Speed Traps

Before I start, this isn't a rant at gardai, I'm just interested on garda opinion on the effectiveness of speed traps.

A few nights ago on that 4 lane road towards the roundabout by IBIS hotel in Galway, a few cars were pulled over for breaking 50k/hr limit.

This was at 11.30 at night with very little traffic on it and 5 members of the force were involved in the operation

Do Gardai feel this is going to prevent road deaths, catching people doing moderate speed on a quiet, wide open road

Random

There's so many things wrong with our speed limits and traffic laws in Ireland. Garda have to take the abuse for trying to enforce it.

I guess they could have been out looking for drink drivers ?

That's just it, it wasn't a drink driving checkpoint.
Even when they stopped me, they didn't bag me. Although I must say their crackdown on drink driving is to be commended.

Now I have 2 more penalty points on my licence just for doing around 55mph on a wide, empty road with nothing in front of me. :mad:

I'm trying to look at the situation objectively here but I don't see how screwing people like that is going to prevent road deaths.

After all that is the garda's objective is isn't - reduce the number of accidents on the road?

Why then don't they target those who cause the majority of serious accidents

yayamark

salonfire wrote: »

Before I start, this isn't a rant at gardai, I'm just interested on garda opinion on the effectiveness of speed traps.

A few nights ago on that 4 lane road towards the roundabout by IBIS hotel in Galway, a few cars were pulled over for breaking 50k/hr limit.

This was at 11.30 at night with very little traffic on it and 5 members of the force were involved in the operation

Do Gardai feel this is going to prevent road deaths, catching people doing moderate speed on a quiet, wide open road

salonfire wrote: »

That's just it, it wasn't a drink driving checkpoint.
Even when they stopped me, they didn't bag me. Although I must say their crackdown on drink driving is to be commended.

Now I have 2 more penalty points on my licence just for doing around 55mph on a wide, empty road with nothing in front of me. :mad:

I'm trying to look at the situation objectively here but I don't see how screwing people like that is going to prevent road deaths.

After all that is the garda's objective is isn't - reduce the number of accidents on the road?

Why then don't they target those who cause the majority of serious accidents

Well you deserve it if your doin 55mph/hr in an area where the speed limit is 50km/hr.

Tough take like a man on the chin.

Eru

Well to start with the title is misleading. Theres no 'trap' involved just a speed checkpoint which was clearly marked on a straight road.

As for enforcing, well if we ignore your 10% above the limit then what next? Perhaps 20% is OK? Hell in a 50 zone is 50% really so bad? Only an extra 25 per hour. What do you define as 'moderate' and 'extreme'? Whats a 'serious' road traffic incident?

See my point? where do you draw a line? At the legal limit is where and regardless of liking it or not, you went over that line. Im sure there were people doing 70 or 80 or even 100 that were caught as well.

Your arguement is the same as saying that someone thats 'just' over the drink driver limit should be let off because they almost made it. Or maybe a mugger who only uses a little force and doesnt get any cash.

I also note the comment ANOTHER 2 penalty points. Maybe you should have learnt from your previous tickets????

chickenhawk

You got a ticket for 55 in a 50? That's stupid. I appreciate what the other posts say about where to draw the line but sometimes I wish the guards would use common sense.

opti76

how could we use common sense.. its a speed limit not a speed suggestion....

5 mph makes a lot of difference its the difference between living a normal like and life as a vegetable...
maybe he should use his common sense and drive 5 miles an hour under the limit...

cpstears

chickenhawk wrote: »

You got a ticket for 55 in a 50? That's stupid. I appreciate what the other posts say about where to draw the line but sometimes I wish the guards would use common sense.

If you re read the posts above you'll see he states first it's a 50kmph zone thats around the 30mph mark.

In a subsequent post he says he was doing around 50mph which is roughtly 80kmph so if you really look he was 30kmph or 20mph above the limit.

Like the tv ad says hit me at 40 and i'll probably die hit me a 30 and i'll probably live.

