Garda speed trap at night?

Toon--soldier

hi one of my freinds got pulled for speeding last week the thing was that it was 11 o clock at night on a straight stretch of road doing 70 in a 60 zone(not the pont) it was all pitch black until all off a sudden a blue starts flashin on the other side of the road. long story short the cop had basicly been campin out in the hard shoulder on the road is car with no lights on im just wondering is he allowed to do this?

Anan1

I can't see why he wouldn't be?

Bogger77

Toon--soldier wrote: »

hi one of my freinds got pulled for speeding last week the thing was that it was 11 o clock at night on a straight stretch of road doing 70 in a 60 zone(not the pont) it was all pitch black until all off a sudden a blue starts flashin on the other side of the road. long story short the cop had basicly been campin out in the hard shoulder on the road is car with no lights on im just wondering is he allowed to do this?

one worded reply.

YES.

Einstein

Bogger77 wrote: »

one worded reply.

YES.

indeed, not exactly rocket science. Of course they're allowed!

AckwelFoley

Get one of those speed radar dector thingies.

Works like a charm

No more problems.

.... unless you hit a three at 200mph after ploughing through a group of disabled children

craichoe

Hmm .. dont think so man, their all laser these days, hardly any radar guns left.

The best a detector does is tell you you've been caught.

AckwelFoley

..erm.. sorry.. i mean radar...

digital...

bout.. €249.. in Andorra *cough*

..so im told *cough*

L1011

snyper wrote: »

Get one of those speed radar dector thingies.

Works like a charm

No more problems.

.... unless you hit a three at 200mph after ploughing through a group of disabled children

Or get seen using is, as they are illegal to possess.

Seth Brundle

Toon--soldier wrote: »

hi one of my freinds got pulled for speeding last week the thing was that it was 11 o clock at night on a straight stretch of road doing 70 in a 60 zone(not the pont) it was all pitch black until all off a sudden a blue starts flashin on the other side of the road. long story short the cop had basicly been campin out in the hard shoulder on the road is car with no lights on im just wondering is he allowed to do this?

By that logic, they shouldn't be able to do drink driving checkpoints during the daytime!

RobAMerc

i got done the same way some years back. never saw a thing till the blue lights came on in the hedge.

i think the thing I was really done for was waking him up - but the court summons said speeding.

why would it not be legal ? coz its unfair ?

racso1975

I think the OP may mean because it the Garda car was on the otherside of the road/had his lights off......Not that his mate just got done at night?

Though i may be wrong it would not be the first time

niceirishfella

so, lazer works perfectly at night too?

tell me, can they detect your speed as you drive away from them - let say - as you are driving down the motorway and they are up a slip road with the gun out........and your drving away from them?
Just curious? or do you have to be driving towards them?

Y2J_MUFC

Whats wrong with that? I don't see how it differs from parking a car at night. In fairness, have you ever seen a cop car on the side of the road at night, lit up like a Christmas tree to inform people of their presence while they are pulled over with the camera out the window.... they try the best method to catch people.

AckwelFoley

niceirishfella wrote: »

so, lazer works perfectly at night too?

tell me, can they detect your speed as you drive away from them - let say - as you are driving down the motorway and they are up a slip road with the gun out........and your drving away from them?
Just curious? or do you have to be driving towards them?

Yes.

Or get seen using is, as they are illegal to possess.

Il pass on the information to my friend *cough*

lightening

I reckon the OP's question has been answered by now!

Sully

Your all wrong. Traffic Squad are only allowed work 9-5 and even at that they must display a warning telling drivers they are doing a speed check and to slow down. Garda Ombudsman imo.

Funnily enough I was on a dual carriageway yesterday doing about about 5 over the speed limit and the traffic squad came out behind a parked truck on the other side - pulled out with the blues, I assumed they were gonna join my lane and come up but they didn't in the end.. Odd.

antodeco

Hmm Snyper, Im doing a *cough* college assignment *cough* on these. Whats the story with them?

f22

Saw them on the road outside where I live yesterday evening. Guard hiding behind a tree catching traffic coming off a bend onto large open straight road.

First time I had ever seen them speed check in the dark and I reckon he would have nabbed every second car on that stretch. It's hardly what I would call an accident black spot either.

niceirishfella

snyper wrote: »

Yes.



Il pass on the information to my friend *cough*

Snyper, yes, they can do you driving away from them?
or yes, they can do you driving towards you?

antodeco

niceirishfella wrote: »

Snyper, yes, they can do you driving away from them?
or yes, they can do you driving towards you?

Both! When moving away it simply has a minus at the start. I managed to see one working on an elderly couply as they walked along. Said something like -3 or something!!

Toon--soldier

racso1975 wrote: »

I think the OP may mean because it the Garda car was on the otherside of the road/had his lights off......Not that his mate just got done at night?

Though i may be wrong it would not be the first time

that is my point surely you cant just park on a hard shoulder in the middle of the night with no lights on

D_murph

antodeco wrote: »

Both! When moving away it simply has a minus at the start. I managed to see one working on an elderly couply as they walked along. Said something like -3 or something!!

yep exactly. it does the same on cars except they are moving faster .

laser works by night too and in fact it has greater range due to the fact that it uses infared light reflections to determine a vehicles speed. by day the sun causes interference (even in Ireland ) but by night the gun has less filtering to do.

if youre within a half a mile and speeding when you are targeted by one youre pretty much screwed

AckwelFoley

Traffic Squad are only allowed work 9-5 and even at that they must display a warning telling drivers they are doing a speed check and to slow down

erm.. no

I got done at 7am 3 years back

98mph in a 1997 fiesta.

niceirishfella

antodeco wrote: »

Both! When moving away it simply has a minus at the start. I managed to see one working on an elderly couply as they walked along. Said something like -3 or something!!

good to know.........Thanks Antodeco!

Andrewf20

What road was he nabbed on me wonders. I wouldnt be suprised it its the duel laned N3 from Clonee to past Blanch to the M50. Cop cars seem to spring out from nowhere along there.

Dropping a guy home at 7am one Sunday months ago, coming onto the N4 inside the M50 heading towards Kilmanham, theres a white van with a speed camera out the back, hidding behind a huge pile of old Xmas trees. Almost missed it!

WHITE_P

Its basically an ambush tactic and they do it all the time.

Theres a traffic cop from Boyle, works out of Sligo who parks the unmarked traffic car in farm gates along the N4 and props a bale of hay out of the boot during the day to disguise what he at.

Real peace of scum, must have been a fan of the Dukes of Hazzard when he was a kid, because I heard him give evidence once and it sounded just like an episode of this trash.

D_murph

WHITE_P wrote: »

Its basically an ambush tactic and they do it all the time.

Theres a traffic cop from Boyle, works out of Sligo who parks the unmarked traffic car in farm gates along the N4 and props a bale of hay out of the boot during the day to disguise what he at.

Real peace of scum, must have been a fan of the Dukes of Hazzard when he was a kid, because I heard him give evidence once and it sounded just like an episode of this trash.

i know what you mean. hope he gets a rash from the hay .

main tactic ive seen lately is to hide up a slip road and target cars from the rear as they pass by. very sneaky IMO and at rush hour as well. some poor sod after earning his crust for the day gets an 80 euro fine to take home to feed his kids with instead :mad:

Niall1234

D_murph wrote: »

i know what you mean. hope he gets a rash from the hay .

main tactic ive seen lately is to hide up a slip road and target cars from the rear as they pass by. very sneaky IMO and at rush hour as well. some poor sod after earning his crust for the day gets an 80 euro fine to take home to feed his kids with instead :mad:

I don't care what any "holier than thou" people on this board think, nabbing people for doing 10 or even 20 kph over the limit on a HQDC or Motorway is fish in a barrel without any good reason (except raising money for the Station Christmas party) in my point of view.

If the vast majority of the deaths and crashes happen on bad roads and on accident black spots, then that's where the Gardai should be. Plain and simple.

WHITE_P

Niall1234 wrote: »

I don't care what any "holier than thou" people on this board think, nabbing people for doing 10 or even 20 kph over the limit on a HQDC or Motorway is fish in a barrel without any good reason (except raising money for the Station Christmas party) in my point of view.

If the vast majority of the deaths and crashes happen on bad roads and on accident black spots, then that's where the Gardai should be. Plain and simple.

All traffic cars should be out patrolling, not hidden at the side of the road. However one statistic that suprised me when I did a defensive driving course with Nifast a few years ago, was that most bad accidents happened on good straight roads on bright sunny days, Why !! because people get very relaxed in this situation, stereo on, window down, not really paying attention.
Easy target for nasty traffic cops looking to get as many convictions as possible without actually working too hard.

jmayo

WHITE_P wrote: »

Its basically an ambush tactic and they do it all the time.

Theres a traffic cop from Boyle, works out of Sligo who parks the unmarked traffic car in farm gates along the N4 and props a bale of hay out of the boot during the day to disguise what he at.

Real peace of scum, must have been a fan of the Dukes of Hazzard when he was a kid, because I heard him give evidence once and it sounded just like an episode of this trash.

Hey is he the one that used to hide in the phone box in Castlebaldwin or up on the old road section just out of Castlebadlwin towards Boyle ?

You go past Castlebaldwin towards Boyle, around the first sweeeping corner and he is parked on the old road looking down on you.
Often thought it would be funny to get the phone number and start phoning him while he is at phone box

There also used to be motorbike cop parked beside tractor garage near turnoff for Riverstown. Really hard to spot on that straight section.
Also spotted guard hidden in the entrance to that estate on straight section beofre you get to Castlebaldwin.
Very hard to spot him peeping out from behind wall.

The ultimate I have seen on motorway around Maynooth was few years back.
Estate car pulled up with back open, so looks like someone changing tyre or kids having piddle.
Get closer you realise there is a guard lying prone inside with gun pointed out the back.
Back door open upwards hides rear flashes and hides rooflights.
Really sneaky ...

Or the famous garda that operated out of Ennis that I once saw on his knees hiding in the little hedge that was down the median of the dual carriageway between Cratloe and Bunratty.
Ah those were the days when hedges passed as armco barriers

He is also the only guard I have met operating a checkpint at 5 minutes to midnight on New Years Eve night :rolleyes:
Maybe there is book or TV show detailing all the efforts they go to to catch people speeding...

WHITE_P

jmayo wrote: »

Hey is he the one that used to hide in the phone box in Castlebaldwin or up on the old road section just out of Castlebadlwin towards Boyle ?

You go past Castlebaldwin towards Boyle, around the first sweeeping corner and he is parked on the old road looking down on you.
Often thought it would be funny to get the phone number and start phoning him while he is at phone box

There also used to be motorbike cop parked beside tractor garage near turnoff for Riverstown. Really hard to spot on that straight section.
Also spotted guard hidden in the entrance to that estate on straight section beofre you get to Castlebaldwin.
Very hard to spot him peeping out from behind wall.

The ultimate I have seen on motorway around Maynooth was few years back.
Estate car pulled up with back open, so looks like someone changing tyre or kids having piddle.
Get closer you realise there is a guard lying prone inside with gun pointed out the back.
Back door open upwards hides rear flashes and hides rooflights.
Really sneaky ...

Probably the same bloke. He also drives bikes. Has a BMW bike of his own, often in Coffees in Carrick On Shannon on Sunday mornings with a bunch of other bikers.

Niall1234

I'd be interested to see what would happen if a Garda died or got seriously injured due to having pulled into the ditch with no lights on.

Even pulling onto the break down lane on motorways can be dangerous enough with a bad crash last week showing.

D_murph

Niall1234 wrote: »

I'd be interested to see what would happen if a Garda died or got seriously injured due to having pulled into the ditch with no lights on.

Even pulling onto the break down lane on motorways can be dangerous enough with a bad crash last week showing.

im sure there would be uproar and whoever hit him would be toast.

its very dangerous to be stopped on the side of a main road. i had to pull over to answer a phone call the other night and i was hoping the passing drivers would see my lights and not hit me.

Gran Hermano

OP, I've checked with the Traffic Corp and they have confirmed
that none of the speed-guns issued to the Gardai are solar-powered
and they are able to perform speed-checks 24/7, regardless of how
dark it is.

Niall1234

D_murph wrote: »

im sure there would be uproar and whoever hit him would be toast.

its very dangerous to be stopped on the side of a main road. i had to pull over to answer a phone call the other night and i was hoping the passing drivers would see my lights and not hit me.

Exactly, the first thing you should do when pulled over at the side of the road is make your car noticable. Keep your dims on and turn on your warning lights.

Surely its a rule of the road to do so when pulled over. I find this activity by the Gardai to be potentially dangerous. God, people who are well lit up even get hit in this sort of situation.

alfie

Niall1234 wrote: »

I don't care what any "holier than thou" people on this board think, nabbing people for doing 10 or even 20 kph over the limit on a HQDC or Motorway is fish in a barrel without any good reason (except raising money for the Station Christmas party) in my point of view.

If the vast majority of the deaths and crashes happen on bad roads and on accident black spots, then that's where the Gardai should be. Plain and simple.

Raising money for the Station Chirstmas party??? What sh*t are you talkin

D_murph

alfie wrote: »

Raising money for the Station Chirstmas party??? What sh*t are you talkin

here we go, it begins.................:rolleyes:

Niall1234

alfie wrote: »

Raising money for the Station Chirstmas party??? What sh*t are you talkin

I hear the Donegal lads used to have some shindig every year before the Morris Tribunal.

Sully

snyper wrote: »

erm.. no

I got done at 7am 3 years back

98mph in a 1997 fiesta.

7AM eh? Maybe the government decided to let them start early.

There is no way in hell a Fiesta can go at that speed!

kleefarr

Lets hope they don't clock an RAF Tornado then eh??? lol

"The RAF, truly, is the motorist's friend.

Canteen chatter currently centres on a heart-warming incident in which a pair of traffic policemen manning a speed-trap in Grampian directed their radar gun at a Range Rover speeding towards the crest of a hill.

To their surprise, the speed reading rocketed up to 366mph and then jammed. Shortly afterwards two low-flying Tornado fighter jets screamed over the crest of the hill. What the bobbies didn't know is that they came within an ace of being blown to smithereens. When their speed gun locked on to the fighters by accident, the tactical battle computer in the cockpit detected the radar lock and sent out the signal that jammed it. It also automatically armed and targeted an air-to-ground missile. Had the Tornados not been on training exercises, the computer would have let fly without pausing to consult the pilot.

The consensus in the RAF seems to be that it's a shame these precautions exist."

I know, it's only a joke.

D_murph

you would be surprised actually . i had a 95 1.1 litre one and it could come close enough to believe that.

the ones from 03 upwards are capable of a bit more than that as well

TJJP

antodeco wrote: »

Hmm Snyper, Im doing a *cough* college assignment *cough* on these. Whats the story with them?

Had a thread on this radar detector business....

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055222200

D_murph

kleefarr wrote: »

Lets hope they don't clock an RAF Tornado then eh??? lol

"The RAF, truly, is the motorist's friend.

Canteen chatter currently centres on a heart-warming incident in which a pair of traffic policemen manning a speed-trap in Grampian directed their radar gun at a Range Rover speeding towards the crest of a hill.

To their surprise, the speed reading rocketed up to 366mph and then jammed. Shortly afterwards two low-flying Tornado fighter jets screamed over the crest of the hill. What the bobbies didn't know is that they came within an ace of being blown to smithereens. When their speed gun locked on to the fighters by accident, the tactical battle computer in the cockpit detected the radar lock and sent out the signal that jammed it. It also automatically armed and targeted an air-to-ground missile. Had the Tornados not been on training exercises, the computer would have let fly without pausing to consult the pilot.

The consensus in the RAF seems to be that it's a shame these precautions exist."

I know, it's only a joke.

. im sure if you look up this

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/techno/radar.asp

you will find that it is an urban legend. from what ive read it seems to have happened in California as well.

kleefarr

D_murph wrote: »

. im sure if you look up this

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/techno/radar.asp

you will find that it is an urban legend. from what ive read it seems to have happened in California as well.

LOL... hence the "I know, it's only a joke. "

Still facking funny to think about though! LOL

D_murph

kleefarr wrote: »

LOL... hence the "I know, it's only a joke. "

Still facking funny to think about though! LOL

i thought you meant the joke was the bit at the end where the RAF thought it was a shame these precautions were in place .

that would be funny too if you think about it

meathstevie

To White_P, if your man was actually on private land he has to have some justification for being there. Just doing speedchecks isn't good enough.

AckwelFoley

Sully wrote: »

7AM eh? Maybe the government decided to let them start early.

There is no way in hell a Fiesta can go at that speed!

Speed gun said so ..

Galway to Athlone in 46 mins.

Ive grown up since then and slowed down

Stky10

snyper wrote: »

Galway to Athlone in 46 mins.

I know someone who claimed to have done the same journey in 37 mins. Mind you he did it in a Honda Prelude, and it was 4am at the time.

WHITE_P

meathstevie wrote: »

To White_P, if your man was actually on private land he has to have some justification for being there. Just doing speedchecks isn't good enough.

Another favourite spot on the N4 is haflway up a private lane at the bottom of Top O the Hill between Dromad and Carrick On Shannon. Particularly in the summer months. Catch all those surfers on their way to and from Sligo and Donegal.

Niall1234

WHITE_P wrote: »

Another favourite spot on the N4 is haflway up a private lane at the bottom of Top O the Hill between Dromad and Carrick On Shannon. Particularly in the summer months. Catch all those surfers on their way to and from Sligo and Donegal.

The Garda was parked on a private lane ?

How are they allowed to do that.

WHITE_P

Niall1234 wrote: »

The Garda was parked on a private lane ?

How are they allowed to do that.

Who's going to stop them. Think of how difficult they would make the landowners life if he complained.