How did they know????

Kitten88

Just a quick question thats wrecking my head, I had been driving my car for three months with no car tax (I know I know was just chancing my arm and hoping for the best) so the other day i went into the local guarda station to try and get them to sign the form to say my car had been off the road for those few months so I wouldnt have to back tax, he looks at the form and asks me where had the car been i made up some excuse about it going into a garage with a faulty engine part that took a little longer than expected to be fixed. He taps in the reg number into the computer and walks back to me and tells me the car has been detected on the roads for the past three months and there isnt a hope in hell he would sign the form. Needless to say I decided to pay arrears on the tax and was just fortunate enough to have gotten off that lightly, but how did he know i was using it if i hadnt been done for speeding or even passed any check points????

milltown

M50?

keithclancy

Kitten88 wrote: »

Just a quick question thats wrecking my head, I had been driving my car for three months with no car tax (I know I know was just chancing my arm and hoping for the best) so the other day i went into the local guarda station to try and get them to sign the form to say my car had been off the road for those few months so I wouldnt have to back tax, he looks at the form and asks me where had the car been i made up some excuse about it going into a garage with a faulty engine part that took a little longer than expected to be fixed. He taps in the reg number into the computer and walks back to me and tells me the car has been detected on the roads for the past three months and there isnt a hope in hell he would sign the form. Needless to say I decided to pay arrears on the tax and was just fortunate enough to have gotten off that lightly, but how did he know i was using it if i hadnt been done for speeding or even passed any check points????

Bloody hell your well lucky you didnt get done for a false declaration.

Something must have been up on Pulse.

johnos1984

Could it of been picked up on one of the Garda cars with the number plate recognition which logged it as having no tax?

The Garda driving the car may not pf pulled you in as it was during your grace period

So you were caught out making a false declaration to a Garda ? Count yourself lucky. It's the likes of you abusing the system that have them reviewing it.

I would hazard a guess he was bluffing on the system too

Cuddlesworth

Would this be the new ANPR system coming into effect? Or did he just smell the stench of bull off of the OP and decide to hard ball him?

I.S.T.

Many patrol cars have onboard computers which scan registration plates and alert the guards to no insurance/tax/etc. You were probably picked up by one of these. Usually the Guards would stop you on the spot but maybe they were busy at time time so you got off.

Kitten88

I know i was super lucky....whats Pulse?, yeah have passed through the M50 but only once since i had no tax and he was able to tell me that the car has been detected on the road every month that i was claiming it was off the road?

Kitten88

Kitten88 wrote: »

he was able to tell me that the car has been detected on the road every month that i was claiming it was off the road?

What did you say to him then ? I would be fairly sure he was just being on the ball and knew you were bullsh1tting him.

Glowing

You've got more nerve than I would

Glowing

Glowing wrote: »

You've got more nerve than I would

+1, I've done it loads in the last two/three years but it's always been genuinely off the road (as in parked up while I am selling what it's replacing or parked up while I drive another car). I always bring the insurance docs which agree with the dates I'm declaring it off the road anyway. They've never been studied though, it is after all a declaration.

Kitten88

RoverJames wrote: »

What did you say to him then ? I would be fairly sure he was just being on the ball and knew you were bullsh1tting him.

Just took back the form with a puzzled look on my face and walk away and got into the car that was parked right outside the station!!!! Wont be doing that again, yeah im sure there dealing with this problem every minute of the day your probably right!

solerina

....whats Pulse


Its the name for the garda computer system that keeps track of everything

Kitten88

Kitten88 wrote: »

Just took back the form with a puzzled look on my face and walk away and got into the car that was parked right outside the station!!!! !

lol, well done for that
Live and learn and all that.

Mr.Boots

Either he had a hunch and was s.hittin you but couldnt prosecute you because there was nothing to go on OR he did have definite information on the system but was decent enough and let you off thinking you have learnt from your errors.

EPM

Kitten88 wrote: »

Just took back the form with a puzzled look on my face and walk away and got into the car that was parked right outside the station!!!!

Please tell me you didnt bring the actual car to the station.

gofaster_s13

Isnt there fixed roadside ANPR cameras around Dublin ?

Senna

I had a white celica years ago, i had it on UK plates for two weeks, then i was stopped by the garda. I told them i only imported 2 days ago, the garda said "sure wasn't it sitting in the car park of "my place of work" last week:o
happened in a rural area, probably not in a city though.

johnos1984

Mr.Boots wrote: »

Either he had a hunch and was s.hittin you but couldnt prosecute you because there was nothing to go on OR he did have definite information on the system but was decent enough and let you off thinking you have learnt from your errors.

Either way it was the best thing to do as

A) He has scared you and you'll not do it again
B)You have informed a wide audience and probably have the wind up a few more who may of taken/may be taking the chance.

Either way infairness to the Garda he has done a good job as your spreading the word for him and everyones time and money isn't being wasted prosecuting you

doctorchopper

a lot of car parks have anpr systems for ezpass and what not and i wouldn't be surprised if the gards have access to the database.

mickdw

A garda isnt signing that car is off the car. He is signing that he witnesed you declaring that it is off the road.

In this case, he either knew the car (if small town) or else looked out the window and saw it parked outside & thought chancer.

mickdw

mickdw wrote: »

or else looked out the window and saw it parked outside & thought chancer.

