Have you ever been caught speeding?

Dampsquid

I'm driving for just over 2 years, was caught speeding once. 74 mph in a 60 zone. Luckily it was just before penalty points were introduced and it made me slow down alot from then on.

But i've noticed in the last few months that most people are going much faster than they were just after penalty point came in and I find myself doing the same.

So how many times have you been caught speeding?

Mythago

TBH I've been caught 8 times in total! Well 9 but was let off the last time (thank god because it was last march!) Admittedly points have played a major role in this... I intend on getting an '97'ish M3 evo in the next yr or so depending on work & whether or not I buy a feckn house, and insurance is already a bitch:rolleyes: without points upping the ante.

ondafly

just the once here, on the belfast road, 67 in a 60 zone by a camera about 3 years ago. It was a good lesson, learned to slow down after it.

I agree people are going alot faster again, I notice it especially on the Navan road, 30 zone part. I do my 28, and have people tailgating/beeping/ undertaking on the bus lane, because I'm not going fast enough.

Seth Brundle

I haven't yet been caught speeding yet but admit that I do have a fairly heavy foot (often doing 70+ in 40 zones where possible)
I have modified my driving to take account of where I know likely speed traps are found and I usually watch / look at other drivers to see if they are polis and this is possibly why I haven't been caught yet!
I do acknowledge the fact that getting caught is inevitable

tomcosgrave

Out of interest Mythago, how old are you, and how much over the limits were you?

kdevitt

Got done for 51 in a 40 about a year ago - thought I was in a 60 zone, even slowed down cos some guy had his arm out the window of his transit to warn me there was a gatso ahead...:(

It was before the penalty points though...

Borzoi

40mph in a 30 zone a few years back, in some bump on the road village. I had to look up the map to find out where it was when I got the fine.

Moderated my speed, used to be 10mph above the limit alot iof the time, now I'm on it generally speaking (Weather and other conditions permitting)

I used to get annoyed at the real racers, now I couldn't care, they'll get theirs eventually.

Mythago

Out of interest Mythago, how old are you, and how much over the limits were you?

26 at the moment and a rough guide from memory...

47 in a 30
43 in a 30
86 in a 60
84 in a 60
60 in a 50
68 in a 60
41 in a 30
54 in a 40
79 in a 50 (Was thankfully let off on this one!)

I know it's not much of a defence but 6 of these were between 10pm & 6am on very empty wide roads, and the other 3 were daytime offences. But all of them were over the limit and as such fair cops:( Reckon I've financed at least 1 roll of speed camera film:rolleyes:

tomcosgrave

I thought so.

What really bugs me is that you know you're in the wrong.

A 41 in a 30 is understandable, alright ,because some of the 30 zones are frankly silly, but some of those speeds are lunacy. You're one of the folks that I would guess is the reason why insurance for guys is so high.

Mythago, I would politely suggest to you that you hold off on the Evo, as you're probably not fit to drive one - you'd be doing 90 in a 50 zone and a risk for killing someone or being killed yourself. Get a 1 litre car so the chances of this from happening are reduced. Failing that, I hope you're caught and the book is thrown at you, and you get banned.

kbannon, you sound really dangerous. I hope I never encounter you on the road. Likewise, I hope you get caught and banned.

Sorry if you think I'm being harsh or high-minded, but I deeply resent being a driver that does not speed to excess, has never been stopped, has never had an accident and yet I have to pay silly insurance premiums.

Do yourselves and others a favour - slow down.

Seth Brundle

I used the words where possible as I do not htink it is wrong to drive at 70 in a 40 zone if the road is capable of taking it - e.g. Lucan bypass for example. Just because someone is speeding does not make them dangerous!
It all comes down to inappropriate speed and I believe that mine is not inappropriate. - which is worse, 25 going past a school (marked @ 30) or 70 in a 40 zone (which is 3+3 dual carriageway)? (bear in mind that dual carriageways / motorways are the safest roads to drive on)
I would also like to point out that I have never caused an accident.
BTW, tomcosgrave, have you ever exceeded the limit? By how much and how appropriate was it? (ever did 50 in urban traffic?) Get off your high horse!

tomcosgrave

> I used the words where possible as I
> do not htink it is wrong to drive at 70 in > a 40 zone if the road is capable of
> taking it - e.g. Lucan bypass for
> example. Just because someone is
> speeding does not make them
> dangerous!

