up checkpoints everywhere else.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,668 ✭✭✭eringobragh


    This operation was announced well in advance. You know what you have to do to avoid a fine and points. If someone choses to ignore the warning it's their own stupidity that's the revenue generator here.

    It's like an exam where you are told whats coming up and study something else completelty.

    There will always be people that will be oblivious to current news...no doubt the 30k zone on the Quays was heavily manned this morning :rolleyes:


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 34,809 ✭✭✭✭smash


    It's raining, there' no way the Garda will be out in that!


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,249 ✭✭✭pippip


    They were on the Blackrock (Dublin) Bypass inbound this morning, across from Frank Keane BMW. High vis jacket and handgun.

    Saw them pulling in an Alfa 159, unfortunate as he must have only been doing about 60 in the 50 zone, definitely wasn't flying.


  • Registered Users Posts: 80,798 ✭✭✭✭Atlantic Dawn


    Spotted 3 of the €307000 a week contract speed vans owned by Fianna Fail supporter Xavier McAuliffes company in the past week in my area, all on wide open roads that were fish in a barrel spots.


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Politics Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 81,310 CMod ✭✭✭✭coffee_cake


    what a nuisance
    guess i'll be going home tonight very very slowly then
    :rolleyes:
    wish they'd have an "operation stop people hogging the overtaking lanes for no reason"


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 7,669 ✭✭✭Colonel Sanders


    Seems to me that in Iteland the only 2 traffic offences enforced are speeding & drink driving. The following are fine 99% of the time (some may not be actual motoring offences but you get the drift)

    - speaking on mobile phone while driving
    - breaking red lights & completely ignoring other traffic signals
    - using indicators optionally
    - parking anywhere as long as you stick your hazards on
    - crawling along a perfectly good, straight 100k N road at 60
    - sitting in the middle lane of a 3 lane road
    - basically being a rubbish driver


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  • Registered Users Posts: 5,141 ✭✭✭Yakuza


    - crawling along a perfectly good, straight 100k N road at 60

    Maybe some of the purchasers of post-'08 diesel scrappage deal slowboxes don't realise that their speedo is now in km/h and they think they're doing 60mph? :)


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