Check your penalty points

Siogfinsceal

Came home on Friday to find a letter saying I had been done for doing 93km in an 80 zone in September at Lucan. Was p*ssed off but I had been in that area at some time in September and then went to write a cheque but realised my licence was in the car.
It was only when I went to get the licence that I realised that I had driven home an entirely different way that night and that the date was wrong. Checked the letter again - the licence plate was wrong. I had sold my old car to my brother a few months before. The police however had still sent the points and letter to me. Thankfully I realised this before filling in my licence details and writing a cheque!
I had not noticed straight away as I got the 2 reg numbers mixed up. (stupid I know!). We checked our paper work at home and we have full documentation to prove that my brother is now the owner of that car.

When my brother rang the police today instead of admitting their mistake and accepting a fax copy of the documents we have they are inisting that he has to ring the reg office in Shannon and get a letter of them so he can send the letter and the notice to the guards - hardly fair now considering it was their mistake !

xzanti

Siogfinsceal wrote:

Came home on Friday to find a letter saying I had been done for doing 93km in an 80 zone in September at Lucan.

I got 2 points at that spot last year.. going under the flyover.. Bast*rds

Guy:Incognito

Siogfinsceal wrote:

- hardly fair now considering it was their mistake !

It may well not be though. I assume the system they use for checking reg's is linked to shannon. If so, it's a problem at shannon as they are supplying the wrong info.

Siogfinsceal

true - it could have been either. Its sorted now we have been onto Shannon who are sending a letter . Just wanted to warn other boardsters to check theirs esp if they have others driving their car or have recently sold it

CLADA

:rolleyes: Is it not your brothers fault?
He of the heavy right foot.

seamus

A far easier solution would be to just fill in the bit for the info of the person who was actually driving at the time.

I'm guessing the mistake occured because it takes a little bit of time between the DOE records being updated, and the Garda records being updated. Them computery thingies are awful complimicated y'know.

goods

how can you find out if you have any points ? do ya ring them up or what

laraido

Not sure where or who you call for your points count, but here's a question. When your licence is out of date do you lose your points when you apply for a new one?

seamus

laraido wrote:

Not sure where or who you call for your points count, but here's a question. When your licence is out of date do you lose your points when you apply for a new one?

No. The points are applied for three years, regardless of how many licences you go through.

koneko

CLADA wrote:

:rolleyes: Is it not your brothers fault?
He of the heavy right foot.

Can't say I blame him. If she's talking about the same Lucan camera I think she is, then it's on a dual carriageway with a lower speedlimit, if you're not familiar with it, it would be easy to get caught there.

Our man in Havana

seamus wrote:

A far easier solution would be to just fill in the bit for the info of the person who was actually driving at the time.

If you are not the registered owner you have no business naming anyone as the driver as you don't know who was driving. The bother could have given the car to someone else.

digweed

Bond-007 wrote:

If you are not the registered owner you have no business naming anyone as the driver as you don't know who was driving. The bother could have given the car to someone else.

But all that they can go by is the info from Shannon which says that you are the reg. owner. Thats why it's so important to fill out the change of ownership form whenever you sell the car, and make sure that you post it yourself and not rely on the new owner to do it. As reg. owner you are legally obliged to say who was driving.

Section 107 Road Traffic Act, 1961.

107.—(1) Where a member of the Garda Síochána alleges to a person using a mechanically propelled vehicle that the member suspects that such person has committed a specified offence under this Act, the member may demand of such person his name and address and may, if such person refuses or fails to give his name and address or gives a name or address which the member has reasonable grounds for believing to be false or misleading, arrest such person without warrant.

(2) Where a member of the Garda Síochána has reasonable grounds for believing that an offence under this Act has been committed and that the vehicle in relation to which the offence was committed does not carry its identification mark under the Roads Act, 1920, or any other enactment, the member may arrest without warrant the person whom he has reasonable grounds for believing was using the vehicle when the offence was so believed to have been committed.