Let's see you try to handle your car should be lose control of it for some reason. Chances are you'd be killed. Unless you're Juan Pablo Montoya or someone with well above average driving skills, 40 in a 70 is hazardous.

> It all comes down to inappropriate
> speed and I believe that mine is not > inappropriate. - which is worse, 25
> going past a school (marked @ 30)
> or 70 in a 40 zone (which is 3+3 dual > carriageway)? (bear in mind that
> dual carriageways / motorways are > the safest roads to drive on)

Your speeding is beyond in appropriate, in my opinion.

> I would also like to point out that I
> have never caused an accident.

Yet. Just because you've never had an accident doesn't mean you never will. And you will one day if you keep driving at those speeds.

> BTW, tomcosgrave, have you ever
> exceeded the limit?

Yes I have, but only in a couple of places I know well, where the limit is 30. I have exceeded by 10, so that means I've done 40 in those places. But honestly, that's about the size of it.

> (ever did 50 in urban traffic?)

Never. That's asking for trouble.

> Get off your high horse!

I will when people like you learn to drive.

Seth Brundle

Originally posted by tomcosgrave
Let's see you try to handle your car should be lose control of it for some reason. Chances are you'd be killed. Unless you're Juan Pablo Montoya or someone with well above average driving skills, 40 in a 70 is hazardous.

Am I to take it then you do 40mph on the M50?

Your speeding is beyond in appropriate, in my opinion.

Thats your opinion and you are entitled to hold it.

> I would also like to point out that I
> have never caused an accident.
Yet. Just because you've never had an accident doesn't mean you never will. And you will one day if you keep driving at those speeds..

Have you ever been the cause of an accident?

Yes I have, but only in a couple of places I know well, where the limit is 30. I have exceeded by 10, so that means I've done 40 in those places. But honestly, that's about the size of it.

So you admit to speeding in a built up area? tsk tsk
what about on a dual carriageway - you mean to say you are one of the few who always obey the limit?

Turner

Have been caught 3 times. All pre the penalty points scheme.

97 in a 70 zone (heath in portlaoise)
85 in a 70 zone (n4)
89 in a 60 zone (n11)

As for the lucan bypass, during the day I do stick to the stupid 40mph speed limit, after dark though you can speed all you like.

That road is easilly fit for 70mph at night in my opinion, during the day though traffic build ups and the corner do pose a risk. In fact one night a Garda car overtook me on it doing about 110mph.

Since the penalty points have come in I tend only to exceed the speed limit at night on well open roads, motorways or long straights. My 1990 bmw e30 gets kinda noisey too around the 90mph mark so that keeps me under 90 most of the time.

Chief.

Robbo

Been caught twice, thankfully before points came in. Both envelopes arrived on the same day, to the cars owner (my mother). She thought with two registered letters that she'd won the prize bonds...

First time was for 72 in a 50, outside the Spa Hotel in Lucan. Never going to make that mistake again.

The second time was a couple of days later (before the first one arrived in the post) for 72 in a 30. Before I'm pilloried for this one, it's a dual carriageway in Galway which is only a 30 because there's an entrance to a very small housing estate at one end (the opposite to where I was caught). I've never seen anyone below 45 on this road and chances are if you do, someone will drive over the back of you. It was a speed camera van that caught me, parked in a load of bushes on the inside of a gentle right hander.

I was bricking it recently because I thought I was nabbed by a camera on a dual carriageway (currently living in England). Then it was pointed out to me that the speed limit is 70 on most dual carriageways over here. I would have bee around 67 at the time.

