Seized Cars

Sizzler

From todays Indo....from my own observations the activity listed below has made sod all difference to the amount of LHD's on the road. Was nearly in a head on yesterday as some CLOWN in a Polish reg golf decided it would be a good idea to overtake a cyclist and a car in one go :mad:


ALMOST 1,000 foreign vehicles were seized by the State last year for failure to register them and pay the taxes due.

However, just eight convictions were secured against the offenders, with fines totalling €11,440 imposed.

Figures released to the Irish Independent show that 49 of the 981 seized cars were subsequently scrapped, with a further 655 owners paying €614,810 in taxes and penalties to get their vehicles back.

The remainder were either exported or were deemed to be exempt from Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT).

Each year the Revenue Commissioners launches a National VRT Operation in conjunction with the gardai. They work to target the large number of foreign-registered cars currently in use on Irish roads.

"In addition, the operation provided an opportunity of ensuring that the owners and drivers of such cars who were permanently resident in the State were within the tax net and were tax-compliant," a Revenue spokesman said.

Around 2,200 vehicles were "challenged" over the two-week period, with 14,531 checked across the year.

Many were found to be legitimately registered in another country because they belonged to holiday makers, temporary workers or foreign students.

But many others were owned by Irish residents who were attempting to avoid, or reduce, the amount of VRT they had to pay.

Seth Brundle

Why are you just seemingly concerned about LHDs?
Anyhow, dangerous driving isn't limited to non-Irish licence holders.

Sizzler

kbannon wrote:

Why are you just seemingly concerned about LHDs?
Anyhow, dangerous driving isn't limited to non-Irish licence holders.

Answer to the 1st part, because they are more prevalent and they invariably pose a more obvious risk because of traceability on foreign plates etc etc.

2nd part, couldn't agree more, I was merely giving an example of my experience yesterday.

Seth Brundle

Sizzler wrote:

Answer to the 1st part, because they are more prevalent and they invariably pose a more obvious risk because of traceability on foreign plates etc etc.

That doesn't eplain why you are more concerned about foreign LHDs over foreign RHDs

DonJose

I'm also concerned about the number of LHD cars on the roads here, both Irish reg'ed LHD and mainland European. Many a time I've driven behind one as they were about to overtake. Since they have no direct line of sight with oncoming cars they have to maneuver over the divide before they can even see if its safe to overtake.

DonJose

DonJose wrote:

I'm also concerned about the number of LHD cars on the roads here, both Irish reg'ed LHD and mainland European. Many a time I've driven behind one as they were about to overtake. Since they have no direct line of sight with oncoming cars they have to maneuver over the divide before they can even see if its safe to overtake.

That is more driver behavour than LHD.

JohnCleary

2 lads (one driver seat, the other passenger) in a Polish registered Escort in the car park drinking cans yesterday @ Galway retail park (Headford Road)... Not a bother on them.

I somehow doubt they parked the car up and walked home. Would have reported the feckers if I had my mobile.. Then again I could be wrong, maybe they DID walk home :rolleyes:

Sizzler

kbannon wrote:

That doesn't eplain why you are more concerned about foreign LHDs over foreign RHDs

Havent seen many eastern european RHD's funnily enough

Seth Brundle

No but there are many UK cars over here which I don't really hear people complaining about.

testicle

kbannon wrote:

No but there are many UK cars over here which I don't really hear people complaining about.

Brits Out!

Sizzler

kbannon wrote:

No but there are many UK cars over here which I don't really hear people complaining about.

Probably because A) They arent as numerous as eastern european The driver behaviour is prob no worse or better than ROI cars C) They are probably been driven by Irish people anyway and D) I have yet to hear of car accidents week in week out involving UK Reg'd cars that dont have the neccessary paperwork !

Show me your papers ! LOL

If you gave me a choice of being shunted by a UK Reg car or a LT plate I know which one I'd go for

Jakey

Going on this bit "Many were found to be legitimately registered in another country because they belonged to holiday makers, temporary workers or foreign students.

But many others were owned by Irish residents who were attempting to avoid, or reduce, the amount of VRT they had to pay."

I expect most of the cars caught were English cars driven by Irish residents, its difficult for them to prove a european is permanently resident here.

DublinWriter

OP - funny you mention this, I didn't read the original article, but I've noticed a *big* drop off on the amount of Eastern European cars around in the past two months.

peasant

Jakey wrote:

..... its difficult for them to prove a european is permanently resident here.

AFAIK the shoe is on the other foot.

Customs just "generously" assume that you are a resident and therefore a tax-dodger ...YOU have to prove otherwise.

Sizzler

DublinWriter wrote:

OP - funny you mention this, I didn't read the original article, but I've noticed a *big* drop off on the amount of Eastern European cars around in the past two months.

