Stopped by a Garda and warned.... two weeks later a letter with some bad news

KeithMur

Hi,

The two weeks ago I was driving in and around Dublin when I came up to a junction. I new I needed to go right at this junction to get me towards the canal so I took it. Just after I took the corner I realised a sign infront of me saying "No right turn." Damn I thought, thank God no Garda around. But I had looked left and right before I pulled out and hadn't held anyone up behind me who obviously were turning left. With that out of the blue a Garda appeared just 50ft up the road, hiding behind a post box. He flagged me in, so I indicated and pulled in.

He came over, told me I'd taken an illegal right turn. I told him that I had just realised that, I put my hand up and said sorry. Told him not used to the area (a culchie after all) I knew the canal was up to the right and thats where I needed to go. He asked for my licence, which I produced. Address: Westmeath. Is this where you live? Yes I replied. He then told me that I should have taken a turn previous and this would have lead me to the canal. I said I would remember that and it wouldn't happen again. He said then that he'd let me away with a warning and "don't let me see you do it again." I apologied again and he waved me away. Whew I thought!!! Thank God.

Cut to Friday where there was a letter from the Garda saying "illegal right turn... 60euros... 1 penalty point."

FURIOUS

Now i'm not one to try a squirm out of things, but I have to admit I think it is complete bollox.

a) I find it completely disingenuous that he'd lied to me

b) If he was going to issue a fine and a penalty point he should at least told me at the time exactly what he was going to do

I'm sure he got back to the station and didn't have his quota of fines to issue so he looked back at his little black book to see who he let off.

Should the Garda have told me exactly what was going to happen as regards the penalty points and the fine?

Or was he just a lying ****bag?

In this day and age you cannot take anyone's word.

Anyone with similar experiences, don't know if I'm going to contest it, 3 penalty points an awful lot worse than 1, but it just makes me blood boil.

Regards

John R

Your complaint is what exactly?

You made an illegal turn, you got caught.

By your own admission the sign was visible, the fact that you didn''t notice it until you were moving doesn't make it any better. In fact the opposite is true, it shows you were not paying enough attention.

Munurty

I don't know, it's not right of them to tell you one thing and another. If you were going to challenge it you would want to make sure you were going win.
It's probably pissing you off but at the end of the day it's only one measly point

corktina

you donr the crime.....etc...

should the gard not have given you a notice on the spot though? or was there a camera or something?

i wouldnt contest it though......

lau1247

KeithMur wrote:

In this day and age you cannot take anyone's word.

Didn't your mama ever tell you not to trust anybody?
Just kiddin..

Actually yeah it's hard to take anyone's word unless you trust them..
Even so, they will probably screw you over when it comes to money..
I've seen it being done to family member man..
Not cool at all..

in your case.. you made the mistake.. just gotta take it like a man
1 point is better than 3 indeed

mike65

Life is a bitch! You'll just have to take it on the chin.

Mike.

Red Alert

the penalty point will disappear in a few years if you don't blot your copybook again!

johnnyrotten

You were in the wrong by disobeying a rule of the road. You were caught. You got your fine. Pay it and stop the complaining!

ShiverinEskimo

I don't think the OP is giving out about being caught as much about not being informed what was going to happen. He's freely admitted he broke the rules of the road and held his hands up. I think its the issue of the Garda not telling him he would get points/fined is his gripe.

Ham'nd'egger

It might only be a small thing, but when Fianna Fail talked about Zero Tolerance a few years back, this is what it means. It's sorting out small stuff as well as big sh*t on the roads and streets. Bad and all as it sounds, fair play to the Garda for issuing the fine to you, as it means you sure as hell won't do this again, not to mention anybody you tell this tale to (Myself included).

MrPudding

johnnyrotten wrote:

You were in the wrong by disobeying a rule of the road. You were caught. You got your fine. Pay it and stop the complaining!

Try reading his post again. He was told he was being let off with a warning. The basis of his complaintis he was told one thning and then another happened, not that he was caught.

TBH I think this is a fair complaint.

MrP

corktina

MrPudding wrote:

Try reading his post again. He was told he was being let off with a warning. The basis of his complaintis he was told one thning and then another happened, not that he was caught.

TBH I think this is a fair complaint.