What hacked me off about the second one was the sneakiness of it. If they were interested in slowing people down that day, they wouldn't have been sitting a load of bushes like some bad Vietnam film. Over here in England, the local cops are actually interested in slowing people down at actual danger spots. The Northamptonshire police have a website listing all the fixed speed cameras and the routes for the week that they have mobile speed detectors. In addition, they list "red routes" which are dangerous.

tomcosgrave

Am I to take it then you do 40mph on the M50?

Sorry, that was a typo in reply to you initial comment about not thinking it's wrong to driving in 70 in a 40 zone - I think you know it as well :-) I meant to type "70 in a 40".
I don't stay below limits either. 40 in a 70 *is* a hazard, but I don't do it. I don't do 40 on the M50 either, I hold on the limit, which is 70, iirc.

I've never been the cause of an accident.

When I speed in a built up area, I do it on one particular piece of road, and I *never* go above 10mph. The reason I do it, is because the road is on a hill - it's one of those silly 30 mph zones that should be 40.

I do not, and I never have, sped like you. I obey the law, because I've seen what it's like when speed kills - which I was reminded recently - remember those three guys who died two weeks ago? That was right outside my house - their car was wrapped around a lamp post. They were pulling 80 or 90 (in a Micra, the must have been speeding for a long time to build up speed in a small car like that) going down the coast road towards Howth.

Why do you speed so much? Do have some great need to be in a place? What's a few extra minutes in your journey time?

Robbo

Originally posted by Chief---
Since the penalty points have come in I tend only to exceed the speed limit at night on well open roads, motorways or long straights. My 1990 bmw e30 gets kinda noisey too around the 90mph mark so that keeps me under 90 most of the time.

Chief.

Indeed, the wind noise and fuel economy keep me below 85 on the motorways here in my MG ZR.

ando

the thing that gets me pis$ed is them English reg's going 100+ down the new Drogheda by pass, no worries for them, no chance of getting points. Sometimes I feel like pulling over to the fast lane and forcing them to slow down. Whenever you see some car blasting up behind you, its almost definatly a NI car

Turner

For some reason above 30mph there sounds like theres a motorbike right behind me, its not the revs because even in neutral its there.

and back on topic
Cant we just do the same up north ??

mike65

I been done 3 times once was not long after I started driving.
I was doing 40 just inside a 30 zone on the old Kilmeaden Road, then I got done, rightly for doing 62 through Lemybrien. I was in my then new aquisition - a Citroen BX which after the horrid noisy
Escort 1.3 I had fooled me with its hushed diesel engine! The third occasion was doing 35/37-ish along the Clayboy Road, a 30 zone. It seemed a little harsh but there you go....

Mike.

Mythago

Mythago, I would politely suggest to you that you hold off on the Evo, as you're probably not fit to drive one - you'd be doing 90 in a 50 zone and a risk for killing someone or being killed yourself. Get a 1 litre car so the chances of this from happening are reduced. Failing that, I hope you're caught and the book is thrown at you, and you get banned.

Actually 2 of my offences were while driving a 1l diesel (good old TD Charade)! And to add to my somewhat dubious defence: Over a period of 6 years I was a seriously high mileage driver averaging 40k a year (more chance of meeting a speed trap & 3 times the national avg i think), 90% of which was covered within the speed limit. It may sound daft but I'm one of those people who gets caught at everything, tax is 2 days out I get pulled, headlight fails enroute to work I get pulled, guy deals drugs out of similar BMW & I get stopped & searched on roadside:rolleyes:

I don't defend my speeding, on occasion I rush (everyone does) and on many of those occasions I've been pulled. I don't class myself as a dangerous driver, I've never caused an accident, I keep my distance & my car is always roadworthy. I know several people whose behaviour on the road is truly scary who haven't a speeding ticket between them but such is life.

At the moment I drive at most 5mph above the speed limit & have done for 2 yrs, with the exception of my last fine which was in a queue of cars & we were all pulled over & warned.

