Speed Cameras - You are not above the law no matter where you are caught!

Marcus.Aurelius

Head wrote:

If that is directed at me... Yes i have exceeded the speed limits in my life, but i dont now and i that makes a difference to my safety and that safety of my wife and my baby when they are in my car. Also if i crash into someone i hopefully wont do as much damage as i would have at a time when i did exceed the speed limits... If that gives me a high and mighty attitude then so be it.

Mighty Head

Of course it does. :rolleyes: Some people are better off at the speed limit. Do you let other cars pass you where you have sufficient room in which to allow them?

EDIT: its admirable that you drive carefully, but do you drive well and with courtesy to other drivers, that's way more important than doddling along at the limit blocking other cars.

omega man

Head wrote:

If that is directed at me... Yes i have exceeded the speed limits in my life, but i dont now and i that makes a difference to my safety and that safety of my wife and my baby when they are in my car. Also if i crash into someone i hopefully wont do as much damage as i would have at a time when i did exceed the speed limits... If that gives me a high and mighty attitude then so be it.

Theres no point dwelling on if a person used to speed or not in the past, its what people are doing now to improve road safety that matters.

Mighty Head

With all due respect i very much doubt you obey ALL speed limits ALL of the time. I often attempt to keep under in 50KM zones but find it almost impossible as the cars really start to back up behind and then the overtaking procession begins. My wife is the ultimate captain slow but even she will go over the 50/60 limits by 5-10 kmh the odd time. I sometimes think the slogan "speed kills" is a bit too general of a statement, its dangerous excessive speed with poor driving skills that do it really.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Savman wrote:

If it makes you happy to stay under the limit then fair play, you'll never get a speeding fine. But from what I've seen the very people who hold up right lane traffic on motorways and dual carriageways because of their holier-than-thou attitude to speeding, are the very same morons who happily ignore the 50km/hr limit in residential areas. Go figure

Don't confuse people who keep to the speed limit with the tossers who hold up the right hand lanes. If we're keeping to the speed limit we're not holding up any traffic (Not that personally I can see why anybody would want to sit in the right hand lane) And anybody with a positive attitude to speed limits will not then ignore a 50KMH area.


Well said Head. I wish you luck with the tirade this evening and tonight.

ambro25

There's a new type of speed camera currently making great strides in the UK, which makes everyone obey the limit over even extended stretches of motorway: the speed averaging camera.

Garanteed to stop any speed merchants of any ilk (except thieves of course).

Can't understand why they didn't use that type on the M50, as it is an absolute best-fit for the conditions and the purpose... oh, wait... [slaps head]they cost more and they gross less revenue [/slaps head], duh-me!

That's all for now

Ronan H

maoleary wrote:

Do you let other cars pass you where you have sufficient room in which to allow them?

EDIT: its admirable that you drive carefully, but do you drive well and with courtesy to other drivers, that's way more important than doddling along at the limit blocking other cars.

Its not so much a case of me "allowing" people to pass as such. I drive at the speed limits and people pass me when they feel like passing me, whether its on a big straight stretch of straight empty road or on a small twisty road. When they decide to pass is their decision. If i am driving on a road with a 60KMPH speed limit and someone wants to pass then so be it, but im absolutely not going to pull into a hard shoulder to facilitate someone breaking the speed limit. I have a right to drive at the speed limit and if people behind me dont like that then thats not my problem. So when you say "let other cars pass", if you mean pulling into the hard shoulder then NO, unless they are being very wreckless and causing a danger to me, then i would out of common sense but in general i wont pull off the road to let people pass if thats what you mean? If its a big road and the lane is very wide i will drive towards the inside of the lane so as not to hog the whole lane. On the M50 its painful in the extreme to have to drive at 60KMPH for 5 miles but i still do it and i stay in the left lane unless the right hand lane is moving faster which seems to happen occasionally.

