Drink drive checkpoints

Jip

I know the gardai come out every bank holiday weekend and say there's going to be a massive presence on the roads to stop people drink driving. Up until yesterday I saw this as just PR as I have never come across a drink driving checkpoint around Dublin even though I would be out on the roads quite late.

Yesterday was very different. I came across a very big one in Smithfield at about 8:30 Sunday, there were alot of gardai around and seemed to have alot of people pulled in and what looked like a few cars seized and there was a tow truck parked up too, I was just waved through this one.

Then at around 12 that night I came across a second one on the N3 just between the Blanchardstown/Scotts Roundabout and the first slip road for the centre. Another very well manned one and they had different lanes marked out with cones to wave cars into while the drivers were breathalised. I was pulled into this one and a very pleasant garda breathalised me. I had a glass of wine at dinner a few hours before hand so was still nervous but I blew a zero.

As I said I have never been breathalised before now but now that is has happened once I definately won't be having that 'one' before driving home. One being the operative word as I don't drink and drive but I won't risk one drink if there's the possibility I could test positive.

Was I just lucky/unfortunate to come across 2 in one night or have there been lots more checkpoints spotted around the country over the weekend ?

bookerboy

I drove into a major checkpoint outside Letterkenny yesterday around 3pm
Had a few pints the night before and sure i would fail.
Blew in the bag,no prob and sent on my way.
Learned a lesson and will never have a pint possibly even the night before driving.

SAABMAN

Haven't seen one in years.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining

havn't seen one in all my 9 months of driving..

Hooch

The idea of these checkpoints is that they are in random locations. Just believe me there are checkpoints everynight of the week, but some people just dont meet them.

Same as the old ''i drove from Dublin to Cork and didnt see a patrol car'' arguement. Just because nobody saw us doesnt mean were not there:D

gman2k

nice guy always wrote: »

Just because nobody saw us doesnt mean were not there:D

No, believe me, you are more than often not there. (and I don't just mean the Dub/Cork route)
How do I know? I just know, trust me;)

Paulw

I was stopped Saturday night (9pm) on the Jamestown Road, D11. No complaints from me. Good to see them out and hopefully catching people.

Tragedy

Did 400miles on the N7/N69 on saturday and didn't see any checkpoints. Saw 3 garda cars around mountrath and a 10-15mile tailback though!

Bearcat

they were out at 1.30am during the weekend in full force outside batterstown co.meath. The one thing I have to say and I know the corps reads these forums is that compared to 3 years ago when check points were handled in an agressive manor, today everything is cordial and mannerly. I applaud the inner sanction for reminding their general members that by being rude and gruff to the general public only harbours deep and long lasting resentment. I was bagged recently and drove away feeling I was not some piece of silage as per previous occasions but felt I was afforded some common courtesy by folk doing their job..

Berty

I have been driving since 1998 and it took me to fly to Australia 3 weeks ago to be breathalised on my second day on the road.

I would personally love to see more checkpoints like this here but alas there is not too much money to be made by stopping drink drivers.

Like I said before, DOUBLE POINTS AND FINES on bank holidays especially drink driving ones.

Who is going to complain? If you complain you will be branded a drink driver.

kdak

just a general question!
if you're going through a 'breathalising checkpoint' and you dont have nct will they deal with it there or will they just be purely looking for drink drivers?
or does it just depend on the time and place etc.?
sorry for going off topic!

Bearcat

if your driving a jallopy they might start getting shirty....think the deal is as long as you have paper work to show you have the car booked in on a certain date, there has to be some lee-way. Drink driving is what they are out for and that I presume takes priority. Re the double points on public holidays......i dont have an issue with that.

kdak

cool thanks.

Tipsy Mac

If they done more checkpoints between 3am and 7am they would catch those people going around killing themselves every friday and saturday night.

Nightwish

I've been driving for almost 2 years but have to even see a drink driving checkpoint. I happened to drive around the town last night at 1am and didnt even see one Guard.

Sully

Spotted one outside the hospital the other night, right outside the emergency entrance (its on a roadway to an estate also). It was late enough (early morning like) and I was on route into A&E. Very friendly guard, asked was I going into work, gave me the breathalyser and said "Blow into it and ill tell you when to stop". Came back zero as usual and just said thanks and let me drive on!

Nice chap, checkpoint well marked out.