MrP

yes I agree...he might have got the wrong idea from the Gard I suppose, but if the Gard intended taking action he would have issued a ticket....put it down to experiance I guess...

Ham'nd'egger

corktina wrote:

yes I agree...he might have got the wrong idea from the Gard I suppose, but if the Gard intended taking action he would have issued a ticket....put it down to experiance I guess...

At the end of the day, he was caught breaking the law by a garda so he gets a fine. Whether the garda said he will let him off or not, he did wrong. I know it sounds harsh, but **** does happen. Granted, I'd be sore as well but move on from it and don't do it again, skin.

Hobart

It's a pain in the ass. But you have no recourse at all, unless you take a case and go to court, which I would not advise doing tbh.

Take your medicine, and try to be more careful.

TBH, I don't know of anybody who has been through a similar experience, but, it might be an idea to start a thread on the legal discussion forum, where you might get a bit more relevant advice. Link => http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=633

Hotblack Desiato

Lucky it wasn't a careless driving charge tbh - the OP either ignored a traffic sign, or failed to see it in plain sight.

Next time it could be a cyclist, motorcyclist or pedestrian that you fail to see.

There are much more serious things than getting a couple of penalty points, just be thankful you didn't cause injury to someone.

As for what a Garda says about being let off - only a tiny fraction of motoring offenders are ever caught in this country, and a good proportion of those get let off for one reason or another. Perhaps he was instructed by a superior officer to prosecute. In any case, having admitted the offence you have no defence.

Victor

Perhaps the Garda was engaged in conflict avoidance? That is, by telling you "he'd let me away with a warning", he'd be avoiding an argument with you about "catching real criminals" etc.

The two weeks ago I was driving in and around Dublin when I came up to a junction. I new I needed to go right at this junction to get me towards the canal so I took it. Just after I took the corner I realised a sign infront of me saying "No right turn." Damn I thought, thank God no Garda around. But I had looked left and right before I pulled out and hadn't held anyone up behind me who obviously were turning left. With that out of the blue a Garda appeared just 50ft up the road, hiding behind a post box. He flagged me in, so I indicated and pulled in.

He came over, told me I'd taken an illegal right turn. I told him that I had just realised that, I put my hand up and said sorry. Told him not used to the area (a culchie after all) I knew the canal was up to the right and thats where I needed to go. He asked for my licence, which I produced. Address: Westmeath. Is this where you live? Yes I replied. He then told me that I should have taken a turn previous and this would have lead me to the canal. I said I would remember that and it wouldn't happen again. He said then that he'd let me away with a warning and "don't let me see you do it again." I apologied again and he waved me away. Whew I thought!!! Thank God.

Cut to Friday where there was a letter from the Garda saying "illegal right turn... 60euros... 1 penalty point."

Erm, your story doesn't quite stack up. How did you notice the sign afteryou took the corner? Were you telling fibs also?

KeithMur

Thanks for the replies Guys,

Dispite what most of you think, I started this thread to see, what should have happened in normal circumstances, i.e. a written ticket. I have no problem taking my medicine. Just the way it has come about.

Victor wrote:

Erm, your story doesn't quite stack up. How did you notice the sign afteryou took the corner? Were you telling fibs also?

KeithMur wrote:

Just after I took the corner I realised a sign infront of me saying "No right turn."

Sorry, I probably could have stated this better, when I was turning right, i.e. crossing the inbound lane, I saw the sign.

TheMonster

In reality you could easily have been done for dangerous driving - Most if not all forbidden right turns have more than one sign before the junction so basically admitted you were driving without due care and attention.

So either you lied to the Garda or don't have enough observation powers to be driving.

ShiverinEskimo

Was he driving without due care and attention or driving dangerously because they are two different charges...

He was driving without due care or attention - and as I've said before the OP freely admits he was in the wrong - He is complaining about not being informed he would be fined - not that he was done for it. Why is everyone expressing their delight at him being done when he freely accepts he was in the wrong...

Hobart

TheMonster wrote:

So either you lied to the Garda or don't have enough observation powers to be driving.

...1 mistake and he is lying to a Guard or is a buffon? I wish I lived in you world of perfection. Cop on FFS. :rolleyes: