car crash

Jessica86

Im sorry, im not sure if this is the right thread.. but here it goes..


I just had a car crash with another lady.. She drove into us.. so the blame was her entirely..
I am from Holland, and i am used that when i drive another car my ensure covers it as well, so that’s what i also thought with the Irish car.

The garda came at place and immediately accused me of hitting this poor lady ( wtf?) she was extremely ruse towards me and I had to give up my key straight away.. She said they were going to take my car to some compound? And when i fail to give them my Irish car insurance they were going to destroy it... ALSO i would have to pay for every day it was there... We asked if she could please drive us home...I have a bad knee and according to the doctor i cant walk for more then a few km.. She rudely said she was not a taxi and drove off/... Is this a normal procedure in Ireland? She also said that i would have to go before court?

I honestly have been to many places.. but I’ve never seen anything like this?

What can I do?

listermint

Are you insured? Contact your insurance company,

It appears the gardai have seized the vehicle due to no insurance displayed, this is the law and they can seize the vehicle.

As per conditions the vehicle is stored in a secure compound until it is picked up by owner on production of insurance and yes you will have to pay storage fees.

As for the accident its now up to the insurance companys to resolve.

Mar4ix

solicitor would be where to go.
Have you got any pictures of crashed cars ? Have you got garda name? Ask Irish people who you know for some help in this situation. Hope you wrote down that female car reg number, and all information from displayed discs.

Try find witnesses of that incident, it might will help.

Are you working in Ireland ?

Mar4ix

listermint wrote: »

Are you insured? Contact your insurance company,

It appears the gardai have seized the vehicle due to no insurance displayed, this is the law and they can seize the vehicle.

As per conditions the vehicle is stored in a secure compound until it is picked up by owner on production of insurance and yes you will have to pay storage fees.

As for the accident its now up to the insurance companys to resolve.

If that person only tourist, they cant ask Irish insurance and seize a car, if that person working in Ireland, than yes.

coylemj

Mar4ix wrote: »

If that person only tourist, they cant ask Irish insurance and seize a car, if that person working in Ireland, than yes.

So what you're saying is that there is a different law for foreigners.... I don't think so.

If you're a tourist driving a hire car (Hertz, Avis, Budget etc.) and can produce the documents to show that it's a hired car then you won't have any problem with the police, otherwise you're subject to the same rules as the locals and if you have no evidence of insurance like an insurance disc on the windscreen or a certificate of insurance to show to the Garda then they can seize your car and it doesn't matter whether you're a tourist or not.

Doom

I think the OP said they were driving an Irish car.......my insurance wouldn't cover me driving a dutch car, but will cover meon another Irish car.

Mar4ix

coylemj wrote: »

So what you're saying is that there is a different law for foreigners.... I don't think so.

Nope, you didnt understand me .... if you take your irish car , and drive to France for holidays ... week or two, and get involved in to accident, a specially if you are victim, police cant seize your car, and request France insurance from You. If you are working in France, using your own car for goin to work or travelling around, than you have to have France insurance.

listermint

Mar4ix wrote: »

Nope, you didnt understand me .... if you take your irish car , and drive to France for holidays ... week or two, and get involved in to accident, a specially if you are victim, police cant seize your car, and request France insurance from You. If you are working in France, using your own car for goin to work or travelling around, than you have to have France insurance.

OP is not here on holidays. So your point is mute.

Mar4ix

listermint wrote: »

OP is not here on holidays. So your point is mute.

OP didnt said, she reside in Ireland or in holidays, so no point to argue. As i said, if she is resident of Ireland, and driving own country car, then garda did right, and damage cover for insurance companies to deal with.

slimjimmc

Mar4ix wrote: »

Nope, you didnt understand me .... if you take your irish car , and drive to France for holidays ... week or two, and get involved in to accident, a specially if you are victim, police cant seize your car, and request France insurance from You. If you are working in France, using your own car for goin to work or travelling around, than you have to have France insurance.

