Garda crackdown for a week.

mike65

de papure

LEARNER drivers who fail to display L-plates or drive unaccompanied on a provisional licence will be among the primary targets of a Garda blitz on driving offences.

Operation Safeguard, a six-day Garda crackdown on motoring offences, swings into action tomorrow.

“The emphasis of this Garda traffic operation is to promote and improve a compliance culture amongst the public, through the comprehensive enforcement of all facets of road traffic legislation,” said a Garda spokesman.


While provisional licence holding drivers will be a primary focus, the initiative will be far-reaching and comprehensive.

The continuing campaign against drink driving will also be included.

Mike.

Saruman

Heard this on the radio. I never see any extra Garda presense when they announce these crackdowns. Does not affect me anyway and besides, Im off back to the US this weekend until July! Yay for me

Seth Brundle

Does this mean that in reality the gardai won't be out in force?

cabrwab

Probably this just means they will be hidden behind more bus stops!

Heard from my Bro in law (robo-traffic-cop) he rang to warn my other half, because he thought she was still a learner driver with no L plates up that they have being told to do random traffic stops checking for licence's?

Don't know or care how true this is!

PaddyFagan

I hope they do something about this, this time - when I heard this on the radio this morning, the next car I saw behind me was an unaccompanied learner on his phone....

Paddy

brettmirl

Can they please also do something about the muppets who put L Plates up, but with the L pointing the wrong way (usually on its side)?

I mean, if they can't even get the L Plate on the right way around, how can they be trusted to drive a car?

Marcus.Aurelius

As far as I can tell they're flat out for the week, checkpoint after checkpoint and random tuggings.

ronnie3585

Marcus.Aurelius wrote: »

random tuggings.

?

Marcus.Aurelius

ronnie3585 wrote: »

?

It means pulling over cars with L plates totally at random as they move from checkpoint to checkpoint or whenever they see one as they drive along.

You give them a tug by turning the blues on and flashing your headlamps to move them into the hard shoulder for a nice chat.

galwaytt

Marcus.Aurelius wrote: »

As far as my housemate (GTC) is concerned, they're flat out for the week, checkpoint after checkpoint and random tuggings.

maybe I'm missing something here, but, why are they only doing it this week? If it's illegal tomorrow, it's illegal everyday - what's with the part-time policing ?

Rarely do I agree with Conor Faughnan, but I heard him on this subject on ...2FM?....this morning, and he was spot on: if you have a 'learner permit', you have to have L-plates and an accompanying driver, Full Stop. Quit whinging to the GTC about 'I have to get to work' etc, and just do your test.

Clare_Guy

Gardai... out in FARCE!

Marcus.Aurelius

galwaytt wrote: »

maybe I'm missing something here, but, why are they only doing it this week? If it's illegal tomorrow, it's illegal everyday - what's with the part-time policing ?

I know what you mean, but I gather the issue is the way the checkpoints mean they don't get time to do anything else. They have to obey the higher officers, like superintendents.

GTC had recently posted about how much he disliked not being able to catch bad drivers like before, they just don't have the time anymore with these money-grabbing checkpoints.

The whole thing's a mess!

bustershark

I think it's a bit irish to say that the gardai are going to strictly enforce the law for the next 6 days and they need to have a "cool" operation name to do so. What exactly is it the traffic corps are employed to do?

Spud83

I know this operation is suppsoed to "start" tomorrow but has anyone noticed a larger presence today?

Also I like the way we get a nice warning before these things start, shouldn't thye just do the operation (or even better police it all year) without making a big song and dance about it.

Again I think it could be another case being seen to do something rather than actually doing anything.

mike65

The warning makes sense, there will be rush to the tyre shops etc today/tomorrow and so media will have done the cops job for them in part.

After all no-one likes a sneaky speed camera do they?

Mike.

dugout16

I thought there was a bit of a chance being given to L drivers until end of June to get things sorted. What about someone who is doing their test in the next couple of weeks and gets stopped in the next few days. Be hard on them...

craichoe

dugout16 wrote: »

I thought there was a bit of a chance being given to L drivers until end of June to get things sorted. What about someone who is doing their test in the next couple of weeks and gets stopped in the next few days. Be hard on them...

Well thats just TS, they'll have to wait until they pass their test or drive accompanied

mikemac

mike65 wrote: »

The warning makes sense, there will be rush to the tyre shops etc today/tomorrow and so media will have done the cops job for them in part.

Exactly!
Shock and awe tactics.
The Revenue do the same thing. Announce a big crackdown but give people time to sort their stuff out.
The work is done for them

Spud83

dugout16 wrote: »

I thought there was a bit of a chance being given to L drivers until end of June to get things sorted. What about someone who is doing their test in the next couple of weeks and gets stopped in the next few days. Be hard on them...

Again the new laws are only effecting people on 2nd provisionals. I am assuming that if somebody is stopped over the coming days on a second provisional they will let on there way as the new laws aren't in force yet.

People on other provisionals shouldn't be driving on their own and never should have been. This hasn't changed and wont be changing in July. Although this wasn't highly enforced before, there has been nothing stopping the gardai from enforcing it.

dugout16

craichoe wrote: »

Well thats just TS, they'll have to wait until they pass their test or drive accompanied

Yeah i know, but i'm just saying that with the past few months people were being told they had until end of June to sort themselves out. Now its being brought forward a couple weeks. Not much good to a person who is doing there test in 2 weeks time and thought they had time left to get their full licence

MackQ

mike65 wrote: »

de papure

Mike.

According to the Garda spokesman the clampdown "... is to promote and improve a compliance culture amongst the public..."

Interesting also that the crackdown "... will also focus on laws banning the use of mobile phones while driving...”

I wonder will the crackdown also focus on members of the Gardai who continue to use their mobile phones while driving. The number of times I have seen this recently is quite astounding.

seamus

dugout16 wrote: »

Now its being brought forward a couple weeks.

No it's not.

If you're on your second provisional, you won't be caught out by this clampdown.

vectra

MackQ wrote: »

I wonder will the crackdown also focus on members of the Gardai who continue to use their mobile phones while driving. The number of times I have seen this recently is quite astounding.

Regular occurance here in my town :rolleyes:

Also
Crackdown for a week.. ..!!
Does that meant they will sit down for the rest of the year as the do ?

cashmni1

dugout16 wrote: »

Yeah i know, but i'm just saying that with the past few months people were being told they had until end of June to sort themselves out. Now its being brought forward a couple weeks. Not much good to a person who is doing there test in 2 weeks time and thought they had time left to get their full licence

If they are doing their test in a few weeks, they should have a letter saying so. Show the guards the letter, and you should get away with it. Although, I would say that the baklog is now cleared, hence the "crackdown".
No excuse really, everyone I know who had a provisional for years (including my GF) has had the test by now. Especially if they applied when told to do so.
BTW, she failed the first attempt (cranky tester!!) and got it the second time round, so plenty of time was given and they did get rid of the backlog alright.:p

DarkJager

Checking tires as well?? How petty of them. I'll happily drive my car and will only change the tires if advised by a qualified mechanic...not a garda reading from his ops book..

Rovi

MackQ wrote: »

I wonder will the crackdown also focus on members of the Gardai who continue to use their mobile phones while driving. The number of times I have seen this recently is quite astounding.

The Gardai are exempt from the prohibition on the use of handheld mobile phones while driving.
MODS: perhaps this should be a sticky?

seamus

DarkJager wrote: »

Checking tires as well?? How petty of them. I'll happily drive my car and will only change the tires if advised by a qualified mechanic...not a garda reading from his ops book..

How often do you consult a qualified mechanic on the state of your tyres?

Weekly?

DarkJager

I know what to look for myself in the tires, but have a service done every 3 months.

seamus

DarkJager wrote: »

I know what to look for myself in the tires, but have a service done every 3 months.

Then you're a rare person on the roads. Most people don't bother having someone look at their car until something is clunking or slipping.

That's why the Gardai have to do basic checks like tyres.

Fizman

MY test date is confirmed for 29th July. Do any of ye reckon it would help if I carried the confirmation date letter from SGS with me during July to prove this just in case I got pulled? I seriously need my car for my job!

Zube

DarkJager wrote: »

I'll happily drive my car and will only change the tires if advised by a qualified mechanic...not a garda reading from his ops book..

My tyres are fine, just passed the NCT this morning, but if given advice by a garda on any subject, the correct answer is: "Yes Officer, I'm very sorry officer, I'll get it done immediately."

Anything thing else falls under Section 33 of the Offenses Against the State Act: Giving Lip To An Officer in the Course of his Duties, punishable by severe timewasting, legalistic nitpicking and generally being given more hassle than it's worth.

Zube

Fizman wrote: »

MY test date is confirmed for 29th July. Do any of ye reckon it would help if I carried the confirmation date letter from SGS with me during July to prove this just in case I got pulled?

Can't hurt to have it in the glove box. I wouldn't wave it about like a Get Out of Jail Free card, if I were you, though. Unless your on your second provisional, you're breaking the law, so act suitably humble if stopped.

DarkJager

seamus wrote: »

Then you're a rare person on the roads. Most people don't bother having someone look at their car until something is clunking or slipping.

That's why the Gardai have to do basic checks like tyres.

If you've had as much car trouble as I have, it defintiely costs less to get a regular service!!

Bakharwaldog

Zube wrote: »

Can't hurt to have it in the glove box. I wouldn't wave it about like a Get Out of Jail Free card, if I were you, though. Unless your on your second provisional, you're breaking the law, so act suitably humble if stopped.

What if i had a learner permit (i got one instead of a 2nd provisional)?

peasant

c_k_m wrote: »

What if i had a learner permit (i got one instead of a 2nd provisional)?

It will probably do you as much good as my grannies rhubarb crumble recipe if you get caught driving unaccompanied

Savman

Can the court system even sustain any kind of "blitz"? Or is the govt plan to transfer the backlog from driver testing onto the legal system?

This I gotta see.

caoimhemo

Im on my 3rd provisional , waiting on a date for my driving test
Am I legally obliged to have a full licenced driver with me?
I will be doing 4 trips to the school tommorow and there are usually checks nearby so I dont want to get into trouble
Anyone know?

peasant

caoimhemo wrote: »

Im on my 3rd provisional , waiting on a date for my driving test
Am I legally obliged to have a full licenced driver with me?

you always were

caoimhemo

peasant wrote: »

you always were

Woops:o
Ive never had a problem before and Ive been stopped lots of times in check-points
Ill have to find someone to come with me then
thanks

delly

c_k_m wrote: »

What if i had a learner permit (i got one instead of a 2nd provisional)?

Same thing really. You should have the number next to the class stating that its your second licence/permit.

L1011

delly wrote: »

Same thing really. You should have the number next to the class stating that its your second licence/permit.

Its not. Second learner permit holders aren't allowed unaccompanied, second provisonals are - for a few more weeks only.

delly

Well my other half filled in an application form for a second provisional and got a permit, so technically she got something she didn't apply for. Meh, i'll blame the government.

craichoe

delly wrote: »

Well my other half filled in an application form for a second provisional and got a permit, so technically she got something she didn't apply for. Meh, i'll blame the government.

Well technically they could have told her to go off and fill in the new form. Just because the form was an application for X, does not mean its currently valid for X.

L1011

I filled in a form for a €5 replacement licence and got charged a tenner, they don't update stuff

Actually, check the restrictions field (or whatever its called) to see if the 998 or whatever code is on it for cannot drive unaccompanied. Its possible they're basically giving the equivalent of a second provisional on learner permit stock.

HungryJoey

It's probably irrelevant but I had never been pulled over by the gardai, but I was pulled over by the gardai last night and they were pretty eager to see if I had a full or provisional license (I'm only 18) and mentioned something like " Oh you have a full license " this was around midnight, giving me a talk about no matter how empty the roads are, too just take it easy ( nice bloke.. ). Then 5 mins later I had to go through 2 checkpoints for tax / nct / insurance. The checkpoints had over 8 people at them. :eek: They were out in action anyway, that's for sure!

Bakharwaldog

MYOB wrote: »

Its not. Second learner permit holders aren't allowed unaccompanied, second provisonals are - for a few more weeks only.

got this from the RSA website

google "Introduction of Learner Permit and Changes to the Driver Licensing System (Revised 29th October 2007)" and ull find it

Summary of changes as it applies to provisional licence holders.

• A person while holding a second learner permit or second provisional licence can drive unaccompanied in the period up to 30 June 2008.

looks like some learner permits can drive

and i found this later on in the document

Q: My first provisional licence is about to expire and I will be renewing it after the implementation date for the introduction of the learner permit; will the learner permit I receive be considered a first time learner permit?

A: No, as you already held a provisional licence you are not considered to be a first time learner permit holder.

L1011

Ah right, I must have missed that bit of the revision.

As of course originally second provisional holders lost the right within days and permit holders were never going to get it...

Bakharwaldog

ya I still amnt too sure, i wouldnt like to challenge a gard if he stopped me...mite even get a print out of the rules in case..allthough thatd probably get u in more ****

SV

Why are people afraid to challenge the gardas?

If you know you're in the right then why be taken for an eejit?
(moreso aimed at the comment about the tires)

Zube

ClioV6 wrote: »

Why are people afraid to challenge the gardas?

As I said, the punishment for talking back to a Garda is severe timewasting, legalistic nitpicking and generally being given more hassle than it's worth.

There are a ton of things that they don't bother checking or enforcing until you give them lip. Right now my NCT disc is stuck in a sunshade instead of in the window. If I yes sir/ no officer, I may drive on. Give them any lip and it could be a fine.

Even if they don't find anything, they could keep you at the roadside for quite a while if they don't like your attitude.

masterwriter

peasant wrote: »

It will probably do you as much good as my grannies rhubarb crumble recipe if you get caught driving unaccompanied

how good is that, do cops like it;)?