Drivers Indicating a Gardai Speedcheck

Niall1234

Anyone know if it is illegal to flash your lights at oncoming drivers to indicate that there is a Gardai doing speed checks up the road ?

Mena

Probably is, we do it anyway though

skaterdude

yes it is as i got caught doing it and had to pay a huuuge fine over it it was an undercover garda car coming my way

Nephew

Yeah, I vaguely remember reading in the newspaper about a lady in England or Ireland who flashed an unmarked cop car who was driving towards the check point. She was definitely fined for doing it, but I can't recall if she was given points.

Nephew

skaterdude wrote: »

yes it is as i got caught doing it and had to pay a huuuge fine over it it was an undercover garda car coming my way

We're all friends here. What was the fine?

Orange69

I saw a woman doing this a few days back.. only she was doing it way after the speed trap and i was like WTF are you flashing me for..??

Then about a km down the road i saw the cops sitting there..

I wouldn't bother flashing people this myself tbh..

Pascal14

Who can prove what you flashed at? You wont have anything dine unless you admit to it, in which case you deserve to have the book thrown at you for stupidity.

D_murph

id say its illegal all right unfortunately so you have to be careful if you do it .

anything that the tax collectors see as a potential threat to their revenue is :rolleyes:.

another reason to put speedtraps on big open dual carriageways. not only are they guaranteed to catch a huge number of people "speeding" but you cant really warn people in the opposite side either.

Pascal14

D_murph wrote: »

id say its illegal all right unfortunately so you have to be careful if you do it .

anything that the tax collectors see as a potential threat to their revenue is :rolleyes:.

another reason to put speedtraps on big open dual carriageways. not only are they guaranteed to catch a huge number of people "speeding" but you cant really warn people in the opposite side either.

Good to see someone knows this con.

Lex Luthor

I can't see them enforcing any penalty on someone flashing their lights.

Its not illegal to flash your lights and who's to say you did it on purpose.

D_murph

Pascal14 wrote: »

Good to see someone knows this con.

and in the name of safety as well ..sigh... :rolleyes:.

uncle Gaybos dept of the nanny state is doing well on the propaganda front but im glad that some people have a mind of their own because they do know better

jmayo

Niall1234 wrote: »

Anyone know if it is illegal to flash your lights at oncoming drivers to indicate that there is a Gardai doing speed checks up the road ?

I was saved from getting caught in Canada by nice motorist that flashed lights.
Of course there you could have excuse you were telling motorists about oncoming bears. Boom boom

AFAIK aren't you done for interfeering with the duties of the Garda or some such mullarkey.
Even if there was no law by the time they had finished examingin your car you would be done for a bald steering wheel.

Surely it is traffic calming of sorts and aiding adherence to the speed limit.
Afterall isn't all about cutting speed and saving lives or is it really about revenue gathering :rolleyes:

L1011

"impeding a garda in the course of his duties" I believe the official offence is.

uberwolf

I specifically recall a chap in kildare being brought up in court for this. He tried to claim he'd gone over a bump in the road, and they'd misinterpreted this for a flash.

Pascal14

D_murph wrote: »

and in the name of safety as well ..sigh... :rolleyes:.

uncle Gaybos dept of the nanny state is doing well on the propaganda front but im glad that some people have a mind of their own because they do know better

Exactly. Finally someone who has not bought into the stories.

Speed traps are a con.

Pascal14

uberwolf wrote: »

I specifically recall a chap in kildare being brought up in court for this. He tried to claim he'd gone over a bump in the road, and they'd misinterpreted this for a flash.

I bet he got off as well. His word against theirs.

Niall1234

MYOB wrote: »

"impeding a garda in the course of his duties" I believe the official offence is.

I can't see why.

It would be the same as telling an ordinary person entering a bank that they better not rob it as they saw Gardai in there.

If anything it would be aiding and abetting crime, but it can't be really as you don't know if the other person is indeed speeding as he's coming past you.

L1011

Niall1234 wrote: »

It would be the same as telling an ordinary person entering a bank that they better not rob it as they saw Gardai in there.