I think it's you who misunderstood coylemj.

They're not looking for French insurance, they're looking for any insurance that covers you to drive in France. For all they know you might not have any insurance at all! They can seize the car until you can produce evidence that you are covered. It doesn't matter where in the EU the policy originated from so long as it covers you where you are currently driving.

Likewise in Ireland, if you can't show you're insured the Gardaí can seize until you prove otherwise. It's always up to you, as the driver, to prove you're covered, however long that takes.

Mar4ix

slimjimmc wrote: »

I think it's you who misunderstood coylemj.

They're not looking for French insurance, they're looking for any insurance that covers you to drive in France. For all they know you might not have any insurance at all! They can seize the car until you can produce evidence that you are covered. It doesn't matter where in the EU the policy originated from so long as it covers you where you are currently driving.

Likewise in Ireland, if you can't show you're insured the Gardaí can seize until you prove otherwise. It's always up to you, as the driver, to prove you're covered, however long that takes.

Agree ... fair enough.

mdebets

There are a few informations missing from your story.

Are you a residence in Ireland or in Holland?
Do you own the car that was seized or did you borrow/rent it?
If you rented it from whom did you rent it.
What insurance did you have (or thought you have)? Irish? Dutch? For the car you were driving? For another car.

kazul

OT, but does anybody on this thread speak English as their first language? The spelling, grammar and syntax in some of the posts is making my head hurt.

@OP, just contact your insurer and let them take care of it, that's what we pay our hefty premiums for (in theory at least).

Absurdum

<snip>

OP, we need more information, as already posted.

Wetbench4

The guards could/would also seize a car if the tax is more than 2months out of date

Cuddlesworth

Wetbench4 wrote: »

The guards could/would also seize a car if the tax is more than 2months out of date

I was under the assumption that only revenue could do that.

-Chris-

kazul wrote: »

OT, but does anybody on this thread speak English as their first language? The spelling, grammar and syntax in some of the posts is making my head hurt.

Get over yourself. This is not Leaving Cert English, it's a discussion forum.

Some people are posting from mobile devices, with poor spelling correction. Others are from other nationalities, and maybe English isn't their first language.

If you have a problem with a specific post, report it and we can address/edit it.

CiniO

Doom wrote: »

I think the OP said they were driving an Irish car.......my insurance wouldn't cover me driving a dutch car, but will cover meon another Irish car.

I intentionally asked my insurer about it, and they replied that I was covered to drive other cars even if the car was registered in another EU state, and even if I was driving it in another state. The insurer was Allianz.

-Chris-

CiniO wrote: »

I intentionally asked my insurer about it, and they replied that I was covered to drive other cars even if the car was registered in another EU state, and even if I was driving it in another state. The insurer was Allianz.

That's fine, but does it apply to the OP's insurer or just your own?

kazul

-Chris- wrote: »

Get over yourself. This is not Leaving Cert English, it's a discussion forum.

Some people are posting from mobile devices, with poor spelling correction. Others are from other nationalities, and maybe English isn't their first language.

If you have a problem with a specific post, report it and we can address/edit it.

The first few posts were like an episode of 'Allo 'Allo. IMHO a proper disussion requires at least intelliglible communication (which the beginning of this thread lacks).

CiniO

-Chris- wrote: »

That's fine, but does it apply to the OP's insurer or just your own?

I have no clue, as OP didn't say what insurer it was.
He/she didn't even say in what country was insured, and what country the car was registered in. Or where he/she was resident.

Anyway - I think my answer is related to topic, and can help in solving the whole question in some way.

MagicMarker

It's pretty clear that the OP was driving without insurance. In which case the guards were right to take the car and charge the OP for storage until they prove that they are/were insured.

As far as the accident goes, well we have no details on that so we can't really comment.