Whenever you see some car blasting up behind you, its almost definatly a NI car

And it's the other side of the coin across the border:rolleyes:

Will edit any typo's later:D

ArphaRima

Jeez, Tom Cosgrave sounds like the kinda guy who irons his socks, recycles his teabags, and despite being 55, still lives with his overbearing mother.

I've got images of you driving a beat-up punto at 35 mph in the overtaking lane of the M50, wiping the condensation off the windscreen with your tie, while shaking your fist at all the pesky kids who overtake you. Fun.

Silent Bob

Originally posted by fluffer
Jeez, Tom Cosgrave sounds like the kinda guy who irons his socks, recycles his teabags, and despite being 55, still lives with his overbearing mother.

Why? Because he obeys the law?

Why is speeding one of the few areas where we think "well it's OK if I break it a bit"?

It's like mugging someone and saying
"WHAT HAVE YOU GOT?

€20?

I'll just take €5..."

The only reason I can think of is crazy inconsistency in speed limits (some narrow roads are 40mph, even 60mph, and you get new massively wide roads at 30mph).

Personally I don't believe penalty points will achieve anything much more than increasing the money in the coffers of the insurance industry.

Have I travelled over the speed limit? Yup. I try to stick to it as much as possible, but it would seem that sometimes travelling 10mph faster (when it's perfectly safe to do so) can save needless accidents because fewer people perform stupid overtaking maneouvres.

ArphaRima

> Get off your high horse! -I will when people like you learn to drive.

Sorry he's a preacher.

www.tomcosgrave.com

It seems that my statements are accurate except for his age.

"I own a car, pay my taxes" -same line thats used as an an excuse on every bloody radio phone-in talkshow countrywide. "Oi pay moi bleedin' taxes".

Dont know why people are arguing here. Just about everyone has agreed that our speed limits are inappropriate and ill-placed. Also almost everyone claims to not heed the 30mph limits where safe up to 40mph, a 33 % increase. Why do some then decry someone who does 80mph on a motorway? (14% on better roads)

Silent Bob

Originally posted by fluffer
Sorry he's a preacher.

www.tomcosgrave.com

It seems that my statements are accurate except for his age.

Fair enough

RicardoSmith

I got caught once, before the points 40 in a 30 slowing down from a bigger 60 road that changed to the slower limit, unexpectly for me since it was an unfamilar road. That and another "incident" made me realise that if it would drive me nuts if I had to pay even more to the rip off insurance companies if I got done for speeding or even dangerous driving. The later is a pleasent wildcard cops like to throw in, if they are having a bad day. If they do you're screwed for insurance, if you can get it.

These days I'm stuck in traffic all the time and can honestly say I very rarely break the limits. I just chill out with some tunes and I can forget about trying to rush everywhere.

Mind you I was in a very fast car recently (mates) and it made me realise that it would drive me demented to drive such a car around Dublin. Its a horrible city to have to drive around. (from a drivers point of view).

ButcherOfNog

Not yet, driving since 1989 in various cars, some would say a few of them were 'hooligan boy racer' cars, but then those sort of people would wouldn't they? We know where you live :ninja:

tomcosgrave

> irons his socks, recycles his teabags,

Haaa! Genuinely funny. Nothing could be further from the truth.

> and despite being 55, still lives with his overbearing mother.

Eh, not quite. You could try taking 30 years off your estimate of my age for a start.

I wouldn't be seen dead in a Punto, or any Fiat. For the record, I drive a Ford Focus 1.6 hatch - not a slow car. Not the fastest out there mind, but it can hold its own - and seeing as someone mentioned boy racers, it looks far more elegant than some of the souped up junk buckets out there.

Yes, some of the 30mph speed limits are beyond silly, and on one or two roads I will go a few mph over in the interest of making progress and not holding up traffic.

I've not seen one single justification from some of you about why you speed, just a bunch of slagging. Might that be because you can't defend it - because you know what you're doing really can't be justified?

The reason I'm preachy about this is because it's assholes who speed - and then crash - that help to drive insurance premiums through the rough for 20 something guys like myself (and like yourself as well, I'd imagine). Another reason for being preachy is that when people speed, they die - all you have to do is look at the statistics to see how many people who drive at speed end up dead, or end up making someone else dead.

I've asked before and now I'll ask again - why do you speed? What's the point of doing 70mph in a 40 zone? Is it worth the risk of killing yourself or someone else? And the "it won't happen to me" excuse - that's probably what the driver of the car that killed the three lads thought, not to mention all the other drivers who ened up being killed.

And as for doing 35mph in the overtaking lane of the M50, that would be as bad as speeding, and I would hope that such drivers (they do exist, I've seen them) would get points if they got nicked.

If you really, really must speed, go down to Mondello - I believe there are track days down there for people to take their cars on the track to race.

Turner

Just for the record I would like to point out that crashing at 30mph is like dropping your car bonnet first from a 2 storey building. At 60mph its the same as dropping your car bonnet first from an eleven storey building.

Chimaera

@tomcosgrave - speeding is not the biggest cause of accidents on our roads - it's mostly drunk driving or poor overtaking - a quick look through the latest reports on the NRA website will tell you that. I'm utterly sick to the teeth of people bleating on about speed being the biggest killer on our roads, when idiotic driving is causing far more deaths and injuries!!!

Driving at 70mph or 80 mph, or even 90mph, won't necessarily cause you to have an accident, as the 'speeding kills' brigade would have us all believe - it may do in some situations, such as a narrow country lane, where 30mph, or even 20mph is far more appropriate. Yet on motorways and most dual carriageways, 80-100mph can be perfectly safe. It's all a question of what is appropriate for the conditions and the skill of the driver.

If I choose to exceed the speed limit, it is generally because I deem the conditions appropriate to allow me to do so in safety, and I imagine that is the case for many drivers. Of course, I've been silly from time to time, yet I doubt anyone on this forum coud honestly put up their hand and say they haven't. Thankfully, I've been lucky those times, but I've gone away afterwards and thought to myself 'I may not be so lucky next time...'

Let me say this in closing too - I like driving quickly when I can - it's exilharating (sp?) and fun in the right circumstances, and I make no apologies for wanting to drive quickly when I feel it is safe to do so. I imagine there are others on this forum who would feel the same though they may feel intimidated saying so.

I would like to be able to go to a few track days, but they are expensive, and I currently don't have a car to go to them in. Some day maybe......

A parting though - once you are travelling above 30mph and collide with another car travelling at a similar speed, you're more than likely going to be dead anyway - two cars at 30mph meeting head-on is equivalent to hitting a wall at 60mph. Go figure....

Turner

two cars at 30mph meeting head-on is equivalent to hitting a wall at 60mph. Go figure.... [/B]

Not exactly, cars crumple while walls generally dont.

Chief.

Chimaera

To a degree, they do, but it's still going to be a far harder impact than hitting a wall at 30mph.

The point I'm making is that people feel really safe doing 30mph or 40mph when in fact a head on collision with someone doing a similar speed is likely to kill them or leave them very seriously injured.

RicardoSmith

Chimaera - are you saying that you know better than the experts that set the speed limits? Crashing at 30mph its still going to cause a whole heck less damage than at 70 or 100mph. So even though you might be as dead in a crash at 30 as at 70 you have much more potential at 70 to injure/kill many more people no? So basically its a selfish thing to do. People know its a dumb thing to do and still do it. Mainly because they reckon they can get away with it. If they thought they couldn't they wouldn't do it. personally I think its matter of enforcement not of education. since people will always do dumb things even if they know its bad for them.

Chimaera

No - I'm saying that I know well enough how my car behaves at different speeds in varying conditions, that I can make a good judgement of how fast I can safely negotiate a piece of road.

As for 'experts' setting limits - in this country that's an oxymoron. Some limits are sensible and necessary - the urban limit is a prime example. Yet too often it is applied in situations where it is silly, and for some situations it is too high. I would be very happy to see a 20mph daytime limit within 500m of schools, and have it rigidly enforced. Ditto for the 30mph limit in town centres.