And yes i do drive well and with courtesy to others, courtesy to others as i see it though, you might have a different idea of what that is? As for doddling along at the limit, i disagree withyou using that phrase, im not doddling, im simply driving at the speed limit. Its there for a reason and as i said above i have an obligation by law to drive at the speed limit so thats what i do. What goes on behind me is not my problem, if people want to pass they will but i wont facilitate it just because they dont want to obey the speed limit. Actually now that i type more i think that your doddling comment is wrong and unfair to be honest, you shouldnt label driving at the speed limit as doddling and blocking other cars. If that was the case then why would there be any speed limits at all :mad:. The speed limits are there for a reason so to label someone who obeys them as doddling is definitely not a fair comment.

omega man wrote:

With all due respect i very much doubt you obey ALL speed limits ALL of the time. I often attempt to keep under in 50KM zones but find it almost impossible as the cars really start to back up behind and then the overtaking procession begins. My wife is the ultimate captain slow but even she will go over the 50/60 limits by 5-10 kmh the odd time. I sometimes think the slogan "speed kills" is a bit too general of a statement, its dangerous excessive speed with poor driving skills that do it really.

Actually omega man i would say that 95% of the time i do obey ALL the speed limits, much as it pains me sometimes. The times that i dont would probably be if i lose concentration momentarily and drift above it occasionally, in particular on the M50 as its such a painful 5 mile strip at 60KMPH, nobodys perfect, but i do make a good effort. I dont see why thats so hard to believe / accept / whatever...

As you said yourself it is very difficult to drive at 50KMPH when theres a line of traffic behind you, and it has taken me a few months to be dilligent enough to stick at 50KMPH regardless of whats going on behind me. I used to worry about other people behind me and thats when i found it hard to stick to the limits, but i have got over that and now its no bother, and i feel better for it despite the abuse i get from people occasionally. Feck the people behind you, you cant be expected to break the law just to please others and you shouldnt be expected to, again that goes back to peoples bad attitudes and driving habits. An example being maoleary with the doddling comment, just because i drive at the speed limit. This sort of attitude just baffles me. Whats the big deal with just obeying the bloody speed limit... Granted some of them are a bit ridiculous, but as i said in an earlier post, its the best we got for now so we have no choice. Its not up to the average road user to decide on the speed limits so unless they are changed we cant do anything about it...

Not Doddling Head

Ronan H

ambro25 wrote:

oh, wait... [slaps head]they cost more and they gross less revenue [/slaps head], duh-me!

What did i do to deserve a slap?

Slap Head (trying to inject a bit of humour into the thread before he is lynched for obeying the speed limit )

astraboy

What I ment by actual policing head was basically cops on the road. I have no bother with the resources needed being pumped into getting guards out onto the roads in both marked and unmarked vehicles. The cops can then follow someone over the course of a mile or two and look at their driving style, they may warrant a warning, or if they are a complete muppet a court apperance for dangerous driving. Bear in mind that a speed camera(gasto style ones anyway) takes a snapshot of your car going over the limit at one point in time. It does not:

1. Check if your car is stolen
2. Check if your car is roadworthy(not just NCT BTW)
3. check if your car is taxed
4. check if your are weaving in and out of lanes, being agressive causing obstruction of the overtaking lane, to name but a few offences/annoyances.

Basically, speed cameras and enforcement with them have a VERY limited place on our roads. If you are a clown under the limit they are stone useless. A cop on the road on the other hand can use a great human trait, not featured on speed cameras, known as judgement.

Final point of the night:

My sister is in transition year in school. She had to take religious studies as an exam for her Junior cert, and also gets some form of sex education in school this year. Why are the kids, at the ages of 14/15/16 not being thought some road safety, or even proper drivers education? In fairness it would make a massive difference over a few years when these people start out on the road. However, we are stuck with quick fixes like speed cameras that look good on a press release. "Yes we really do give a **** about road safety, heres a Gasto.":rolleyes:

Andrewf20

I think that ultimately the frustration with speed cameras lies in the fact that they can be unfair - that doing 80mph thru a camera on a road with a speed limit of 75mph in good driving conditions may actually be safer than a hairy overtaking manouvre at 50mph on the same road. Ultimetly static speed cameras catch speeding, not necessarily dangerous driving. Sometimes speed limits are too fast!

ambro25

Head wrote:

What did i do to deserve a slap?