CiniO

MagicMarker wrote: »

It's pretty clear that the OP was driving without insurance. I

How can you say it's clear?
From OP explanation nothing is really clear.
From what I understand OP claims he/she had cover in Holland and it could cover him/her to drive other cars.
That's quite possible.

-Chris-

kazul wrote: »

The first few posts were like an episode of 'Allo 'Allo. IMHO a proper disussion requires at least intelliglible communication (which the beginning of this thread lacks).

Excellent, well enjoy a 24 hour break for discussing Mod instruction on-thread.

That should be enough time to de-wreck your head.

MagicMarker

CiniO wrote: »

How can you say it's clear?
From OP explanation nothing is really clear.
From what I understand OP claims he/she had cover in Holland and it could cover him/her to drive other cars.
That's quite possible.

Well until the OP proves that to the guards then it's clear she was driving without insurance.

CiniO

MagicMarker wrote: »

Well until the OP proves that to the guards then it's clear she was driving without insurance.

I understand that guards are allowed to impound the vehicle if they can form the opinion that driver was driving uninsured. (f.e. driver can't show any proof of insurance).

But I can't agree it's clear she was driving without insurance.

Reloc8

Jessica86 wrote: »

I am from Holland, and i am used that when i drive another car my ensure covers it as well, so that’s what i also thought with the Irish car.

OP was driving without insurance although they thought otherwise. Gardai fully entitled to seize car.

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

I was under the assumption that only revenue could do that.

(re tax & who can seize - nah gardai can do that)

x in the city

so


what we need to know is

HAS THE OP INSURANCE IN

A/ IRELAND

B/ HOLLAND or Another...

C/ NO Insurance

IF its the latter, he/she needs a solicitor, as in theory who ever hit him/her should be liable, a good legal eagle could work wonders!, I dont buy into this crap of treating foreigners like dirt., they should have the same rights as job soap from ballsbridge.

that is all.

slimjimmc

x in the city wrote: »

so


what we need to know is

HAS THE OP INSURANCE IN

A/ IRELAND

B/ HOLLAND or Another...

C/ NO Insurance

IF its the latter, he/she needs a solicitor, as in theory who ever hit him/her should be liable, a good legal eagle could work wonders!, I dont buy into this crap of treating foreigners like dirt., they should have the same rights as job soap from ballsbridge.

that is all.

I'm not sure from this comment if you think the OP was treated that way or not, but she wasn't. She was dealt with in the same way as any other motorist who has not yet produced evidence of insurance. Foreigners do have the many of same rights (especially EU citizens) but don't forget they also bear the same responsibilities to ensure they comply with the law.

_Kaiser_

As already mentioned, we need more info from the OP really to give a proper opinion save that she should contact her insurers immediately and whoever she borrowed/rented the car from if it's not hers.

Side note re the "language issues" - the biggest problem I'd have is the OP's description of how this Garda treated her. I genuinely am sick to my teeth of reading stories like this on Boards... Is it REALLY too much to expect this "keystone cops" brigade to behave in a professional and competent manner? :mad:

Here we have a person, not from this country, involved in an accident (apparently) not of her making on first read, and her first encounter with the "law" :rolleyes: of this land is yet another jumped up insecure little Garda with a chip that thinks they're Dirty Harry - or Harriette in this instance!

Clearly she didn't bother explaining herself to the OP (or just as possible was making it up as she went along - as in the recent "Garda dog handler stops man and takes his license unlawfully" thread), and I can just imagine the mess now as the OP tries to sort it out.

Jessica86 wrote: »

I honestly have been to many places.. but I’ve never seen anything like this?

Not good enough - yet again - from our boys n girls in blue in my opinion - great impression to leave someone of Ireland!! :rolleyes:

mb1725

Any time in the past when I took the car abroad (except UK), I had to contact my insurers to extend the cover. My broker, The AA always sent me out a letter to let me know I was covered. This would surely avoid any confusion.

kona

Jessica86 wrote: »

Im sorry, im not sure if this is the right thread.. but here it goes..