The motorway limit should be revised upwards - the only reason we have a 70mph limit is because that's what they use in the UK. The reason the UK have a 70mph limit? It was brought in to save fuel during the 1970's fuel crises, and never reviewed afterwards. Up to that point, there was no speed limit on UK motorways.

So even though you might be as dead in a crash at 30 as at 70 you have much more potential at 70 to injure/kill many more people no?

The other car has the same potential for death/injury as you do. Sure crashing at 70mph does more damage than crashing at 30mph, but that's somewhat beside the point. I'm just trying to debunk the myth that driving slowly is a panacea for elminating road deaths. As long as people drink and drive, or overtake dangerously, etc, we can drive as slow as we want and still be involved in an accident. Once the speeds get above the urban limit, the damage is going to be high, whether we like it or not.

Seth Brundle

Originally posted by RicardoSmith
Chimaera - are you saying that you know better than the experts that set the speed limits?

I would replace the word 'experts' with '3 month old children'. What logic is there to the current speed limits?
Take where I am as an example (Leixlip).
Only recently the main road into the village had 3 different limits on it (a 1/2 mile straight stretch) - 30, 50 & 60, depending on which way you were coming from. They have all now been replaced with a 30mph limit (why 30? - there are 2 entrances along it and therefore could be 50 or 60).
The speed limit from the Foxhunter was increased from 40 to 50 whilst the speed limit from the Newcastle Road was decreased from 60 to 50 - both were sudden and without explanation.
Take the back roads around me - a narrow road barely 2 cars wide is allowed to handle speeds of up to 60mph whilst the aformentioned Lucan bypass is only 2/3rds of that (a 3+3 lane dual carriageway (4+4 if you include bus lanes!).
There are countless other references which could be cited but there is absolutely no logic to them.
The mentality used to decide speed limits is unknown and not based upon engineering factors.

Seth Brundle

further to my last post
1) "If laws are to be respected, they must be worthy of respect."
2) http://www.speedlimit.org.uk/

BrianD3

I used the words where possible as I do not htink it is wrong to drive at 70 in a 40 zone if the road is capable of taking it - e.g. Lucan bypass for example

The mentality used to decide speed limits is unknown and not based upon engineering factors.

Actually, the 40 mph speed limit on the Lucan bypass is spot on and anyone doing 70 mph on that road is a dangerous driver. Just look at the number of dangerous junctions on that road where cars have to pull out into the traffic eg the exit from Liffey Valley, the Texaco garage, the golf club etc.

The Texaco garage is especially dangerous because it's so close to one of the exits off the dual carriageway and in effect you have to cross two lanes of traffic when pulling out.

Just because you see a big wide 3 lane road doesn't mean it should be treated like a motorway as a lot of the people responding to this thread seem to think.

BrianD3

RicardoSmith

I thought the 70mph limit was brought into place in england after some car magazine were using the newly opened M1 to test new cars like the then new Jag at speeds up to 150mph which caused a huge fuss in parliament which had to be seen to be doing something.


The Logic that "I'm saying that I know well enough how my car behaves at different speeds in varying conditions, that I can make a good judgement of how fast I can safely negotiate a piece of road" is fine except that if your allowed to do it then mr baseball cap is also allowed to do it in his max powered old old "one point oh" and he may not be the worlds greatest judge of speed and common sense on the road. So the rule has to be suitable for grannies and inexperience new drivers aswell. So its the lowest common denominator that defines the limits. It also has to be sensible limit for when its raining or its foggy etc.

So the limits are set to cater for the stupid people. I agree that the road markings and limits in this country are very stupid, but just because you don't agree with a rule does that mean you should ignore it or does that mean you should obey it?

As for the damage caused by speed. If everyone drove at 20-30 mph everywhere there would be a drop in road deaths. Would anyone disagree with that? if thats the case then speed HAS to be a fact in accidents and road deaths. If you were allowed to do 70mph everywhere then accidents and deaths would increase no?