No, it'd be the same as telling someone wearing a black and white stripey top and carrying a bag with "swag" on it not to rob the bank... surely its pointless flashing people that don't appear to be over the limit?

jamieh

My Dad was caught flashing (his lights ) a few years ago between Horse & Jockey and Cashel.

An unmarked Camry was coming the other way. He had to go to court and was fined £700 for "impeding a garda in the course of his duties".

....He hasn't flashed since

Niall1234

MYOB wrote: »

No, it'd be the same as telling someone wearing a black and white stripey top and carrying a bag with "swag" on it not to rob the bank... surely its pointless flashing people that don't appear to be over the limit?

In general, anyone who is flashing will gnerally flash at everyone, just to make sure.

D_murph

MYOB wrote: »

No, it'd be the same as telling someone wearing a black and white stripey top and carrying a bag with "swag" on it not to rob the bank... surely its pointless flashing people that don't appear to be over the limit?

actually it does do one thing at times depending on the road. the cars doing the limit slow down even more and this causes a tailback of very slow cars.

im sure weve all seen it before. all of a sudden you come to a traffic jam and what is causing it?

one very redundant tax collector . no victims today sorry mate :rolleyes:

jimmycrackcorm

I flash my lights at everyone, speedtrap or not. I'm doing my bit for road safety.:D

sweeper4

jamieh wrote: »

My Dad was caught flashing (his lights ) a few years ago between Horse & Jockey and Cashel.

An unmarked Camry was coming the other way. He had to go to court and was fined £700 for "impeding a garda in the course of his duties".

....He hasn't flashed since

As we all know the Gardai are only interested in road safety in performing these checks and are really disappointed when they catch anyone exceeding the speed limit - I think your Father should have argued he was actually "aiding a garda in the course of his duties" as surely the point of these checks is to ensure people are driving within the speed limit? Was this an official admission that the policy is to catch rather than to deter?
This has come as a great shock to me.

IncredibleHulk

jamieh wrote: »

My Dad was caught flashing (his lights ) a few years ago between Horse & Jockey and Cashel.

Could he not say he thought the car was a friend and he was flashing 'hello' as some folk do?

MCMLXXXIII

jmayo wrote: »

Surely it is traffic calming of sorts and aiding adherence to the speed limit.
Afterall isn't all about cutting speed and saving lives or is it really about revenue gathering :rolleyes:

I've said it before and I will say it again. It's all a hoax. I know some roads are longer, straighter, and wider than others, but seriously...? I posted in another thread: German Autobahn (no limit), American Interstate (70mph), Irish Motorway (60mph). They are all made of the same stuff, and the same cars drive on them. The speed limit depends on a politician's thoughts.

During the oil crisis in the US, the speed limits all went down from 65 to 55mph. It took until just a few years ago (almost 20 years) for a mandate to set all speed limits to at least 65mph on the Interstates. Point is: it was not due to safety, or even the government making money, it was to "get back" at the newly formed OPEC nations.

Those that do not want to raise the speed limit now use safety to scare everyone into keeping is slow. Cars have only become safer over the years starting with simple seat belts moving all the way up to front, side, and curtain airbags with softer interiors and headrests that prevent whiplash, among many other features. If you are basing speed limits on safety, we should be going A LOT faster than we did 50 years ago, but the truth is: we aren't, and it's a crying shame.

uberwolf

Pascal14 wrote: »

I bet he got off as well. His word against theirs.

he got done.

Seth Brundle

D_murph wrote: »

and in the name of safety as well ..sigh... :rolleyes:.

uncle Gaybos dept of the nanny state is doing well on the propaganda front but im glad that some people have a mind of their own because they do know better

In all fairness, they were around before Gaybo was appointed Chairman of the NSC. The plans to privatise the speed camera network were also being made before his time.
Secondly as chairman he has sweet FA to do in terms of coming up with policy!
Thirdly, IIRC, he has been using the term "inappropriate speed" all along!

MCMLXXXIII wrote: »

I've said it before and I will say it again. It's all a hoax. I know some roads are longer, straighter, and wider than others, but seriously...? I posted in another thread: German Autobahn (no limit), American Interstate (70mph), Irish Motorway (60mph). They are all made of the same stuff, and the same cars drive on them. The speed limit depends on a politician's thoughts.

People here (on the whole) can't drive though! They have not received proper training also!