(3) Where a person, when his name and address is demanded of him under this section, refuses or fails to give his name and address or gives a name or address which is false or misleading, such person shall be guilty of an offence.

(4) Where a member of the Garda Síochána has reasonable grounds for believing that there has been an offence under this Act involving the use of a mechanically propelled vehicle—

( a ) the owner of the vehicle shall, if required by the member state whether he was or was not actually using the vehicle at the material time and, if he fails to do so, shall be guilty of an offence,

( b ) if the owner of the vehicle states that he was not actually using it at the material time, he shall give such information as he may be required by the member to give as to the identity of the person who was actually using it at that time and, if he fails to do so, shall be guilty of an offence unless he shows to the satisfaction of the court that he did not know and could not with reasonable diligence have ascertained who that person was,

( c ) any person other than the owner of the vehicle shall, if required by the member, give any information which it is in his power to give and which may lead to the identification of the person who was actually using the vehicle at the material time and, if he fails to do so, shall be guilty of an offence.

(5) A person who is guilty of an offence under this section shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds or, at the discretion of the court, to imprisonment for any term not exceeding three months or to both such fine and such imprisonment.

godtabh

koneko wrote:

Can't say I blame him. If she's talking about the same Lucan camera I think she is, then it's on a dual carriageway with a lower speedlimit, if you're not familiar with it, it would be easy to get caught there.

The fixed camera by the Spa is an 80kph zone and where they hide by the bridge is an 80kph zone (when they arent doing the construction work).

The N4 along Lucan is 80kph for a good part of it

overdriver

I saw a jeep being driven by a guy in his late 50's Saturday night coming back into Dublin along the N4. He was obviously very tipsy, as he weaved briefly into my lane, and as i drew level, he had that hangdog look of the bucked.


There was a speed camera under the bridge manned by two mules, and they must've seen him, because just before the M50 turn-off, a garda car flashed him the blue lights, but it took aged for him to stop...AGES!! It was like those bizarre chases you see on US TV.

So the Gardai aren't a TOTAL waste of space.

Interesting that they had a speed camera just after the fixed one. Hoping to catch all the hoors who speed up after it, I suppose.

Wishbone Ash

goods wrote:

how can you find out if you have any points ? do ya ring them up or what

The law in relation to penalty points (contained in the Road Traffic Act 2002) requires that a notice be issued in all cases where penalty points are to be recorded on a driving licence record. The notice is issued by the Department of Transport - Vehicle Registration Unit.

Mad Finn

laraido wrote:

Not sure where or who you call for your points count

I got a nice letter in the post yesterday informing me that the two points I had collected for going at 50mph in a 30mph dual-carriageway zone three years ago had expired. I only have two now, for going at 103 kph on a dual carriageway where the speed limit was 80kph.

It really brasses me off the way they concentrate on doing people for driving at innocuous speeds on dual carriageways and pretend that they are solving the speeding problem that way.

\m/_(>_<)_\m/

Siogfinsceal wrote:

- hardly fair now considering it was their mistake !

how dare you... just do what they say and count yourself lucky you not put off the road.

Ronan Raver77

I got a letter in the post yesterday confirming my 2 latest penalty points and it also gave me my total penalty points to date...4 and i can tell you now im missing a few points:)
I wont say anything else on the matter..

dos30

Do you actually get told when your pts are being taken off you licence? I have my pts for over 3 yrs now and haven't received anything yet.
Is there any way to check how many you have?

Guy:Incognito

Similar thing happened today. The missus got how to find a fine in the post box for parking on the path. It was from sept 9th tho, in the A class she sold in may.Same mix up as above. She got on to shannon and is getting a letter sent out.

Victor

koneko wrote:

Can't say I blame him. If she's talking about the same Lucan camera I think she is, then it's on a dual carriageway with a lower speedlimit, if you're not familiar with it, it would be easy to get caught there.

I'm not familiar with the speed limit on Eyre Square, can I speed there?