I just had a car crash with another lady.. She drove into us.. so the blame was her entirely..
I am from Holland, and i am used that when i drive another car my ensure covers it as well, so that’s what i also thought with the Irish car.

The garda came at place and immediately accused me of hitting this poor lady ( wtf?) she was extremely ruse towards me and I had to give up my key straight away.. She said they were going to take my car to some compound? And when i fail to give them my Irish car insurance they were going to destroy it... ALSO i would have to pay for every day it was there... We asked if she could please drive us home...I have a bad knee and according to the doctor i cant walk for more then a few km.. She rudely said she was not a taxi and drove off/... Is this a normal procedure in Ireland? She also said that i would have to go before court?

I honestly have been to many places.. but I’ve never seen anything like this?

What can I do?

welcome to Ireland

Sorry you had a crash, the garda are not there to accuse you of anything perhaps something was lost in translation? If they did accuse you Id complain.

Also that woman garda who treated you like that?, we call women like that wagons, just a extra word for your english vocab

mdebets

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

Side note re the "language issues" - the biggest problem I'd have is the OP's description of how this Garda treated her. I genuinely am sick to my teeth of reading stories like this on Boards... Is it REALLY too much to expect this "keystone cops" brigade to behave in a professional and competent manner? :mad:

Here we have a person, not from this country, involved in an accident (apparently) not of her making on first read, and her first encounter with the "law" :rolleyes: of this land is yet another jumped up insecure little Garda with a chip that thinks they're Dirty Harry - or Harriette in this instance!

Clearly she didn't bother explaining herself to the OP (or just as possible was making it up as she went along - as in the recent "Garda dog handler stops man and takes his license unlawfully" thread), and I can just imagine the mess now as the OP tries to sort it out.



Not good enough - yet again - from our boys n girls in blue in my opinion - great impression to leave someone of Ireland!! :rolleyes:

I don't know where you get all the information from, to come to your conclusion. All we have is the one sided story of someone who get her car confiscated by a Garda, because the OP couldn't provide evidence that the car she was driving was legally insured in Ireland. The only course of action the Garda could have done was confiscate the car, until the driver could provide evidence that the car realy was insured.
The only thing we hear about the Garda is that she was rude, with no evidence how she was rude (the perspective of what's being rude also varies from country to country). The only actions of the Garda we can comment on is that she confiscated the car (well done, not the usual, ah go on and never do it again' attitude of some Gardas) and that she refused to drive the OP home (why should she? As she pointed out it says Gardai on top of her car, not Taxi. If the OP really couldn't walk, she could have called a taxi, to drive her home).

The thing we can say about the OP is that she was ignorant.

Jessica86 wrote:

I am from Holland, and i am used that when i drive another car my ensure covers it as well, so that’s what i also thought with the Irish car.

So she comes to a foreign country and doesn't bother to find out about something as important as her car insurance, but just thinks it would be the same as back home. She should be glad that she wasn't responsible for an accident when she was driving without insurance (I just presume she was, as she is not providing any evidence to the contrary), which could have cost her much more than the fine for driving without insurance.

slimjimmc

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

As already mentioned, we need more info from the OP really to give a proper opinion save that she should contact her insurers immediately and whoever she borrowed/rented the car from if it's not hers.

Fully agree.

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

Side note re the "language issues" - the biggest problem I'd have is the OP's description of how this Garda treated her. I genuinely am sick to my teeth of reading stories like this on Boards... Is it REALLY too much to expect this "keystone cops" brigade to behave in a professional and competent manner? :mad:

Here we have a person, not from this country, involved in an accident (apparently) not of her making on first read, and her first encounter with the "law" :rolleyes: of this land is yet another jumped up insecure little Garda with a chip that thinks they're Dirty Harry - or Harriette in this instance!

