problem with the Gardaí

Irish-trucker

Hi ,

I need some advice : i drive a modified car , and have been stopped by the guards on numerous occasions , for nothing in general.
I would like to point out that i'm on my first provisional , a good driver ,and i don't act the muppet when i'm driving before anyone launches into me .

I got a phonecall from a garda liason officer , looking to meet me .
There is a garda in particular who has something against me ,and whenever he stops me , he's saying that there so many different things on the car thats illegal :rolleyes:
Because in all fairness lads im not the only car with tinted windows, 'modified' exhaust, lowered , alloys etc.. so what BEEF has the guard with me .

I'm going to try and point out to him , that i'm not alone in having a modified such and such , and should the guards not have more important issues to deal with ?

Any advice (and if its negative -don't waste your time posting a reply )

Thanks in Advance

Anan1

Hiya,

My advice is most definitely not to do what you are proposing. Although the guard may well just be picking on you, to be quite honest there's not a lot you can do about that. Are the mods to your car actually illegal? If not, there's no need for you to worry. If they are, then the arguments that "everyone else is doing it" and "shouldn't you be investigating serious crime" are utterly irrelevant and will serve only to piss the guards off. In all fairness, I don't expect to get let off speeding tickets because there are murderers and rapists out there.

Henry Ford III

Nothing wrong with modding a car within reason. However what did your insurer have to say about your performance and styling enhancements? How much extra did you pay to cover the increased risk?

I assume you declared everything to them, otherwise your cover may be void.

p.s. Experience suggests a Guard will not contact you directly to meet if everything is in order.

mike65

Do not go into that meeting thinking you can read HIM the riot act. He's the law and you are a youngster in a provisonal on a modded car. Lets face it the odds would be stacked against you! Not fair but real life is like that.

Mike.

TempestSabre

Irish-trucker wrote:

...he's saying that there so many different things on the car thats illegal :rolleyes:

How can anyone comment unless you list what hes complaining about. Have you checked are they legal? How did you check?

Irish-trucker wrote:

im not the only car with tinted windows, 'modified' exhaust, lowered , alloys etc..

Why does that matter. What other people are doing is irrelevent to your situation re: the legality of your mods.

Irish-trucker wrote:

...should the guards not have more important issues to deal with ?

I agree with you they should. But really thats not your problem, it also a argument that you'll never win. So don't waste you time on that one.

Irish-trucker wrote:

Any advice (and if its negative -don't waste your time posting a reply )...

You do know that (pointless) comment will attract negative comments like bees to honey. People will and can post what they like, within the rules. At the end of the day your car mods are legal or they aren't. Its that black and white. Don't worry about anyone else. However if you car is legal and the guard is still giving you grief then thats a different issue. If the mods are illegal then I suspect the guard is giving you fair warning about the mods. Some Guards are not so nice.

Turner

Irish-trucker wrote:

Hi ,

I'm going to try and point out to him , that i'm not alone in having a modified such and such , and should the guards not have more important issues to deal with ?

Thats why they have detectives who investigate rapes, robbery, murder and drugs. The whole reason they have specialised units.

He is a Garda in uniform. What he is doing is exactly his job. So dont say that to him.

Head The Wall

Unless you have a fully licensed driver with you on your first provisional you are also breaking the law. Maybe this is the issue they have with you.

Irish-trucker

Thanks for the comments guys .

Good and bad i appreciate them ..Thanks again for the advice

TempestSabre

BTW why are you called Irish-trucker if you're not?

Our man in Havana

You are not obliged to meet this Garda if you don't want to. Remember your right to silence.

Irish-trucker

TempestSabre wrote:

BTW why are you called Irish-trucker if you're not?

sorry , has no relevance to the thread .

Why are you called TempestSabre :rolleyes:

Guy:Incognito

Bond-007 wrote:

You are not obliged to meet this Garda if you don't want to. Remember your right to silence.

That will probably just provoke them into a more official chat about any illegalities on the car and the driving alone on a provisional issue.

Irish-trucker wrote:

Why are you called TempestSabre :rolleyes:

He carries a big, annoying sword with him everywhere. What's your excuse?

Irish-trucker

I like like trucks ,want to drive one when i leave school - Irish-Trucker ,
Thats my excuse LOL whats yours

Anyway , we'll try keep on topic

stevenmu

Be nice, polite and helpfull. Ask what specifically is wrong with the car, and what laws/regulations determines how it should be. Making it clear that you want to comply with the relevant laws and regulations and are unsure how you currently are not, as opposed to coming off like a snotty kid.

Fey!

It may serve you well to bring a notebook with you. That way, when they make a point to you, write it down so that you can deal with it later. If they ask why you're writing things down or say you don't need to, just say you want to keep note of what things they want you to do so that you don't forget them.

Listen to what they say - nothing annoys a Garda more than someone a lot younger than them interrupting - they'll have a belief in their superiority, and in this case (no offence meant, but you're on a provisional license) they are in the superior position.

Have a list of the mods you've made to the car, where you've gotten them done, and whether or not they affect performance/handling (and if they do, how). That way if they ask you a question, you have an easy reference to the answer.

Try and get a letter/receipt from whoever did your tint showing the tint percentage - some tints are legal and some aren't (the fitter should have been able to tell you when he did it). Try and have something to show the noise level of the exhaust, too.

Bring a copy of your insurance and drivers license.

Don't drive yourself, unless you have a fully licensed driver with you (wouldn't do to be pinched at the meeting, would it???)

How old are you? If you're under 18, have an adult on standby if things start to get rough. Don't bring them in initially - don't antagonise the Gardai under ANY circumstances!

This might all look like overkill, but it's never any harm to be prepared!

Good luck with it, and bear in mind that 90% of the Gardai you encounter will be fairly sound - they'll have been in your shoes at some stage! Don't mention the guy with the set against you - it probably won't help you.

seamus

Irish-trucker wrote:

He must have gotten in touch with this liason lad for i don;t know what , and i'm kinda annoyed about it , because in all fairness lads im not the only car with tinted windows, 'modified' exhaust, lowered , alloys etc.. so what BEEF has the guard with me

If it's the same Garda stopping you, and a liason officer has gotten involved, then I'm guessing it's a smallish town? Perhaps there have been complaints about noise levels? Perhaps some of your mods are actually illegal? It doesn't matter what everyone else is doing, your only concern is that you stay inside the law.

I'm going to try and point out to him , that i'm not alone in having a modified such and such , and should the guards not have more important issues to deal with ?

As pointed out above, terrible idea. It's not constructive, and it's a broken record as far as the Gardai are concerned.

It's illegal for a Garda to question/meet you without your parent/guardian present if you're under 17, but seeing as you have a driving licence, you're obviously older.

MercMad

The other thing to bear in mind is that despite stopping you numerous times, he's actually being lenient with you !

Arranging for a liason officer to talk to you means he is giving you a chance both to air your thoughts and to comply with the law.

He could have been rather more awkward and thrown the proverbial book at you for whatever reason !

skibum

Fey! wrote:

Listen to what they say - nothing annoys a Garda more than someone a lot younger than them interrupting - they'll have a belief in their superiority, and in this case (no offence meant, but you're on a provisional license) they are in the superior position.

Have a list of the mods you've made to the car, where you've gotten them done, and whether or not they affect performance/handling (and if they do, how). That way if they ask you a question, you have an easy reference to the answer.

Try and get a letter/receipt from whoever did your tint showing the tint percentage - some tints are legal and some aren't (the fitter should have been able to tell you when he did it). Try and have something to show the noise level of the exhaust, too.

Bring a copy of your insurance and drivers license.

Don't drive yourself, unless you have a fully licensed driver with you (wouldn't do to be pinched at the meeting, would it???)

How old are you? If you're under 18, have an adult on standby if things start to get rough. Don't bring them in initially - don't antagonise the Gardai under ANY circumstances!

This might all look like overkill, but it's never any harm to be prepared!

Good luck with it, and bear in mind that 90% of the Gardai you encounter will be fairly sound - they'll have been in your shoes at some stage! Don't mention the guy with the set against you - it probably won't help you.

Thats probably the best advice you have and will get.

Also try and find out if the car is "flagged" ie has come to their attention before (probably in the hands of some muppet before you got it)
Most cops were young once and if you don't get up their nose you can hopefully resolve this issue.
Good luck

Irish-trucker

skibum wrote:

find out if the car is "flagged" ie has come to their attention before (probably in the hands of some muppet before you got it)
Most cops were young once and if you don't get up their nose you can hopefully resolve this issue.
Good luck

The car was owned by a muppet before me :rolleyes: so i'd say its 'flagged'

Again , that's a million for the advice , its reassured me a bit about tonight .

Thanks

Exon

"Most cops were young once"

What age were the the once that weren't young born at?

testicle

Exon wrote:

"Most cops were young once"

What age were the the once that weren't young born at?

Everyone knows that there are some cops that came down in the last shower, or were born yesterday!

Savman

Irish-trucker wrote:

Hi ,

I need some advice : i drive a modified polo , and have been stopped by the guards on numerous occasions , for nothing in general.
I would like to point out that i'm on my first provisional , a good driver ,and i don't act the muppet when i'm driving before anyone launches into me .

However today i got a phonecall from a garda liason officer , looking to meet me .
There is a garda in particular who has something against me ,and whenever he stops me , he's saying that there so many different things on the car thats illegal :rolleyes:

He must have gotten in touch with this liason lad for i don;t know what , and i'm kinda annoyed about it , because in all fairness lads im not the only car with tinted windows, 'modified' exhaust, lowered , alloys etc.. so what BEEF has the guard with me .

I'm going to try and point out to him , that i'm not alone in having a modified such and such , and should the guards not have more important issues to deal with ?

Any advice (and if its negative -don't waste your time posting a reply )

Thanks in Advance

Being given the chance to meet with a "liason" can only be a good thing. You could've just received a court summons in the post. I'm not a fan of the Guards but one thing's for sure, if you go in all guns blazing you'll do yourself no favours.

The insurance thing is one to be careful of, if you have mods done to your car and your insurer were'nt fully informed you are basically driving without insurance. I'd guess this is part of the problem, they won't bother chasing you for driving without full licensed driver, its almost too easy and we'd all be in court if that was the case.

Just play nice

Con9903

Declaring window tints, an aftermarket backbox and alloy wheels to an insurance company makes no difference to an insurance policy.
Fey!s advice is spot on. Just keep your mouth shut and listen to what he has to say.

Our man in Havana

Show them you are not a muppet and get them to update pulse to reflect that the car is not owned/driven by a muppet.

TempestSabre

Irish-trucker wrote:

sorry , has no relevance to the thread .

Why are you called TempestSabre :rolleyes:

Just curious. TBH I couldn't think of anything better. Its an aviation reference from a book I was reading at the time.

Let us know how you get on and restore our lost faith in decent guards.

Victor

Irish-trucker wrote:

'modified' exhaust

Some exhausts that were being sold as legal, were actually illegal