Wibbs

My faith in the Garda traffic policing has been tested in the past. Twice I recieved a summons for two seperate speeding offences. "It's a fair cop gov" you may think. Slight problem, in both examples I was out of the country at the time of the alleged "crimes" and in one case in addition to me being in foriegn climes, the car was sitting in a garage without an engine(head rebuild). You wouldn't believe the crap I got when I pointed this out to the relevant authorities. "Ah sure wouldn't you just pay it, sure it's only 2 points and a few quid" was one classic.

I would advise you check any summons with a fine tooth comb and if there's anything even slightly wrong with it, fight it. My example is not the only one I've seen first hand. For too long we've put up with some fairly slapdash treatment from some sections of law enforcement.

unkel

Wibbs wrote:

You wouldn't believe the crap I got when I pointed this out to the relevant authorities. "Ah sure wouldn't you just pay it, sure it's only 2 points and a few quid" was one classic

Incredible stuff

Do you reckon someone "stole" your reg, Wibbs?

Stephen

Victor wrote:

I'm not familiar with the speed limit on Eyre Square, can I speed there?

:rolleyes:

I hate to use the rolleyes emoticon, but it really suits that post. There is a massive difference between speeding on a dual carriageway and speeding in a city centre, and you bloody well know it.

godtabh

Stephen wrote:

:rolleyes:

I hate to use the rolleyes emoticon, but it really suits that post. There is a massive difference between speeding on a dual carriageway and speeding in a city centre, and you bloody well know it.

Not really in the eyes of the law. Speeding is speeding and can lead to accidents. It doesnt matter if your going 30kph, 50kph or 300kph. Speed limits are there for a reason. We may not like it but you cant just obey the laws your like and the ones you dont like

overdriver

kearnsr wrote:

Not really in the eyes of the law. Money is money .

I fixed that for you.

Wishbone Ash

Wibbs wrote:

I was out of the country at the time of the alleged "crimes"

"Offences"

Victor

Stephen wrote:

:rolleyes: I hate to use the rolleyes emoticon, but it really suits that post. There is a massive difference between speeding on a dual carriageway and speeding in a city centre, and you bloody well know it.

If someone does twice the limit on a dual carriageway (which has some problematic junctions) it is comparable to someone does twice the limit in a city centre.

1st Colt

how long does it take to receive a penalty point in the post after the actual offence ... say if a week or a month passes and none arrives - and if you're a bit over the limit (i.e. I'm only talking no more than 5 - 10 km) and you slow down in time when you see the squad car ... if they don't chase you (!) does it mean you get away scot-free ?!!

cyborg

1st Colt wrote:

how long does it take to receive a penalty point in the post after the actual offence ... say if a week or a month passes and none arrives - and if you're a bit over the limit (i.e. I'm only talking no more than 5 - 10 km) and you slow down in time when you see the squad car ... if they don't chase you (!) does it mean you get away scot-free ?!!

I'd say your caught alright It could take weeks before you get any notice and months before the points are put on your licence. Don't loose any sleep over it it's only a piece of paper :cool:

Fey!

I know that this is OT, but is this "Boards Motors - dig up old threads day"???

Renegade_Archer

I was under the presumption the squad cars(with John Q. Garda pointing a device at you) (as opposed to the gatso vans) used LIDAR, and as such had to stop you to nick you - whereas the fixed and van gatsos just took your picture and the notice arrived in the post later... am I correct?

Mitch Connor

Renegade_Archer wrote:

I was under the presumption the squad cars(with John Q. Garda pointing a device at you) (as opposed to the gatso vans) used LIDAR, and as such had to stop you to nick you - whereas the fixed and van gatsos just took your picture and the notice arrived in the post later... am I correct?

as far as i know, there are a couple of squad cars that have the equipment so they don't have to stop you. There are not many, but they exist, from what i have read on here.

unkel

Fey! wrote:

I know that this is OT, but is this "Boards Motors - dig up old threads day"???

I should hope not! Closed...