Garda standing at roadside(hard shoulder) on M50- safety issue?

gurramok

Watch the vid, is this Garda very brave with oncoming traffic at 100kmph? Or just wreckless? I was astonished to see him standing there, could have easily been hit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anVLzpE4occ

lau1247

while it could be a potential accident issue..

i suppose he/she is quite limited in terms of where they can stop on the side motorway without being potentially hit..

I see that the blue light is flashing so I'm guessing he/she is also relying on that to warn on coming cars?? as well as hoping cars would slow down when they see that (this is typically true when majority of the citizen see flashing blue lights)

just my guess

gurramok

Well, it does cause oncoming traffic in the 1st lane to divert slightly into the 2nd lane in order to avoid him which causes headaches.

I thought it strange the car was not pulled in further down the road where there might be more space.

Jimbob 83

Shurre he will be grand as it's only tractors on the M50 that are totally entitled to be there right

slimjimmc

lau1247 wrote: »

while it could be a potential accident issue..

i suppose he/she is quite limited in terms of where they can stop on the side motorway without being potentially hit..

I see that the blue light is flashing so I'm guessing he/she is also relying on that to warn on coming cars?? as well as hoping cars would slow down when they see that (this is typically true when majority of the citizen see flashing blue lights)

just my guess

Assuming they're not stopped in the middle of the '4th' lane I think the issue is not that the cars are stopped on the hard shoulder but more the fact the Garda is standing at the exposed side of the car. He/she would be a hell of a lot safer dealing with the driver through the passenger side.

gurramok

slimjimmc wrote: »

Assuming they're not stopped in the middle of the '4th' lane I think the issue is not that the cars are stopped on the hard shoulder but more the fact the Garda is standing at the exposed side of the car. He/she would be a hell of a lot safer dealing with the driver through the passenger side.

Legal way of doing things? I'm shocked that a Garda would put himself in such danger especially for a possible minor offence from the motorist(not serious offence)

Gingernuts31

Very dangerous alright. If someone is tailgating the car in front they won't see the car or the Garda standing there and if he is one of the people that nearly drives on the yellow line its a receipe for an accident. Don't understand why the Garda either didn't bring the driver back to his car or talk to him through passanger window.

emo72

i cant make anything out in the video. whats going on? speedtrap?

gurramok

emo72 wrote: »

i cant make anything out in the video. whats going on? speedtrap?

Seriously, you have to ask? A unmarked Garda car pulls over a motorist on the M50, thing is the Garda is on drivers side while traffic zooms within inches of him.

emo72

gurramok wrote: »

Seriously, you have to ask? A unmarked Garda car pulls over a motorist on the M50, thing is the Garda is on drivers side while traffic zooms within inches of him.

i cant make out the video, so yea, i had to ask! but as you describe it, its crazy:pac:

Nissan doctor

In fairness, without your description and therefore knowing what to look for, no-one would have got anything from that video other then an idea of the cloud cover that day.

challengemaster

@OP that dashcam is absolutely worthless as you've got more sky than anything else, you actually can't make out anything apart from sky.

As for is it stupid, yes, yes it is.

johnthemull

Very safe to pull cars over on motorways in ireland. All the traffic drives in lane 2 or the overtaking lane. The guard may have to keep an eye out for tractors or a bunch of cyclists, but in general no danger presented by VEHICULAR traffic:)

gurramok

challengemaster wrote: »

@OP that dashcam is absolutely worthless as you've got more sky than anything else, you actually can't make out anything apart from sky..

Thanks for letting me know, youtube automatically applied brightness to the video a few minutes after posting it. Fixed it now without that crappy dull sky.

emo72

gurramok wrote: »

Thanks for letting me know, youtube automatically applied brightness to the video a few minutes after posting it. Fixed it now without that crappy dull sky.

so thats how misunderstandings happen on the internet:D

yea i see it now. i doubt council workers on road maintenance workers would be allowed to work like that. its crazy!

ehhh...and 100kmh is probably a conservative speed on the m50

gurramok

emo72 wrote: »

so thats how misunderstandings happen on the internet:D

yea i see it now. i doubt council workers on road maintenance workers would be allowed to work like that. its crazy!

ehhh...and 100kmh is probably a conservative speed on the m50

Ahh, group hug :P

Yeh, 100 the limit, others going faster. There were a couple of lorries behind me at the time in that lane. If that was me in the Garda's shoes, I be petrified of getting hit. Notice the Garda had his body halfway pointing towards the road and the other half towards the pulled over car, nervousness must have crept in at oncoming traffic.

Rich11

anytime iv seen a car pulled over by the garda on a motorway, the garda was talking to him through the passenger window , or the person who got pulled over got out of his car, so i was a bit shocked, no common sence with that garda

CharlieCroker

Personally, I wouldn't be getting out of the car on the M50 without a high vis on. Most of the time, I'll talk to the driver through the passenger side if it's an option (which it usually is).

I can only assume that member was of the opinion that he'd only be out there a second but still, not the safest thing ive seen

zenno

It is dangerous and unethical. You would think the gardai would have more bloody sense. Never ever stand on the drivers side while on the hard shoulder I don't care if your lights are flashing as if a driver got a blowout and lost slight control of the vehicle it could easily clip you.

I have the road safety authority melting my brain to be wise and careful while driving and these gards don't heed to the safety requirements, I give up.

Terrontress

You see on those English traffic cop shows that they always make the driver sit in the rear passenger side of their car.

I don't believe though that in England they would even be allowed to stop someone on the motorway in an unmarked car.

corktina

can't see the point of this thread...we don't know the circumstances and the Gard in that split second may have just got to the car and be trying to wrestle the keys from a drunk.

just an excuse to criticise the Gards?

slimjimmc

Terrontress wrote: »

You see on those English traffic cop shows that they always make the driver sit in the rear passenger side of their car.

They don't do it to protect themselves from traffic otherwise they'd chat to you halfways up the embankment. They put you in the back so they keep possession of you while they check out your details on the PNC, perhaps show a vid of your driving and to process the paperwork. Don't forget the back end of the cop car is likely to be first in line for a slap if someone drifted into the hard shoulder so it's not necessarily the safest place to be.

Terrontress wrote: »

I don't believe though that in England they would even be allowed to stop someone on the motorway in an unmarked car.

I guess the ossifer in this one seems to be a law unto himself then (youtube):D

slimjimmc

corktina wrote: »

can't see the point of this thread...we don't know the circumstances and the Gard in that split second may have just got to the car and be trying to wrestle the keys from a drunk.

just an excuse to criticise the Gards?

Indeed we don't know the exact details but in this case criticism is intended for his benefit. He's not the first one I've seen dealing with drivers at the "cliff edge". His stance and upright posture does not suggest he is in a physical struggle of any kind, though he could well be in the middle of a battle of wits all right .

Gingernuts31

zenno wrote: »

Never ever stand on the drivers side while on the hard shoulder I don't care if your lights are flashing as if a driver got a blowout and lost slight control of the vehicle it could easily clip you.

You mean like this ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRay9vsPk6o

zenno

Gingernuts31 wrote: »

You mean like this ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRay9vsPk6o

Yes. Or worse. ye don't have to be a genius to figure any of this out.