...Fixed:

ambro25 wrote:

(...)
oh, wait... [slaps forefront]they cost more and they gross less revenue [/slaps forefront], duh-me!

Edit: I've actually posted this a fair few times already, but it's worth re-iterating that, by way of example, in France wherein speeding used to be considered as entirely acceptable and normal for decades, and wherein changing people's mindsets and behaviours behind the wheel would expectedly take little less than a second Révolution, the situation has been turned on its head literally overnight (2 years, give or take) with a zero-tolerance approach and fairly harsh 'sentences' (points/suspended license/fines) to go with it. Message has been received by the masses loud and clear, and you'll be hard pressed to see anyone speeding over there these days, to the extent that a lot do here. (That said, you don't get done for being 55 km/h instead of 50, or 95 instead of 90 - that's another good use of "judgement").

Marcus.Aurelius

Pulling into the hard shoulder where it is quite large is a courtesy to other drivers. this "I've got the right to drive just like everyone else" is missing the point. You have the right to drive in whatever fashion you see fit. But you have a "duty" to drive with due care and consideration. I've worked with the Florida Highway Patrol years ago as a naturalised citizen and we would issue tickets where people were holding up cars behind. In our county the situation was that poor skilled drivers were not allowing faster traffic to overtake and we had a lot of accidents over a short time and we had to take some action.

I've no problem with people sticking to the limits, but it shouldn't be at the expense of other drivers. Your reason, sounds like vigilantism, commonly expressed by other "go slow" advocates. Trying to prevent others speeding by blocking their advancement is very ignorant. Be careful, I'd be the type of person that writes tickets for such behaviour if its blatant. I'm sure the Gardaí feel the same! What I saw in Fl and what they see here everyday is shocking. (in IRL, Ticket is Driving without reasonable consideration, 2 points & 4 on court, 80 euro fixed fine).

Sorry, but it is another factor in a lot of accidents I've attended. Speeding isn't to blame for all accidents, but discourteous driving by a third party has led to a lot of road rage and a lot of accidents. True, it is not your fault entirely, but you could prevent an accident by allowing others to pass.

Ronan H

maoleary wrote:

Pulling into the hard shoulder where it is quite large is a courtesy to other drivers. this "I've got the right to drive just like everyone else" is missing the point. You have the right to drive in whatever fashion you see fit. But you have a "duty" to drive with due care and consideration. I've worked with the Florida Highway Patrol years ago as a naturalised citizen and we would issue tickets where people were holding up cars behind. In our county the situation was that poor skilled drivers were not allowing faster traffic to overtake and we had a lot of accidents over a short time and we had to take some action.

I've no problem with people sticking to the limits, but it shouldn't be at the expense of other drivers. Your reason, sounds like vigilantism, commonly expressed by other "go slow" advocates. Trying to prevent others speeding by blocking their advancement is very ignorant. Be careful, I'd be the type of person that writes tickets for such behaviour if its blatant. I'm sure the Gardaí feel the same! What I saw in Fl and what they see here everyday is shocking. (in IRL, Ticket is Driving without reasonable consideration, 2 points & 4 on court, 80 euro fixed fine).

Sorry, but it is another factor in a lot of accidents I've attended. Speeding isn't to blame for all accidents, but discourteous driving by a third party has led to a lot of road rage and a lot of accidents. True, it is not your fault entirely, but you could prevent an accident by allowing others to pass.