Clearly she didn't bother explaining herself to the OP (or just as possible was making it up as she went along - as in the recent "Garda dog handler stops man and takes his license unlawfully" thread), and I can just imagine the mess now as the OP tries to sort it out.

Nothing in the OP's version suggests that Garda was making up any law, it's all covered and is very possible. The Garda did advise what could happen and that it depended on the OP producing evidence of insurance, OP even mentioned it.

The Garda was correct not to drive her home it's a waste of scarce resources. The OP is an adult, apparently resident in Leixlip, has fairly fluent English and is therefore capable of looking after herself (likely to have mobile phone - call a friend or taxi). What if she broke down or the car was stolen, how would she get home then?

And as for the "mess", the OP got herself into that situation by assuming she was insured the drive the car based on common practice in another country. It was irresponsible of her not to confirm her insurance status in this country before driving it in the first place.

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

Not good enough - yet again - from our boys n girls in blue in my opinion - great impression to leave someone of Ireland!! :rolleyes:

You're assuming she is entitled to special attention. Ever try dealing with Spanish cops, the Gardai are gentle pussy cats in comparison.

Jessica86

Wow.. Never thought to get this many responses..

I'm sorry if my English is not very good, or understandable enough.

I am Dutch, I work in Ireland now for about 7 months. Last month we bought an Irish car. I am insured for my car in Holland, en basically with that insurance I can drive any car ( thats what i thought at least) I also went to the Garda and asked what was true. They told me that I had to make sure there was tax and insurance ( They did NOT say the car alone had to be insured, as I thought I was covered by my Dutch one) Probably they either did not understand my question right, or I did not understand their answer. English is after all my second language.

Anyway, what I thought and not doesn't matter anymore.
I have been in many countries, but how that police woman treated me i
I have never seen or experienced before.

I will tell the whole story again, just to be clear.

We drove on the road, on a road left of us the woman case with her car ( 2004 Nissan Micra) She thouhght that the other side ( her left) let her go right. So she kept driving.. We were just going straight so she rammed right into the side of our car ( Flat tire and scratches)
She said she didnt know how it worked and called her BF, who called the Garda.
The Garda came on the scene, she asked if I had an insurence. So I said that I had a Dutch one. So she said, well thats not good enough. were going to seize your car and this is your own fault. I started crying because i panicked.
Then she said that the blame was on ME by hitting that poor lady! She drove into me ( so she assumed automatically it was my fault the accident happened?)
So i said that.. she drove into me.. Then she said, dont yell at me or I will arrest you.

Then she turned to the other people, and she was all nice and friendly and understanding... I feel discriminated for not being Irish.. I know now that not having an insurance is of course my own fault. But thats still no reason for her to be such a ****!
she gave a fast explanation of what we should do.. ( I didn't understand anything of it, I was panicking and crying) My boyfriend was still calm, but didnt understand much of it either.

When she was done telling the other people it was all my fault and they had done nothing wrong, she wanted to drive off.

I have a bad knee ( driving is fine just walking far is a pain ) so my boyfriend asked if she could then take us home ( the Garda )
She said: '' Do you see a taxi sigh on this car'' I cant take uninsured people... Isn't the car supposed to be insured in stead of people?
The only way you can get a ride in this is car is when i arrest you.

So she left us there walking home a few km with no money, no coats, and it started raining too. I had to stop several times because my knee couldnt take it. And now a day after I can hardly walk

When we went home we took my Dutch car ( I brought that with me 2 weeks ago to trnasport our things, that car is going back in may to holland again) and went to the Garda station. We asked there what the procedure was and what we should do, because we didnt understand when the woman said some things about it. There was a man there who thank god was a lot more patient and explained the entire procedure to us. He also explained us how it worked with insurances.


I am really very disappointed by this all.

corktina

In Ireland it is common to have cover on your policy to drive other cars that you dont own or hire. It is NOT common to have cover to drive another car that you own.... no doubt you are telling the truth that your Dutch policy covers you in this latter way, but ,knowing this, you can understand why the Gard would doubt you and impound the car until you can prove that your new Irish car is indeed covered by your Dutch policy (if it is, you dont seem 100% sure to me). You would need to have a disc on your windscreen in any event as non-display is an offence.

Jessica86

It is not covered, I called my lawyer today.

I fully accept that its my own fault not to have an insurance. I should have checked that.
My question is not about who is right or wrong, because clearly I am wrong for not having a insurance and in my opinion she is wrong by driving into me.

My question is what I can do now to get my car back, To limit costs as much as possible.

And if police is allowed to act like that in Ireland?

Then my last question, where can I insure the car? The nice officer gave me some names of ensure people, but they only take people that are Ireland for more then 3 years... and i am not.


And just to clear on another matter : I really thought that my Dutch Insurence covered ANY car I was driving. No matter what country. I was wrong, Ireland has other laws and rules on that . My own fault.. I KNOW

_Kaiser_

I see the OP has come back in here and provided further info, so I'll jump back in here too.

What certain people here haven't grasped apparently, is that my issue isn't so much as what this Garda did as much as how she did it.

Here we have a foreign national with poor English skills who had an accident that was by all accounts not her fault.

Regardless of the insurance issue (and for clarity I'd be of the opinion that if you're driving in ANY foreign jurisdiction - even "just" up North - that you should have things like local traffic laws and insurance cover figured out WELL in advance of taking to the roads, tourist or not!), there can be NO excuse for this Garda's attitude and behavior towards the OP.

Now obviously we only have the OP's side of it, however given the nearly daily reports of similar experiences with members of our police squad reported on these very Boards and my own experiences with them on several occasions, I'm inclined to believe her version of events.

What was needed here was the Gard in question to act in a professional and competent manner by first defusing the situation and calming everyone down (not adding to it by apparently picking sides and giving abuse and threats to the OP), clearly explaining the situation to the OP and the next steps involved (rather than smart-ass wisecracks about taxi services!) and - and yes I know I'm almost into "fantasy" here - giving the OP her name, badge/station details and some sort of written copy/receipt of the incident that she could take to the station/impound yard.

And while the Gards may not be there to provide a "taxi service" - unless you happen to be a TD of course! - common manners and decency would suggest that if the OP made the Garda aware of her bad knee, that maybe SOMETHING could have been done (maybe even flagging down a "real" taxi that they could have paid for when they got home or stopped along the way etc) rather than just leaving them at the side of the road unsure of what to do or even where to go next! After all, there was apparently plenty of time for this Gard to act "smart" right?

THAT is my issue here... the fact that far too many Gardai seem to have the communication skills of a 10 year old, and a complete lack of Customer Service or even basic people skills (because like it or not, the general public ARE their "customers" not just dirt to be walked on!). It's even more important in a case like this as in a sense they're "representing Ireland" to foreign visitors - guaranteed the OP will tell all her Dutch friends about the "abusive Irish police" - and who could blame her??

Someone else said it in the "Dog handler" thread and I think they were spot on - the real issue is that we don't HAVE a professional police force in this country.. if we did, things that people complain about (even on this thread!) wouldn't happen - ie: the "it depends who you get" approach to law enforcement and the wildly varying responses or even knowledge of the laws they're supposed to enforce from individual members.

For balance, yes there are good and competent Gardai too who take the responsibilities and job seriously but I can only assume that they're hidden away in back rooms of stations as the "front line" staff seems to be filled with far too many arrogant, lazy and abusive types as in this instance.

dr.fuzzenstein

I wouldn't worry OP, the Garda in question was obviously a redneck who just came out of Templemore and is more used to shouting at the cows in the shed at home.
Just go back to Holland because, just as Irish cops cannot understand any laws, paperwork and procedures from "out foreign" they are also completely flummoxed when someone leaves the country as they don't speak "foreign".
If the other driver hit you side on like that it is her fault, but she realised you are a foreigner and if she started screaming loud enough, The Gard will side with her, a fellow Paddy.
Together they will do you for every cent they can possibly squeeze out of you, out of greed and sheer bad-mindedness.
Welcome to Ireland, get out while you can!