BrianD3

I thought the 70mph limit was brought into place in england after some car magazine were using the newly opened M1 to test new cars like the then new Jag at speeds up to 150mph which caused a huge fuss in parliament which had to be seen to be doing something.

You are correct. Car manufacturers such as Jaguar and AC were using the derestricted motorways as test tracks and it caused an outcry. There were also a number of terrible pile ups (mainly in foggy weather) which was another reason for the limit being introduced. Al of this happened in the mid sixties so it wasn't due to the oil crisis because that didn't happen till 1973.

BrianD3

mike65

I thought the 70mph limit was brought into place in england after some car magazine were using the newly opened M1 to test new cars like the then new Jag at speeds up to 150mph which caused a huge fuss in parliament which had to be seen to be doing something.

The car in question was an E-Type which set the world record for longest skid marks, I doubt that entry in the Guiness Book Of Records still stands though! Barbara Castle was the Transport Minister at the time and she introduced max limits on the motorways and also saw the seat belt laws in.

As for the speeding issue all I'll say is this speed does kill but mainly its bad driving thats causing the carnage.

Final thought - I've learned down the years that trying to get from a to b quicker does'nt work, at best you'll arrive 2 or 3 mins earlier but usually you just end up behind the bext slow vehicle a bit quicker or stuck at the next red lights. Then you have to start all over again...pointless really....

Mike.

Mythago

Final thought - I've learned down the years that trying to get from a to b quicker does'nt work, at best you'll arrive 2 or 3 mins earlier but usually you just end up behind the bext slow vehicle a bit quicker or stuck at the next red lights. Then you have to start all over again...pointless really....

Spoken like a true "Old Barge" driver:D

But I do tend to agree with you.... learned that about 4 fines into my dubious record :rolleyes:

rymus

I've been searching for a place to rant.. on the way home from Kenmare today I got my first points (a mixed hurrah). T'was on the Killarney road, I got nicked doing 77mph (even tho my clock said 85ish). Nice €80 fine and those all important insurance stuffing points. It may slow me down, specially on those dual carriageways but it's definately given me a lower tolerance for those bastards that make their living lying in ditches with their little hairdryers. I hope the bollicks gets hit by an 18-wheeler in the very near future.

Yeah it was my fault and perhaps I shouldn't wish harm on the tool that caught me but these things happen. Ohh and to add insult to injury I had to pay the fine at the pig sty in Bandon, adding another 45 mins to my journey home. Rot in that ditch you hairdryer toting garda wannabe sonofabitch!

Silent Bob

Surely driving at an inappropriate speed is bad driving?

Then the message should be "Bad Driving Kills" not "Speeding Kills". A matter of semantics I know, but as my compiler design lecturer said, semantics are important too.

RicardoSmith

Originally posted by Silent Bob
Surely driving at an inappropriate speed is bad driving?

Then the message should be "Bad Driving Kills" not "Speeding Kills". A matter of semantics I know, but as my compiler design lecturer said, semantics are important too.

If there was a lower tolerance for bad driving here by the cops then I think that would improve things. Problem is that that aren't enough cops to do it. Personally I've realised that driving on the roads here is not fun anymore and I think we'll see more track days developing as a result. Which I see as good thing. Though the insurance companies might knock that on the head too by charging too much more insurance to cover such events.

Turner

Aparently Seamus Brennan is going to increase the speed limit on motorways to 120km/hr or 75mph, woohoo about the best thing he has done so far.

I think he should abolish the speed limit on certain motorways in this country (some parts of the m1 for example) as they do in Germany.

Chief.

rymus

Originally posted by Chief---
Aparently Seamus Brennan is going to increase the speed limit on motorways to 120km/hr or 75mph, woohoo about the best thing he has done so far.

Jesus.. it would appear that he has at least one active brain cell then.

seamus

Well, it has to be nice and round. 70 mph == 112kph, so to lower it would lower the m-way speed limit, and there'd be uproar. and since so many speedos only increment in 10's (ie no number beside each '5' mark), it gets moved up to 120kph.