However I'd personally take the road conditions into account if I was dealing with the situation. Ie. a Dual Carraigeway marked at 50 or 60kmph and someone is speeding is not as bad as some one doing the same speed throught a housing estate.

Just my opinion,:)

Karlitosway1978

Karlitosway1978 wrote: »

I also note the comment ANOTHER 2 penalty points. Maybe you should have learnt from your previous tickets????

I was caught on a mobile while sitting in traffic before

In my opinion, to have 5 gardai on a safe stretch of road at 11pm is not necessary. Yes I know I was in the wrong etc but its overkill. They could be more productive elsewhere surely

If I reported somebody was doing the same speed on the same road at my local station, what can of reaction would I get at the front desk?

If the 5 Gardai sat outside 5 different pubs at closing time they would do more for road safety. But you did break the law if the road was so straight and clear you should have seen the checkpoint well before they clocked you.

Eru

salonfire wrote: »

I was caught on a mobile while sitting in traffic before

In my opinion, to have 5 gardai on a safe stretch of road at 11pm is not necessary. Yes I know I was in the wrong etc but its overkill. They could be more productive elsewhere surely

If I reported somebody was doing the same speed on the same road at my local station, what can of reaction would I get at the front desk?

Ha ha ha, its A or B man, one or the other. either were responsible for keeping you alive and well or were not. Which is it?

If you want to speed then speed but accept the responsibilities be it a ticket or death or whatever. You now have 4 points, get the point and stop breaking traffic law. However please remember while I may not shed a tear for someone that kills themself I will for the child they take with them. And your comments just prove that all the money being spent on TV ads is being wasted.

BTW, if its 11pm on a Monday night then what else is there to do for traffic corp? Go get a a free bag of chips?

When all is said and done, you dont know what being a Garda is like, you dont know whats going on or not going on, you dont know even half the facts but if your so sure you know how to police the country better then join up and show us all how it should be done.

chickenhawk

cpstears wrote: »

In a subsequent post he says he was doing around 50mph which is roughtly 80kmph so if you really look he was 30kmph or 20mph above the limit.

My bad!:cool:

Karlitosway1978

Karlitosway1978 wrote: »

When all is said and done, you dont know what being a Garda is like, you dont know whats going on or not going on, you dont know even half the facts but if your so sure you know how to police the country better then join up and show us all how it should be done.

No, you're quite right, I don't know the first thing about be a garda and wouldn't dream of telling you how to do your job.

I'm just a concerned citizen at some of the appalling aggression and behaviour on the road that's getting worse.

Anyway that's my 2c and thanks for your input Karlitosway. I just hope that the recklessness on the roads can be reduced.

parsi

I do wish that the Traffic Corps would be more visible in enforcing non-speed related rules of the road.

There's often a speed check at the Bloomfield Interchange but never a Guard further up the road at Mahon Point enforcing correct lane discipline or stopping guys breaking the lights and going "up and over" at the slip road just to jump the tunnel queues.

A few days of visibility at those spots (for example) and word would soon get around.

A bit more pulling over for dodgy lights would be an idea as well - twice I've gone through a night checkpoint on Blackrock Road and both times the guy behind had only one headlight and nowt was said - just waved through like me.

There is more to road safety than just enforcing speed limits.

afatbollix

o here we go... speed kills.. bla bla bla... you were doing 55mph you now should be a vegtable!!!!!

speed doesent kill... stupid driving does.. on a stright road you can easly do 60mph 70mph but if that same person takes a hair pin at 60mph thats fooking stupid driveing.... (but gardai dont check these areas for speeding and would rather do it on a stright road)

and as the person said above that if you crashed while over the speed limit :rolleyes: last month i was in a car that went off the road at 110mph and i walked out of the car with in 20 seconds...

parsi

anto-t wrote: »

last month i was in a car that went off the road at 110mph and i walked out of the car with in 20 seconds...

Is that why you need a new back door ???

Fyr.Fytr

anto-t wrote: »

o here we go... speed kills.. bla bla bla... you were doing 55mph you now should be a vegtable!!!!!

speed doesent kill... stupid driving does.. on a stright road you can easly do 60mph 70mph but if that same person takes a hair pin at 60mph thats fooking stupid driveing.... (but gardai dont check these areas for speeding and would rather do it on a stright road)

and as the person said above that if you crashed while over the speed limit :rolleyes: last month i was in a car that went off the road at 110mph and i walked out of the car with in 20 seconds...

1) why in hell was it going 110mph

2) get up and walk out, [sarcasm]smart move[/sarcasm]

afatbollix

it was a rally car but meh... have a look at the motorsport forum and youll find a video of it...

bought the van with the broken door... still cheep tho...

Fyr.Fytr

As yes, rally drivers, not the sanest of folk, as long as they're organ doners I'm cool with it lol

CLADA

anto-t wrote: »

o here we go... speed kills.. bla bla bla... you were doing 55mph you now should be a vegtable!!!!!

speed doesent kill... stupid driving does.. on a stright road you can easly do 60mph 70mph but if that same person takes a hair pin at 60mph thats fooking stupid driveing.... (but gardai dont check these areas for speeding and would rather do it on a stright road)

and as the person said above that if you crashed while over the speed limit :rolleyes: last month i was in a car that went off the road at 110mph and i walked out of the car with in 20 seconds...

"speed doesn't kill... stupid driving does." So when you're easily doing 70mph down the straight road in total contol and the "stupid driver" pulls out in front of you...........?

Its like fyr.fytr said I hope people who think like that carry an organ donor card.
Well take the eyes, lungs, heart, kidneys and liver but you can hang on to the brain:mad:

culabula88

chickenhawk wrote: »

You got a ticket for 55 in a 50? That's stupid. I appreciate what the other posts say about where to draw the line but sometimes I wish the guards would use common sense.

Wasnt their some court case that a solicitor argued that the manufactures of the speed gun said it had an instrumentation error of 5-10% , so really to have somebody detected by the speed gun within such an error range it could be argued that their speed was not detected correctly , then they are not speeding.

Also,wasnt their another court case where the ticket was throw out because the defendant asked the garda at the time for a print out of the of the speed reading from the speed gun. The garda said that he didnt have the equipment to do so (i.e. printer etc.) and couldnt give the defendent a print out from the speed gun.THe judge, as far as I know threw out the case. This happened somewhere in Longford or Westmeath about 3/4 years ago. Dont know if the law has changed since, but if i ever get pulled for speeding Ill ask for a print out and take my chances I wont be provided with one!

Eru

anto-t wrote: »

o here we go... speed kills.. bla bla bla... you were doing 55mph you now should be a vegtable!!!!!

speed doesent kill... stupid driving does.. on a stright road you can easly do 60mph 70mph but if that same person takes a hair pin at 60mph thats fooking stupid driveing.... (but gardai dont check these areas for speeding and would rather do it on a stright road)

and as the person said above that if you crashed while over the speed limit :rolleyes: last month i was in a car that went off the road at 110mph and i walked out of the car with in 20 seconds...

If the speed check was on a corner you would run into the Garda killing him, yourself and whoever was unlucky enough to be behind you! Think before opening your mouth.


Speed doesnt kill? How old are you? What license have you got? Only a moron would think himself such a superb driver to make a statement like that and it shows by the fact that you crashed while speeding!

salonfire wrote: »

I'm just a concerned citizen at some of the appalling aggression and behaviour on the road that's getting worse.

Anyway that's my 2c and thanks for your input Karlitosway. I just hope that the recklessness on the roads can be reduced.

No doubt but it wont change until attitudes change and people take responsibility such as People Like Anto accepting they are not gods of the road and that they can and do crash and kill people including themselves. Stricter enforcement will help but only so much. 6 points for provisional holders, reduced alcohol limits, etc. It will all help as would more Gardai on traffic duties. Like Gay Byrne said, traffic is a combined effort.

parsi wrote: »

I do wish that the Traffic Corps would be more visible in enforcing non-speed related rules of the road.