I actually can not believe what im reading, you are labeling me (again) as a vigilante because i try to stay within the limits of the law, wheres the sense in that? Driving with due care and consideration is driving according to the law, within the speed limits. It absolutely makes NO sense to expect me to move into a hard shoulder (an area which you are not supposed to drive in unless you are broken down, need to use the phone etc...) just to facilitate others who want to drive above the speed limit. I am not trying to block other peoples advancement, im driving a the speed limit, im not trying to be a vigilante or anything else that you feel the need to label me. Again i have to ask, why i am the one being slammed just because i dont want to break the speed limits? I always drive with due care and consideration for other drivers, obviously your opinion of DC&C is different to mine, and thats fine, but labelling me as a vigilante, a go slow advocate and as a person who tried to stop others advancement is not fair. Again ill go back to peoples attitudes, if people didnt have this urge to speed and had a tiny bit of cop on and patience there wouldnt be a problem, but there is, and its people like me that are taking the flack for peoples bad attitudes to driving. And no doubt you will think i am one of those people with a bad attitude to driving after reading this too, but hey, i knew that would happen when i started this thread. It just doesnt make any sense...

Fuming Head :mad:

Marcus.Aurelius

Head wrote:

It absolutely makes NO sense to expect me to move into a hard shoulder just to facilitate others who want to drive above the speed limit.

Vigilante!

Seriously, pull over before you cause an accident.

Did you know that many drivers overtake so that they can see better ahead of them? Do you deny them the right to do this? Sounds like vigilantism! What if they don't feel safe behind you? Maybe you're not a very good driver and they'd rather get ahead so they won't need to worry about you! Also a lot of drivers know the accuracy of speedometers allows them to drive faster without actually breaking the limit in speed gun terms.

If it makes you feel better, the tickets I wrote were all upheld by the judge, and he often upped the fines and added some jail time for the really doddery ones. It worked, the accident rate dropped from that one simple rule, let others pass when you have room to comfortably do so. Are you that important and puffed up with delusions of adequacy that you can't understand the reasoning and let a few fellow drivers overtake?

Seriously Head, get over yourself.

Ronan H

maoleary wrote:

Vigilante!

Seriously, pull over before you cause an accident.

Did you know that many drivers overtake so that they can see better ahead of them? Do you deny them the right to do this? Sounds like vigilantism! What if they don't feel safe behind you? Maybe you're not a very good driver and they'd rather get ahead so they won't need to worry about you!Also a lot of drivers know the accuracy of speedometers allows them to drive faster without actually breaking the limit in speed gun terms.

If it makes you feel better, the tickets I wrote were all upheld by the judge, and he often upped the fines and added some jail time for the really doddery ones. It worked, the accident rate dropped from that one simple rule, let others pass when you have room to comfortably do so. Are you that important and puffed up with delusions of adequacy that you can't understand the reasoning and let a few fellow drivers overtake?

I overtake myself on occasion to get a clearer view ahead of me, particularly if in behind a truck, however, if the truck is already driving at the limit i dont bother, because im going at the highest speed possible anyway, so whats the point. As for your point about the accuracy of speedos, were back to the speed cameras again and away from driving attitudes. I guarantee you that if you came out as a passenger in my car you would agree that i am a safe driver in all areas of my driving (duh, obviously not if theres a queue of people behind me though :rolleyes:) so thats not an issue, thats not why people want to pass me believe me. No doubt because i am driving at the speed limit and they want to go faster they will "think" that im a bad driver holding up the whole road, but i am a safe driver and i definitely dont put people in danger with my driving.

I dunno why i bother wasting my time trying to drive in a reasonable manner. The roads are designed with areas suitable for passing and areas that are not suitable for passing, thats what the different white lines indicate, people just need to have a bit of patience and wait for them. If someone behind me is driving like a lunatic and putting me at risk then i will by all means pull in, but otherwise i dont see why i should, yeah theres a queue of cars behind me but thats life, the speed limit is there for a reason and if its a very low limit then theres obviously people around or its a built up area or theres roadworks etc... Life isnt that short that you have to rush everywhere, the speed limit will go back to normal a few miles up the road probably anyway.

Its clear we will continue to have differing opinions about this indefinitely so theres in point in to'ing and fro'ing all day. This is what Boards.ie is all about, discussion and difference of opinion, and so be it.

Fro'ing Head

PS: In relation to your "Pull over before you cause an accident..." comment, the above is a rare occurrence where theres someone busting to overtake me, generally people just wait until the speed limit increases or the road is bigger, its inly when nutcases are swerving, beeping and flashing me that theres an issue, and in cases like that i will pull in, as ive said numerous times already...

Head

Keith C

Head wrote:

I have a right to drive at the speed limit and if people behind me dont like that then thats not my problem. So when you say "let other cars pass", if you mean pulling into the hard shoulder then NO, unless they are being very wreckless and causing a danger to me,

Vigilantism.................

ambro25

maoleary wrote:

Did you know that many drivers overtake so that they can see better ahead of them? Do you deny them the right to do this? Sounds like vigilantism! What if they don't feel safe behind you? Maybe you're not a very good driver and they'd rather get ahead so they won't need to worry about you! Also a lot of drivers know the accuracy of speedometers allows them to drive faster without actually breaking the limit in speed gun terms.

:eek:

maleary, I've no compunctions in quite clearly stating that you are part of the problem, not of the solution.

Looks to me like you could do with a refresher. the OP has quite clearly stated his case in the context of driving at the speed limit, not at 60 kp/h in a 90 or 100 zone.

If a driver is obeying the speed limit, a following driver should leave a safety distance (anyone know what one these is, in Ireland? ) instead of 'having' to overtake to see better.

Overtaking is the choice of the following driver, who has a duty to the driver he/she follows - the followed driver's duty only extends to providing adequate warning of forthcoming manoeuver (e.g. indicate, and use brakes for braking lights instead of handbrake). Why do you think a collision between two cars driving in the same direction is always deemed to be the fault of the following driver?

What if every driver in a queue of 5 cars all want to be out front to see better ? You'll soon end up with a Canonball Run going 150 kp/h on an N road :rolleyes:

Making a case to the effect that people 'have' to pull over slightly or more into the reservation to be overtaken is very, very bad form. To begin with, the driver (sitting farthest from roadside) may not have a clear line of sight of the reservation over the next few hundreds of meters (bend, car in front, foliage, etc.). Next, the reservation may have bits and bobs over its surface which are difficult to assess at speed, but which could puncture or otherwise jeopardise the car tyres or worse. Finally, anything could happen during the manoeuver, i.e. whilst the car partially engaged on the reservation at 90 or 100 kp/h is sandwiched between the roadside and the overtaking car, which could result in a sideswipe or worse.

Put simply, overtaking should never be attempted if it requires the overtaken car to pull into the reservation, because it means the overtaking driver is either impeded in the oncoming lane, or unable to deport fully into the oncoming lane and complete the manoeuver in a tinmely fashion.

Honestly, maleary, what were you thinking of?

MrPudding

Head wrote:

are caught, thus hopefully getting across the message to more people... Speeding is speeding, as i have said a million times...

I have asked this question a few times on various threads without receiving an answer, perhaps you can answer it.

How do speed traps on a straight and safe peice of the N11 stop people in Donegal from speeding or from taking corners within the speed limit but at inappropriate speeds.

With regards to overtaking for a better view, i will always do it when safe to do so. Even if the vehicle in front is driving at the speed limit I would rather be in front so I have an unrestricted view and can choose my own lines without compromise. But then, I am on a bike so it is a bit easier.

MrP

C_Breeze

Op, its cool dont worry . Instead of moaning I went and bought myself a radar detector which works superbly, so I can speed all i want instead of moaning on threads and cauising you to loose you hair. Just please move out of the way if you see somebody coming up behind you very fast while ur dwadling along. Thanks

NeMiSiS

I would say 90% of the driving I see consists of drivers, driving round 40 - 45 MPH, and less, in convoys , not leaving enough room for people to overtake. When a driver tries to overtake, they generally bunch up, and will not facilitate an overtaking vehicle, these are the so called "safe" drivers.

The same drivers seem not to be able to negotiate any kind of bend, corner, or anything other than a straight road at 30 - 35 MPH (and less), jamming on their brakes right on top of the bend/corner, not accelerating out of it, taking poor/dangerous lines through, and being in an inappropriate gear. When they finally make it round in my opinion barely in control of their car, they accelerate and you are left stuck behind these convoys for another couple of miles, same drivers will accelerate while you overtake them. There is no way they could be in control with the severity of their braking, sometimes for seemingly random things, including oncoming traffic, even on wide roads. This to me is the average Irish driver, totally clueless, anticipating nothing whatsoever, and when someone decides they would rather have this kinda of crap behind them rather than in front they resent that. In fact most of the time, they seem unaware that you are even behind them until you overtake.

There is more reasons to overtake than to simply "go faster".

TK

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

maoleary wrote:

Vigilante!

Seriously, pull over before you cause an accident.

Did you know that many drivers overtake so that they can see better ahead of them? Do you deny them the right to do this?

What utter tripe. Are you seriously suggesting that only the car in front can see the road properly.? If that were the case we'd have an endless stream of overtaking and increasing speed as everyone tries to get in front (racing may be another word for it). Ever hear about leaving a safe distance between you and the car in front? This affords you an adequate view of the road ahead.

If a motorist is driving at the speed limit you cannot honestly expect him/her to pull over to let a speeding, and illegal, driver continue on their merry way.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

C_Breeze wrote:

Instead of moaning I went and bought myself a radar detector which works superbly, so I can speed all i want instead of moaning on threads and cauising you to loose you hair. Just please move out of the way if you see somebody coming up behind you very fast while ur dwadling along.

At first I thought you were serious and I was going to rant about the blatantly illegal nature of your activities...How you are the type of idiot who'll end up killing some innocent motorist or passanger or pedestrian someday...How I will certainly not move out of your way if I am driving at the legal limit for the area...And then I realised that you can't be that big a tosser and that you were using some kind of sarcastic humour to emphasis how ridiculous that kind of attitude would be. Well done I enjoyed the laugh:D

burnedfaceman

does anyone know a figure for how much revenue is taken in for government through speed cameras?

HelterSkelter

Head wrote:

There also seems to be a lot of people who feel hard done by when they are caught, or almost caught in these areas, just because they feel that these areas are easy targets, and that bewilders me immensely. Im not sure what goes on in some peoples heads but if you are caught speeding, AKA breaking the law, then you absolutely deserve to be caught and as for feeling hard done by? Tough sh*t, its totally irrelevant where you are caught speeding, what gives you the right to feel hard done by when you are caught breaking the law?

To the OP, it's illegal to be intoxicated in a public place. How would you feel if the Guards set up outside your local and arrested everyone as they walked home? After all, being intoxicated in a public place, even if you are not causing any trouble, is breaking the law.

franksm

Some thread... the truth's coming out in the wash, eh ?

Just one thing: it's illegal to drive on the hard-shoulder, so anyone "moving over" onto it is in danger of crossing the law never mind hitting a pedestrian, driving over open gratings, etc.

If y'all are saying "move over" in terms of move out of lane 2 and back into lane 1 whenever possible, then yes, that's the law too.

I for one am all for speed-cameras and on-the-spot fines. I would also prefer the police to be given more discretion for "giving out" to people as a good telling off can work wonders. If no-one broke the law, speed cameras would lie idle - that's why they don't phase me.

I'm no angel, but some of the stuff I see happening on the roads makes my hair go white - people can't drive for shyte, and the rest are arrogant & ignorant. Like the Cork-reg Honda Civic I saw this morning in Lucan driving up the bus lane towards Woodies, then breaking the red-light specifically put there for the bus-lane. That's probably just the tip of the iceberg for that tw@t.

HelterSkelter

franksm wrote:

Just one thing: it's illegal to drive on the hard-shoulder, so anyone "moving over" onto it is in danger of crossing the law never mind hitting a pedestrian, driving over open gratings, etc.

Wrong wrong wrong, have a read of the rules of the road. You should move into the hard shoulder if someone wants to pass and it is safe to do so.

Stark

burnedfaceman wrote:

does anyone know a figure for how much revenue is taken in for government through speed cameras?