445279.ie

Berty wrote: »

Like I said before, DOUBLE POINTS AND FINES on bank holidays especially drink driving ones.

But you don't get points for drink driving - mandatory disqualification.

cianclarke

nice guy always wrote: »

Just because nobody saw us doesnt mean were not there:D

I'd tend to disagree - I can spot an unmarked squad car from a mile off. If ye're there, chances are ye've been seen!
I spent quite a bit of time before Christmas driving down the N11 to Waterford late at night (>11pm) and never came across anything. Never been bagged infact...
On another note, speaking to others who do less driving than me but have been bagged repeatedly makes me wonder - do the Gardai target specific people, e.g. workmen in vans etc? Do they pick likely cases, or is it always truly random
Edit: not suggesting workmen/tradesmen are a likely case, just it's the one I keep hearing about...

Hooch

cianclarke wrote: »

I'd tend to disagree - I can spot an unmarked squad car from a mile off. If ye're there, chances are ye've been seen!

On another note, speaking to others who do less driving than me but have been bagged repeatedly makes me wonder - do the Gardai target specific people, e.g. workmen in vans etc? Do they pick likely cases, or is it always truly random
Edit: not suggesting workmen/tradesmen are a likely case, just it's the one I keep hearing about...

Chances are we've been seen?? So thats why unmarked cars have a higher detection rate?? And people constantly over take unmarked cars dangerously?? And of course you can see behind walls, hedges, side roads, back roads, by roads so there cant be an unmarked parked somewhere observing traffic??

In regards to mat c/ps, you think that AGS set up checkpoints just for workmen/tradesmen?? And dont test anyone else passing through the C/P?? MAT checkpoints are mandatory Alcohol testing. The locations are random picked and authorised by the local inspector/supt. The checkpoint is then conducted in random format i.e. every second/third car depending on traffic conditions, not the occupation of the driver!!

Slunk

Was informed that there was a big one ion the N2, finglas over the weekend and was one on the road into blanchardstwon coming from the college today too. I do see a fair few around, and not just on BH weekend.

Side Note - How long does it take do get sent a letter for no seatbelt. Gaurd said ten days. That was ages ago. Is it just when he decides to process it from his notebook? Am i right in saying it €80 + 2 points?

Bearcat

re the unmarked cars.....they are pretty obvious if you know what you are looking for and I agree the amount of folk who make gross traffic driving errors in front of these guys is sheer amazing. Saw a guy pull in front of two suits in a mondeo at the carrickmines junction....needless to say he got the shock of his life when the two's and blues lit up.

Snookered

They were out on (Carlow Road) in Athy on Saturady night.
(which was unusal as Athy has very few gardaí as it is)
Anyway was droping a few friends down the town for a night out at 8:30pm, got breathalysed on the way down, no probs as I wasn't drinking

It was unusal to see they were still there at the same spot breathalysing
6 hours later (good to see I suppose)

Thoie

nice guy always wrote: »

In regards to mat c/ps, you think that AGS set up checkpoints just for workmen/tradesmen?? And dont test anyone else passing through the C/P?? {...} The checkpoint is then conducted in random format i.e. every second/third car depending on traffic conditions, not the occupation of the driver!!

I always get waved through drink checkpoints, even one where it appeared that they'd pulled in the 8 cars immediately in front of me. That was after a brief "Good evening" chat with the garda doing the waving. Do I just look sensible/innocent or was the chat enough to guess I hadn't been drinking - in which case the guess was that the 8 odd cars in front of me had?

(For the record, the closest I've ever come to drink driving in mumbledymumble years of driving was having a single drink with a meal and driving about 4 hours later, so the guard's guess was spot on )

Hooch

Thoie wrote: »

I always get waved through drink checkpoints, even one where it appeared that they'd pulled in the 8 cars immediately in front of me. That was after a brief "Good evening" chat with the garda doing the waving. Do I just look sensible/innocent or was the chat enough to guess I hadn't been drinking - in which case the guess was that the 8 odd cars in front of me had?

Then the pattern at that C/P was 8 vehicles tested at a time. Patterns change according to the member.

And of course C/Ps also allow us to talk to the locals and say hello. Its all about community policing!!

Sully

The chatting to you is to judge you. If your acting suspicous or seem intoxicated, you will draw closer to attention. On some towns, its used as a way to find out who was about in the event something goes astray!