There's often a speed check at the Bloomfield Interchange but never a Guard further up the road at Mahon Point enforcing correct lane discipline or stopping guys breaking the lights and going "up and over" at the slip road just to jump the tunnel queues.

A few days of visibility at those spots (for example) and word would soon get around.

A bit more pulling over for dodgy lights would be an idea as well - twice I've gone through a night checkpoint on Blackrock Road and both times the guy behind had only one headlight and nowt was said - just waved through like me..

You would be surprised how often they are around enforcing non speed infractions but lets be honest, we spend about 2 hours on the road per day (On average, I spend about 1 hour due to my hours) so there is a lot we dont see. Then theres also unmarked cars doing the rounds.

As for dodgy lights, etc. Im not sure what you expect when these people get stopped. You cant be arrested for having a busted light, its a summery offence. They are summoned to court after the event and prosecuted. Go to Dublin district coourt 52 or 53 Monday through Friday, theres thousands of traffic prosecutions happeing all day every day.

Cabul,
That law was changed with the 2006 act. No print required anymore, you can still ask but it wont make a difference. As for error amounts, I believe the guns are calibrated and issued with a certificate by the suppliers every so often (dont know how often). You will however note that the original poster was 10% over the limit so even allowing for the error as you stated he was over the limit. There does however need to be some allowance. I mean if your in a 50 zone for example and you get done for doing 51 that would seem unfair. I mean how accurate is a cars odometer???

chickenhawk

Karlitosway1978 wrote: »

It will all help as would more Gardai on traffic duties.

You do know that we need guards for other duties as well don't you?

Eru

chickenhawk wrote: »

You do know that we need guards for other duties as well don't you?

Really? And that has to do with the topic how??

afatbollix

CLADA wrote: »

"speed doesn't kill... stupid driving does." So when you're easily doing 70mph down the straight road in total contol and the "stupid driver" pulls out in front of you...........?

can i ask should that person be on the road if they just come out in front of me?


or is it that because im speeding its ok to crash into me because im doing wrong?

su_dios

Karlitosway1978 wrote: »

I mean how accurate is a cars odometer???

What I want to know is, is the radar gun calibrated to the 10% margin the odometer gives or true speed?

The majority(if not all) of car odometers have a 10% margin ie. you're doing 60 and its really 54 aprox. So a reading of 55 on the car is 50 true speed. Does that mean the OP was doing 60 in a 50 zone(according to odometer reading). Before anyone tries to deny otherwise then check your sat nav speed against your odometer or the likes of the speed sign in raheny.

How do the gardai enforce this? Have they the guns adjusted to read the same as an odometer or is it true speed?

Fyr.Fytr

Ah hem, the driver was doing 55mph (80 odd km/h) in a 50km/h zone

bit more then 10% id say

su_dios

Fyr.Fytr wrote: »

Ah hem, the driver was doing 55mph (80 odd km/h) in a 50km/h zone

bit more then 10% id say

Sorry I thought that was a typo or something. Still... I would like to know what the Gardai's stance is on it because if they set it to the odometer I think it would be unfair.

FGR

The radar is calibrated to detect true speed - which is also to the benefit of the driver.

keen

Deleted User wrote: »

If the 5 Gardai sat outside 5 different pubs at closing time they would do more for road safety. But you did break the law if the road was so straight and clear you should have seen the checkpoint well before they clocked you.

Yeah that baffles me, I've never seen a Checkpoint near or outside a pub at the weekend, the amount of people I've seen getting into their cars after a few pints too is unreal.

However I've been stopped a few times coming back from the beach Sunday luchtime to check tax/insurance. If the Garda want to stop road deaths I feel they should change the time and locations of where they set up checkpoints.

timmywex

if anyone has seriously looked into collision investigation, you would realise why alot of limits are so(there are some stupid ones though), generally, its to do with the maximum speed something can get around a corner or down a road without crashing!