MCMLXXXIII wrote: »

During the oil crisis in the US, the speed limits all went down from 65 to 55mph. It took until just a few years ago (almost 20 years) for a mandate to set all speed limits to at least 65mph on the Interstates. Point is: it was not due to safety, or even the government making money, it was to "get back" at the newly formed OPEC nations.

Where is this rule that they must be set out based solely on max achievable speed? Many of the 60km/h urban speed limits are set to allow the maximum number of cars pass a point as quickly as possible.
As for your claim about OPEC, no government can 'get back' at OPEC purely because they don't give a feck what people think!

MCMLXXXIII wrote: »

Those that do not want to raise the speed limit now use safety to scare everyone into keeping is slow.

Like who? Many of our roads had their speed limits increased three or four years ago when we went metric!

MCMLXXXIII wrote: »

Cars have only become safer over the years starting with simple seat belts moving all the way up to front, side, and curtain airbags with softer interiors and headrests that prevent whiplash, among many other features. If you are basing speed limits on safety, we should be going A LOT faster than we did 50 years ago, but the truth is: we aren't, and it's a crying shame.

The main problem with the fact that our tyres are better, more airbags, ABS, TC, etc. is that people become more and more confident and end up having bigger impacts!

Don't get me wrong. I love to drive fast and (touchwood) so far have no points. However, people in this country couldn't cope with speed limits like Germany!

CrowdedHouse

MCMLXXXIII wrote: »

, but seriously...? I posted in another thread: German Autobahn (no limit), American Interstate (70mph), Irish Motorway (60mph). They are all made of the same stuff, and the same cars drive on them. The speed limit depends on a politician's thoughts.

....and after all that you don't know the correct Irish Motorway speed limit

agent_smith

I personally do not think its a big deal. I would prefer to have an oncoming car flash to let me know there is a check point so i can be extra vigilent in case the car in front jams on the brakes ahead.
Its funny, even in 80k zones, when people notice a garda check point you will see people drop their speed radically to 50kph as soon as they see the garda, regardless of the fact that they were never going over the limit in the first place!

Wishbone Ash

MCMLXXXIII wrote: »

If you are basing speed limits on safety, we should be going A LOT faster than we did 50 years ago, but the truth is: we aren't, and it's a crying shame.

You seem to be forgetting that there was a lot less vehicles on the roads 50 years ago.

TheNog

MCMLXXXIII wrote: »

Cars have only become safer over the years starting with simple seat belts moving all the way up to front, side, and curtain airbags with softer interiors and headrests that prevent whiplash, among many other features. If you are basing speed limits on safety, we should be going A LOT faster than we did 50 years ago, but the truth is: we aren't, and it's a crying shame.

You also seem to forget that our bodies remain the same as 50 years ago. Most serious injuries from high speed impacts are internal injuries. Technology in cars has not advanced enough to ensure we are immune to internal injuries if 2 cars collide at 100kph each. The technology only reduces the injuries to us.

TheNog

D_murph wrote: »

and in the name of safety as well ..sigh... :rolleyes:.

uncle Gaybos dept of the nanny state is doing well on the propaganda front but im glad that some people have a mind of their own because they do know better

You obviously haven't had someone close to you killed by a fella going too fast for the road conditions then.

A fella I know was caught doing 135kph in a 60kph zone. He should the book thrown at him and he very well may have it thrown at him too.

bbability

TheNog wrote: »

A fella I know was caught doing 135kph in a 60kph zone. He should the book thrown at him and he very well may have it thrown at him too.

Well there's no excuse for that at all. He should lose his licence an be made resit his test.

dsane1

I used to flash a warning but i feel theres so much bad driving out there its better if a few more of the bad ones get caught ,so i dont anymore.

bman

Bit of a hijack here but not worth starting a thread to get this answered. If the guards are checking speed and you're over the limit will they always stop you there and then? Or can it be sent through in the post? The odd time I see them I'm not sure if I slow down to below the limit in time and it'd be good to know that I won't be getting a surprise through the post in a few weeks!

D_murph

TheNog wrote: »

You obviously haven't had someone close to you killed by a fella going too fast for the road conditions then.

A fella I know was caught doing 135kph in a 60kph zone. He should the book thrown at him and he very well may have it thrown at him too.

well he was taking the pi$$ in fairness. i meant much smaller infractions that IMO are a joke

Swinging Looney

Just to p**s everyone off....

I hate people who knowingly and deliberately speed. We all know the potential for death and carnage caused by excessive speed. All the talk of better technology cars and all that c**p means nothing to the pedestrian who meets you by accident. And while there are no pedestrians on motorways, even the biggest egomaniac with the most wonderful opinion of his own driving skills and his cars abilities can not seriously tell me that a blowout in his car at +100 mph just as he happens to be passing me in the overtaking lane will not end up badly for me and my car. Why should I be put at risk just becuase you want to drive like a lunatic. To those who think that speed limits do not apply to them or their cars, grow up and go hire an hour on a track to get it out of your system.

I believe that anyone who kills someone else while speeding should be found guilty of murder. Manslaughter at least. You knew what the risks were but you did it anyway. You knew people could die but you did it anyway. Throw the book at them. Just like people who let their kids stand up in the back seat. If you crash and your kid dies - murder. No question. It's just like throwing them off a roof.

So, I can't stand when people flash other people to warn them of a speed trap. The people who do the flashing are exactly the people who would give out and complain when some twat passes them doing 150k on a motorway, or doing 80k passing a school. Yet they somehow get a feeling of satisfaction when they flash others to warn them. As though they are good samaritans helping their fellow drivers. Well that guy you just warned and who slowed down and just managed to avoid a speeding ticket, actually might go on to kill some kid outside your local school tomorrow. Yet if he got a slap on a wrist today maybe he would think twice. If people speed they run the risk of getting caught. Tough s**t. I know the risks and therefore I don't speed.

Let other drivers find out the hard way about speeding. Let them get fines and penalty points. That is the only proven way (so far) of slowing them down. You warning them in advance will do nothing and only grow the feeling of contempt most of us have for the Guards and make people feel that they are too good for speeding fines and penalties. After you warn them, and as soon as they're past the speedtrap, they'll be gunning it back up to stupid, dangerous speeds and putting the rest of us at risk. Why should we thank you for that?

(Can you tell I feel strongly about this???? :mad::mad:)

lightening

Are you Ray D'Arcy?

Swinging Looney

No, but I do have a face for radio!

lightening

Swinging Looney wrote: »

No, but I do have a face for radio!

randombar

Ùsed to warn drivers when I was younger, thinking I was great helping road users etc, but then I realized I could be giving people who aren't insured a chance to get away with it or drink drivers a chance to get away with it. So now I think sod it, I obey the law and pass those speed checks / insurance checks without warning, so should everyone else!

Longrangedriver

I haven't done it since I got caught on the Greenhills Road a few years ago, an unmarked motor done a u-turn and pulled me. I said that the car in front had rear fog on and tried to get his attention to turn it off, it worked, they just said let it be a warning. Anyway they should let me use my speed camera detector in peace, and stop this silly nonsence of banning anything remotely useful.

bbability

Swinging Looney wrote: »

No, but I do have a face for radio!

It must be Jenny Kelly so;) or do you work for Uncle Gaybo?

dessierb

You can be prosecuted for the offence of "obstruction". Max fine is €1500 and or 6 months in jail. Depending on the judge of course. Some take great exception and whack you with a huge fine.

Seth Brundle

Longrangedriver wrote: »

Anyway they should let me use my speed camera detector in peace, and stop this silly nonsence of banning anything remotely useful.

I think the reasoning is that there shouldn't be a need to use one!

brayblue24

Most people here are taking a very simplistic view. Checkpoints are set up for a lot of reasons other than the Road Traffic Act. They are set up after major incidents such as rape, robbery or murder too. You may be unknowingly abetting serious criminals with your naivety by alerting them to checkpoints.

And another thing - If somebody is driving too fast, tough! Let them get caught.

And also - If somebody is driving uninsured let them get caught too. It's because of the very people you are warning that you pay what you pay for your insurance premiums.

Gardai performing checkpoints are not on commission and are not interested in what revenue they generate. Any revenue that is generated is done so by fools who disobey the laws. There are no arguments - it's just rank stupidity.

BM_318i

Swinging Looney wrote: »

Just to p**s everyone off....

I hate people who knowingly and deliberately speed. We all know the potential for death and carnage caused by excessive speed. All the talk of better technology cars and all that c**p means nothing to the pedestrian who meets you by accident. And while there are no pedestrians on motorways, even the biggest egomaniac with the most wonderful opinion of his own driving skills and his cars abilities can not seriously tell me that a blowout in his car at +100 mph just as he happens to be passing me in the overtaking lane will not end up badly for me and my car. Why should I be put at risk just becuase you want to drive like a lunatic. To those who think that speed limits do not apply to them or their cars, grow up and go hire an hour on a track to get it out of your system.

I believe that anyone who kills someone else while speeding should be found guilty of murder. Manslaughter at least. You knew what the risks were but you did it anyway. You knew people could die but you did it anyway. Throw the book at them. Just like people who let their kids stand up in the back seat. If you crash and your kid dies - murder. No question. It's just like throwing them off a roof.

For god sake, the second you go over the speed limit you don't instantly become dangerous! If I have a blow out beside you on a motorway at 70mph it'll probably have much the same result as at 60mph. Obviously 100mph plus is a different story but your rant seems to be at anybody who even hits 5mph over the limit.

Is it ok though if I kill someone when I'm not speeding??? Even though I may have been driving too fast for the current road conditions??? If the conditions allow 70-80 mph then whats the major problem? not that those conditions are present very often mind.

Its people who cause accidents, not speeding.

javaboy

BM_318i wrote: »

For god sake, the second you go over the speed limit you don't instantly become dangerous! If I have a blow out beside you on a motorway at 70mph it'll probably have much the same result as at 60mph. Obviously 100mph plus is a different story but your rant seems to be at anybody who even hits 5mph over the limit.

Is it ok though if I kill someone when I'm not speeding??? Even though I may have been driving too fast for the current road conditions??? If the conditions allow 70-80 mph then whats the major problem? not that those conditions are present very often mind.

Its people who cause accidents, not speeding.

It's PEOPLE who are SPEEDING.

Haven't you seen the recent ad campaigns about the difference between even 30 and 40 mph?

The braking distance increases greatly even from 70mph to 80 mph.


"Is it ok though if I kill someone when I'm not speeding??? Even though I may have been driving too fast for the current road conditions???"

That's just stupid. Nobody is suggesting that.

ROTR say you should drive at a speed appropriate to the conditions within the law.

Niall1234

javaboy wrote: »

It's PEOPLE who are SPEEDING.

Haven't you seen the recent ad campaigns about the difference between even 30 and 40 mph?

The braking distance increases greatly even from 70mph to 80 mph.


"Is it ok though if I kill someone when I'm not speeding??? Even though I may have been driving too fast for the current road conditions???"

That's just stupid. Nobody is suggesting that.

ROTR say you should drive at a speed appropriate to the conditions within the law.

I hate to keep pulling this out but I feel like I must.

A recent survey in Germany shows that autobahn with speed limits and those without, have the same crash and death rate.

Another survey shows that only 7% of road accidents are CAUSED by speeding.


Do you take the same prudish view as Gay (i've never taken or passed the driving test) Byrne who thinks everything will be alright if everyone just slowed down ?

L1011

And the Autobahn's with speed limits generally only have them due to being known as unsuitable for speeds higher than the posted limits - something councils here can't grasp (hence terrible backroads posted at 80kmh, etc).

javaboy

Niall1234 wrote: »

I hate to keep pulling this out but I feel like I must.

A recent survey in Germany shows that autobahn with speed limits and those without, have the same crash and death rate.

Another survey shows that only 7% of road accidents are CAUSED by speeding.


Do you take the same prudish view as Gay (i've never taken or passed the driving test) Byrne who thinks everything will be alright if everyone just slowed down ?

Ireland's best roads don't compare with an average road in Germany.

If 7% of people died from toe cancer would it not still be worth doing something about it? Believe me I'm not a big fan of Gaybo since I was on the 2nd provisional up until recently but AFAIK he passed a driving test and an advanced driving test not too long ago.

Of course everything won't be alright if everyone slows down but it helps.