I agree with the statement that speed doesn't necessarily kill. How come the majority of fatal accidents (seem to) take place late at night, on country roads, with no other cars involved? Or on country roads where two cars have crashed head-on? Drink-Driving and piss-poor overtaking. Everybody's speeding, but all it takes is for someone to take their eye off the ball, and in the blink of any eye, 5 people are dead.

I echo Chimeara's statements. I'm a bike driver, so the situation is *slightly* different for me, but the rules are the same. I'll drive above the limit, where I deem it to be safe. If there are any doubts, I don't do it, as simple as that. But no-one's perfect. I've made a few awful manouvers (sp?) in my time. The important things is identifying where you are wrong. When I'm doing something illegal, or something that I shouldn't be doing, I know it. If I'm caught I'll put my hands up, fair cop. What would be more worrying is if someone didn't realise what they are doing is wrong, or even worse, if they don't know why law x exists.

Ireland needs 2 things - better/stricter driver education and much stricter laws, e.g.

• Drink-Driving or Driving without insurance: Lifetime Ban
• Death by dangerous driving: Lifetime Ban + Min. 3 years in prison
• Driving while banned: No of Offences x 3 years in prison i.e. 1st Time; 3 years, 2nd time; 6 years, etc etc

That would be all that's needed imo. Speeding and Dangerous driving are traffic offences, but the above 4 are serious criminal offences against the state.


{edit}For the record, I've never been caught speeding. Only time I've been stopped was breaking an orange light right in front of a bike cop who proceeded to incorrectly state the rules of the road to me. Let me off cos I was on a provisional - didn't mention the full *car* licence tho
Oh, and a quick chat with a female garda who was giving me grief cos she didn't believe me that motorcyclists aren't obliged to carry an insurance cert with them :mad:

Silent Bob

Originally posted by Chief---
I think he should abolish the speed limit on certain motorways in this country (some parts of the m1 for example) as they do in Germany.

Chief.

For a start there are very few autobahn left without a speed limit and for a second I think it would be insance to remove the speed limit, once you do that you will get people travelling upwards of 150mph among people travelling at 80mph and that large difference probably would lead to accidents when there are only two lanes to play with.

The autobahn without speed limits generally have 3 lanes, the outside one being the fastest.

Occidental

Originally posted by seamus
Ireland needs 2 things - better/stricter driver education and much stricter laws, e.g.

• Drink-Driving or Driving without insurance: Lifetime Ban
• Death by dangerous driving: Lifetime Ban + Min. 3 years in prison
• Driving while banned: No of Offences x 3 years in prison i.e. 1st Time; 3 years, 2nd time; 6 years, etc etc

Also add mobile phone users and anyone who believes it's okay to drive while your kids play chasing around the inside of the car. (especially the silly bitch doing 70 on the N6 yesterday, with a toddler lying across the parcel shelf)

the evil belly

that woman should have her kids taken off her. i hate to think how that kid would suffer in a crash or even a sudden sharp stop

have been pulled twice for speeding. first was when i was still stupid and thought i was immortal. got pulled doing 75 in a 60 zone. the nice garda left me off with a warning after telling me what a nice car i had(twas most strange actually considering i was on a provisional licence) second time i was stopped an unmarked car followed me to my friends house at 2 in the morning and wrote me a ticket. it was 40ish in a 30 zone. bastards didn't even have detection equipment they just decided i was going too fast and i was too shocked to argue with them. they even gave my car a once over checking tax, insurance, tyre thread depth and my licence.
both were before points came along and since they have i've stuck to the odd touch of 80mph while overtaking and then back to 60

rymus

Originally posted by the evil belly
i was stopped an unmarked car followed me to my friends house at 2 in the morning and wrote me a ticket. it was 40ish in a 30 zone. bastards didn't even have detection equipment they just decided i was going too fast and i was too shocked to argue with them.

now theres one ticket you definately shouldnt have gotten... smacks of abuse of power tbh

the evil belly

i know that but i was too ****ing amazed to argue and it was hardly worth the effort and hassle to fight it. still it made me see sense and i will admit that i was actually speeding