Interesting comparison in experiences

Same cars in my local area and every trip to the local supermarlet seems to turn up the stereotypical EE Beamer 5 series with blacked out windows :eek:

what_car

Sizzler wrote:

From todays Indo....from my own observations the activity listed below has made sod all difference to the amount of LHD's on the road. Was nearly in a head on yesterday as some CLOWN in a Polish reg golf decided it would be a good idea to overtake a cyclist and a car in one go :mad:


ALMOST 1,000 foreign vehicles were seized by the State last year for failure to register them and pay the taxes due.

However, just eight convictions were secured against the offenders, with fines totalling €11,440 imposed.

Figures released to the Irish Independent show that 49 of the 981 seized cars were subsequently scrapped, with a further 655 owners paying €614,810 in taxes and penalties to get their vehicles back.

The remainder were either exported or were deemed to be exempt from Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT).

Each year the Revenue Commissioners launches a National VRT Operation in conjunction with the gardai. They work to target the large number of foreign-registered cars currently in use on Irish roads.

"In addition, the operation provided an opportunity of ensuring that the owners and drivers of such cars who were permanently resident in the State were within the tax net and were tax-compliant," a Revenue spokesman said.

Around 2,200 vehicles were "challenged" over the two-week period, with 14,531 checked across the year.

Many were found to be legitimately registered in another country because they belonged to holiday makers, temporary workers or foreign students.

But many others were owned by Irish residents who were attempting to avoid, or reduce, the amount of VRT they had to pay.

on the subject of foreign LHD driving like maniacs....

i have seen numerous foreign registered LHD cars, doing take away deliveries,
driving like maniacs.... now im pretty sure that , their insurance would not cover them for hire/reward ( deliverys) in a foreign country??

if they were in a smash their insurance would be void???


i saw the other nite, an eastern reg bmw 740i racing an audi a6 eastern reg also, down a road in an housing estate, on the wrong side of the road, approaching a bend,.......how crazy is this? these idiots need to be put off the road, permanently........

zilog_jones

Sizzler wrote:

Havent seen many eastern european RHD's funnily enough

I've seen at least 2 Japanese imports on Russian plates

snaps

let me put your minds at rest so you can sleep tight tonight........

Nothing is being done about these cars. There are various threads on this board about this. Only action that seems to be taking place is in Dublin. Galway is a "do what you want" city.

Sizzler will tell you that we have been onto Customs time and time again about certain cars that have been here years, boasting about not paying taxes, insurance etc and they have done nothing.

Since begining of december I have been onto my local VRT office possibly 8-10times about one individual who boasts about no insurance, tax on a foriegn EE car. Every time I speak to someone (Who listens to all the details I give, home address, work address, reg number etc) They say they will pass the info on but NOTHING HAPPENS!

Seems we are all being mugged off paying rediculous amounts of VRT on cars when we could just go abroad and bring one back. If we get stopped on the road just put on an accent and play dumb. Seems to be working for a few people I know that have been driving for 2-5 years on a foriegn plated car!!!!

DannyBoy.Lt

what_car wrote:

on the subject of foreign LHD driving like maniacs....

i have seen numerous foreign registered LHD cars, doing take away deliveries,
driving like maniacs.... now im pretty sure that , their insurance would not cover them for hire/reward ( deliverys) in a foreign country??

if they were in a smash their insurance would be void???


i saw the other nite, an eastern reg bmw 740i racing an audi a6 eastern reg also, down a road in an housing estate, on the wrong side of the road, approaching a bend,.......how crazy is this? these idiots need to be put off the road, permanently........

Live in Monaghan, I've had people bump into a back of my car for at least few times past couple of years while waiting for a green light. Non of them had foreign regs. Happened to witness a guy choose a wrong gear and hit a car before him in a tesco car park.

what_car wrote:

these idiots need to be put off the road, permanently........

Yeah, put these idiots of the road.
BTW I'm Lithuanian, drive a IE reg car, insured with axa for a hard earned 2000e, paid my road tax, obey the rules of the road.

We're not that different. Haven't you seen Irish boy racers in action or just lunatics with L signs behind the wheel? Is every car speeding at 160 km/h on the m50 driven by a foreigner? wake up please )))

MAYPOP

DannyBoy.Lt wrote:

We're not that different. Haven't you seen Irish boy racers in action or just lunatics with L signs behind the wheel? Is every car speeding at 160 km/h on the m50 driven by a foreigner? wake up please )))

I agree with you there DannyBoy.Lt. I have driven in Lithuania extensively and the driving standards (and road standards) are generally far better than they are in Ireland.

The Muppet

kbannon wrote:

No but there are many UK cars over here which I don't really hear people complaining about.