-Chris-

Jessica86 wrote: »

So i said that.. she drove into me.. Then she said, dont yell at me or I will arrest you.

Why would she have asked you not to yell at her - were you yelling?

You were obviously upset because you were crying, did you raise your voice to the Garda?

slimjimmc

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

I wouldn't worry OP, the Garda in question was obviously a redneck who just came out of Templemore and is more used to shouting at the cows in the shed at home.
Just go back to Holland because, just as Irish cops cannot understand any laws, paperwork and procedures from "out foreign" they are also completely flummoxed when someone leaves the country as they don't speak "foreign".
If the other driver hit you side on like that it is her fault, but she realised you are a foreigner and if she started screaming loud enough, The Gard will side with her, a fellow Paddy.
Together they will do you for every cent they can possibly squeeze out of you, out of greed and sheer bad-mindedness.
Welcome to Ireland, get out while you can!

Why would on earth would a Garda (or any other policeman anywhere) need to know the traffic laws and procedures of a foreign jurisdiction, their only concern are laws and procedures of their own jurisdiction. What has Dutch law got to do with this anyway, she's resident here so she is subject to Irish law just like you and me.

Are you suggesting the Garda is in cahoots with the other driver, because if you are I think you posted in the wrong forum.

CiniO

Jessica86 wrote: »

It is not covered, I called my lawyer today.

Irish lawyer or Dutch lawyer?

My question is what I can do now to get my car back, To limit costs as much as possible.

Buy insurance which will cover you to drive that car.

And if police is allowed to act like that in Ireland?

No. As a foreigner, I've learnt on this forum, that Garda in Ireland has no power to decide how was at fault at accident. So she couldn't say that if was your fault.
If you think it was the other ladies fault, claim from her insurance policy. If you didn't get her insurance details (I assume you didn't) get back to garda to get it, as the other lady was legally obliged to give you her details.

Then my last question, where can I insure the car? The nice officer gave me some names of ensure people, but they only take people that are Ireland for more then 3 years... and i am not.

Go to some insurance brokers. They will find you insurance which will cover you.

And just to clear on another matter : I really thought that my Dutch Insurence covered ANY car I was driving. No matter what country. I was wrong, Ireland has other laws and rules on that . My own fault.. I KNOW

Irish laws and rules are not relevant here.
It's all up to terms and conditions of your Dutch insurance. Check with them, because maybe you are right and you were covered.

But remember, that if you were really driving without insurance, you might end up in a court, and get some penalty or driving ban for it.

CiniO

slimjimmc wrote: »

Why would on earth would a Garda (or any other policeman anywhere) need to know the traffic laws and procedures of a foreign jurisdiction, their only concern are laws and procedures of their own jurisdiction. What has Dutch law got to do with this anyway, she's resident here so she is subject to Irish law just like you and me.

OK, but see this:

The Garda came on the scene, she asked if I had an insurence. So I said that I had a Dutch one. So she said, well thats not good enough.

How could Garda know that Dutch insurance is not good enough?

David09

I crashed my car last year. I was in the wrong and had skidded out into the path of a guy coming towards me. I accepted that I was wrong and offered to pay up. What really annoyed me though is that I knew for sure that the guy I'd hit had been drinking and even so the guards sided totally with him and refused to breath test him.
I was threatened by the garda that if I didn't pay up that I'd be charged with dangerous driving.

Cuddlesworth

Right, after your last post this is what you should do.

Get the other persons insurance details. If they are not provided, the gardai should supply them for you. If they don't speak to their superior.