I'd imagine it's **** all at the moment as we don't have that many speed cameras and their locations are well known.

franksm wrote:

Just one thing: it's illegal to drive on the hard-shoulder, so anyone "moving over" onto it is in danger of crossing the law never mind hitting a pedestrian, driving over open gratings, etc.

If y'all are saying "move over" in terms of move out of lane 2 and back into lane 1 whenever possible, then yes, that's the law too.

Where does it say that?

Last time I checked, it was legal to move into the hard shoulder to allow someone to overtake you.

franksm wrote:

I'm no angel, but some of the stuff I see happening on the roads makes my hair go white - people can't drive for shyte, and the rest are arrogant & ignorant. Like the Cork-reg Honda Civic I saw this morning in Lucan driving up the bus lane towards Woodies, then breaking the red-light specifically put there for the bus-lane. That's probably just the tip of the iceberg for that tw@t.

And is something that won't be picked up by speed cameras. A big problem in the UK is over reliance on speed cameras at the expense of regular traffic policing to pick up on this type of muppetry.

Seth Brundle

franksm wrote:

I'm no angel, but some of the stuff I see happening on the roads makes my hair go white - people can't drive for shyte, and the rest are arrogant & ignorant. Like the Cork-reg Honda Civic I saw this morning in Lucan driving up the bus lane towards Woodies, then breaking the red-light specifically put there for the bus-lane. That's probably just the tip of the iceberg for that [email]tw@t.[/email]

...and what did you do about it?

franksm

HelterSkelter wrote:

Wrong wrong wrong, have a read of the rules of the road. You should move into the hard shoulder if someone wants to pass and it is safe to do so.

You're right, and I apologise. I was thinking of the UK's rules (where I got my license) which specifically deny use of the hard shoulder except in emergencies.

The Irish rules do say:

"If a driver wants to allow a vehicle
behind them to overtake, they may
pull in to the hard shoulder briefly as
long as no pedestrians or cyclists are
already using it and no junctions or
entrances are nearby.
Different rules exist for hard
shoulders on motorways. See
Section 11 for details."

Source: http://www.rsa.ie/Home/upload/File/ROTR_2007.pdf

To be honest, I still wouldn't be inclined to use the hard shoulder unless it was obviously very clear *and* in good condition, which most of them are not.

lintdrummer

Someone said that by putting the cameras up on the M50 "more" motorists will get the message about speeding. Much addition that is. We get the mesage across to thousands of people who are routinely stuck in traffic with zero possibility, let alone intent, to speed.
I agree that the cameras should be on the M50 at the moment, it would be a total danger zone if they weren't, but it's the third world rural roads that really need the attention. Anyone living down the country will understand how infinitely more dangerous those roads are. And, as someone else rightly said, the speed limits on the most dangerous roads in Ireland are always higher than 60km/hr.

HelterSkelter

emmettogara wrote:

Someone said that by putting the cameras up on the M50 "more" motorists will get the message about speeding. Much addition that is. We get the mesage across to thousands of people who are routinely stuck in traffic with zero possibility, let alone intent, to speed.
I agree that the cameras should be on the M50 at the moment, it would be a total danger zone if they weren't, but it's the third world rural roads that really need the attention. Anyone living down the country will understand how infinitely more dangerous those roads are. And, as someone else rightly said, the speed limits on the most dangerous roads in Ireland are always higher than 60km/hr.

Have a look at this for a laugh!

http://www.irishspeedtraps.com/SpeedLimits.aspx

EDIT: A video of a 80kmh rural road http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ofgtw9VkjA

Alun

If a driver wants to allow a vehicle behind them to overtake, they may
pull in to the hard shoulder briefly as long as no pedestrians or cyclists are
already using it and no junctions or entrances are nearby.

Exactly, but it all hinges on the interpretation of "pull in to the hard shoulder briefly". To my mind thos doesn't mean "briefly swerve onto it and continue to drive along it at 100 km/h" it means pull over and stop. AFAIK actually driving on the hard shoulder is still illegal for whatever reason.