Maybe that's becuse the op is genuinely concerned at the increased danger involved in having so many LHD vehicles on our roads and not the nationality of the drivers. I would agree with the op's opinion.

Trying to play the race card is a pretty feeble argument in such instances.

Seth Brundle

I know plenty of people who drive LHD cars and don't crash them. Its usually the driver that crashes the car IIRC. My point was that the original article was about VRT. It was the OP that brought up LHDs whereas I was trying to point out that not all VRT dodgers drove LHDs and not allLHD cars are driven by maniacs.

Where though did I play the race card?

The Muppet

Kbannon wrote:

I know plenty of people who drive LHD cars and don't crash them. Its usually the driver that crashes the car IIRC. My point was that the original article was about VRT. It was the OP that brought up LHDs whereas I was trying to point out that not all VRT dodgers drove LHDs and not allLHD cars are driven by maniacs.

Where though did I play the race card?

Where did I say You played the Race Card ?

Did you read all of the Op post?

I was commenting on this line.

Sizzler wrote:

Was nearly in a head on yesterday as some CLOWN in a Polish reg golf decided it would be a good idea to overtake a cyclist and a car in one go

It's obvious to me that in certain circumstances overtaking while driving a LHD car has the potential to be a lot more dangerous that doing so in a RHD. The nationality of the driver has nothing to do with it so why bring it into the discussion?.

Seth Brundle

Assuming it was referring to me was an easy mistake to make given your post. Anyhow, I didn't say the following:

someone not kbannon wrote:

Was nearly in a head on yesterday as some CLOWN in a Polish reg golf decided it would be a good idea to overtake a cyclist and a car in one go

The Muppet

kbannon wrote:

Assuming it was referring to me was an easy mistake to make given your post. Anyhow, I didn't say the following:

It is a quote from the original post in this thread as I said ,You musn't have read the complete post.

I Just copied and pasted the html quote tags from your quote and forgot to change the name to Sizzler. I have rectified the error.

Seth Brundle

I have read the entire thread and haven't missed anything. My point which seems to get missed is that LHD or RHD is irrelevant when it comes to road safety, its the driver 'controlling' it that poses the risk. How many of the cars referred to in the Indo article were LHD and how many were RHD?
Just because one polish registered car nearly took out the OP does not mean that they all will nor does it mean that all LHD cars are danerous on Irish roads. Similarly there are loads of RHD (Irish and non-Irish registered) cars that perform acts that could end up killing someone.

The Muppet

kbannon wrote:

I have read the entire thread and haven't missed anything. My point which seems to get missed is that LHD or RHD is irrelevant when it comes to road safety, its the driver 'controlling' it that poses the risk.

I dont agree. Overtaking is far more dangerous in a LHD than a RHD irrespective of who is driving it simply because the drivers view ahead is obviosly more obscured in a LHD vehicle.

peasant

The Muppet wrote:

I dont agree. Overtaking is far more dangerous in a LHD than a RHD irrespective of who is driving it simply because the drivers view ahead is obviosly more obscured in a LHD vehicle.

That is not quite true.
I've been driving both LHD and RHD vehicles here for the last nine years.
Overtaking in a LHD while driving as if you were in a RHD ...that's dangerous.
But if you know what you're doing (ie keep your distance to the car in front, peek down the left as well as the right and don't overestimate your acceleration as you have that bit longer to go because of the increased distance) then you can overtake just as safely in a LHD.

snaps

Dont think anybody on this thread is having a pop at where some driver is from. I know a few polish/latvian/lithuanian drivers in IE reg cars now. The main point to this thread is about uninsured/taxed/untraceable foriegn cars on the roads, being either Uk/mainland LHD cars. If an accident happens with a foreign reg car its much harder to trace and track. Uk cars now i think can be checked.I pay a lot of money towards the running of my car and I think that every driver on Irish roads should pay the same as me, within reason. My next door neighbours front part of the house and 2 parked cars were taken out one morning at 2am by a Hungarian reg car last year and he was never traced. I have a UK Licence but my car is an IE reg car. Ok if I am caught speeding I cannot have penalty points added to my licence, but I pay an extra €100 on car insurance per year. I should really exchange my licence for an irish one.

Alun

snaps wrote:

... but I pay an extra €100 on car insurance per year. I should really exchange my licence for an irish one.

Or change your insurance company! Many, including mine, make no distinction between an Irish or any other EU licence, and quite rightly so.

peasant

I should really exchange my licence for an irish one.

Over my dead body. I had to take actual lessons, sit several tests and pay (a lot of) real money to get mine.

Never, ever will I replace it with the meaningless piece of paper they call a licence in these parts.

From my cold, dead hands ...etc