I would presume the OP was not declaring it off the road for January I've brought the car I was declaring off the road down to the station on a few times, I would have been declaring it off the road up until the last day of the previous month.

bmw535d

this reminds me why rural cops are so much better than city ones, about 3 years ago my father drove to the local gaurda station to get the form signed for a van he just drove to the station, that wasn't taxed for a year and a half, this was a friday, the gaurd said to him, why don't you wait to monday and you will get another month out of it :D

HellFireClub

Kitten88 wrote: »

Just a quick question thats wrecking my head, I had been driving my car for three months with no car tax (I know I know was just chancing my arm and hoping for the best) so the other day i went into the local guarda station to try and get them to sign the form to say my car had been off the road for those few months so I wouldnt have to back tax, he looks at the form and asks me where had the car been i made up some excuse about it going into a garage with a faulty engine part that took a little longer than expected to be fixed. He taps in the reg number into the computer and walks back to me and tells me the car has been detected on the roads for the past three months and there isnt a hope in hell he would sign the form. Needless to say I decided to pay arrears on the tax and was just fortunate enough to have gotten off that lightly, but how did he know i was using it if i hadnt been done for speeding or even passed any check points????

In fairness you'd have to say that if it is true that the Gardai are recording and maintaining records on the movements of citizens in this manner, it raises HUGE civil rights and data protection issues.

I'm not a civil liberties do-gooder, but if the Gardai are monitoring my movements, I'd like to be aware of it in the first instance and secondly I'd like to be assured as to who has access to those records. If there are such records, can any Garda who might know me, just go in and have a snoop at where I was over the last few days???

tommyhaas

HellFireClub wrote: »

In fairness you'd have to say that if it is true that the Gardai are recording and maintaining records on the movements of citizens in this manner, it raises HUGE civil rights and data protection issues.

I'm not a civil liberties do-gooder, but if the Gardai are monitoring my movements, I'd like to be aware of it in the first instance and secondly I'd like to be assured as to who has access to those records. If there are such records, can any Garda who might know me, just go in and have a snoop at where I was over the last few days???

I really dont see the problem here, unless you have something to hide. Whats the problem with the Grada being able to monitor roads in order to ensure compliance with tax/insurance etc. And so what if a Garda can check where you've driven, its less intrusive than any bank teller you may know being able to see what you'v spent money on through your credit card statements or check how much you earn etc

red menace

HellFireClub wrote: »

In fairness you'd have to say that if it is true that the Gardai are recording and maintaining records on the movements of citizens in this manner, it raises HUGE civil rights and data protection issues.

I'm not a civil liberties do-gooder, but if the Gardai are monitoring my movements, I'd like to be aware of it in the first instance and secondly I'd like to be assured as to who has access to those records. If there are such records, can any Garda who might know me, just go in and have a snoop at where I was over the last few days???

There's a bit of a difference between detecting a car that's out of tax and keeping tabs on every single car in the country?
Or maybe the guard did just see the car outside?

Owen

AFAIK from casually talking to someone who visually reads the numberplate photos from the M50 cameras as his day job, the cameras do have a link to say if the car is taxed/not taxed, but nothing's ever done with that info. According to him, about half of the cars on Irish roads aren't taxed. No wonder with the price of it and people not having a pot to piddle in for the last 2 years, this year shaping up to be no better.*

*Yes, I know, not an excuse for tax evasion.

Kitten88

johnos1984 wrote: »

Either way it was the best thing to do as

A) He has scared you and you'll not do it again
B)You have informed a wide audience and probably have the wind up a few more who may of taken/may be taking the chance.

Either way infairness to the Garda he has done a good job as your spreading the word for him and everyones time and money isn't being wasted prosecuting you

Thats a very good point!

Kitten88

PaintDoctor wrote: »

AFAIK from casually talking to someone who visually reads the numberplate photos from the M50 cameras as his day job, the cameras do have a link to say if the car is taxed/not taxed, but nothing's ever done with that info. According to him, about half of the cars on Irish roads aren't taxed. No wonder with the price of it and people not having a pot to piddle in for the last 2 years, this year shaping up to be no better.*

*Yes, I know, not an excuse for tax evasion.

Thats unbelievable that so many cars arent taxed I really didnt think it was as big an issue, its true tax is so expensive its over 600euro a year for my car but thats no excuse i knew exactly what i was getting myself into when i bought the car I just hadnt factored in all the pay cuts that ive received also, but thats another issue!

andyseadog

id also hazard a guess that the garda was calling your bluff.

when i last wanted to put my MG back on the road, i drove into the local garda station in the Vitz to get said form. went into the carpark (6 spaces) and they were all full with 3 cars parked askew. so i had to leave and park down the road and walk into the station.

i get to the counter and i asked for the form and the garda says i see you came in and then turned and parked down the road, what car is it for? and he filled in the make and model before i left the station to make sure i wasn't going to use it for the vitz.

bazzachazza

Couldn't care less what records the Gardai keep of my movements. I have nothing to hide, I therefore don't care.

Your car MAY have been pinged by ANPR somewhere along the roads but the Gardai were dealing with something more important. Only a Garda would have the answer to this one, as to whether the system keeps tagging cars with issues when they are dealing with something else and then adds that info into the database.