Make a claim on their insurance. They hit you, damage to the front of their car and to your side. Their should be no contest on their part. Get a insurance claims assessor for your side and have them deal with it. Ignore what the female guard said since she sounds like a right cow.

As for the insurance on your part. Get a lawyer and go to court. You may be charged or not, but explaining that you thought you were covered by your active dutch insurance should help. They can't give your dutch license points or take it from you.

mdebets

CiniO wrote: »

How could Garda know that Dutch insurance is not good enough?

Because the OP couldn't proof it.
If your car is insured in Ireland, you have your Insurance disk, if you are visiting, you have your green insurance card. The very least I would expect if you can really insure an Irish registered car wit a non Irish insurance, is a letter, detailing that the car is indeed insured.
Even if the OP would have been insured by her Dutch insurance company and the Garda would have known that it is possible, she had no proof of it.What do you expect the Garda to do just believe everyone who tells him the car is insured and just let him drive on? The very least you need is proof.

CiniO

mdebets wrote: »

Because the OP couldn't proof it.
If your car is insured in Ireland, you have your Insurance disk, if you are visiting, you have your green insurance card. The very least I would expect if you can really insure an Irish registered car wit a non Irish insurance, is a letter, detailing that the car is indeed insured.
Even if the OP would have been insured by her Dutch insurance company and the Garda would have known that it is possible, she had no proof of it.What do you expect the Garda to do just believe everyone who tells him the car is insured and just let him drive on? The very least you need is proof.

The problem here is, that Garda told her that Dutch insurance is not good enough.
Normally if someone can't prove on the spot that he/she is insured, then Garda ask to bring a proof to the garda station in 10 days.
Saying that insurance is not good enough, is silly, as was said before - Irish Garda can't be familiar with foreign regulations.

F.E. I said before, that I checked with my insurer, and I'm covered to drive other cars which don't belong to me, even if car is registered in other country, and even if I'm driving it in other country.
I

CiniO

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

. They can't give your dutch license points or take it from you.

But they can ban her from driving in Ireland.

pokerface_me

What that Ban-Garda did to you was unexcusable, how dare she threaten you with arrest minutes after an accident, did they even ask you if you were ok or ask if you needed an ambulance, pretty obvious you were in shock to say the least.

And as for the lift home, few years back i got hopped on and got a few digs and mugged. Gardai drove past and asked was i ok, told them what happened and gave me a lift 35kms home.

Suppose i'm one of there own. You were treated very badly i would complain to the super intendent at her station. The exact same way i went to the station of the Gardai that dropped me home, spoke to their super and told them how good they were to me and got me home safely, actually asked me to put it in writing to forward to HQ on behalf of the 2 Gardai in question.

mdebets

CiniO wrote: »

Normally if someone can't prove on the spot that he/she is insured, then Garda ask to bring a proof to the garda station in 10 days.

Typical Irish solution. If a driver cannot proof that the car he drives is insured, it should be taken away from him on the spot, no 10 days grace. Do you think you could drive in any other country without insurance after the police stopped you for it.

mdebets

pokerface_me wrote: »

What that Ban-Garda did to you was unexcusable, how dare she threaten you with arrest minutes after an accident, did they even ask you if you were ok or ask if you needed an ambulance, pretty obvious you were in shock to say the least.

And as for the lift home, few years back i got hopped on and got a few digs and mugged. Gardai drove past and asked was i ok, told them what happened and gave me a lift 35kms home.

Suppose i'm one of there own. You were treated very badly i would complain to the super intendent at her station. The exact same way i went to the station of the Gardai that dropped me home, spoke to their super and told them how good they were to me and got me home safely, actually asked me to put it in writing to forward to HQ on behalf of the 2 Gardai in question.

Your story is totally different. You were a victim of a crime, the OP was caught without insurance and her car was confiscated. So I don't see why the Garda should have driven her home.