Garda crackdown on cars with broken lights

newcavanman

A couple of weeks ago the Gardai had one of their high viz campaigns, plenty of media exposure regarding a 48 hour crackdown on cars with broken/faulty lights . I cover quite a few miles each day and was really surprised to not see a single checkpoint , even though i started before 6am and didnt get home till after 8pm . As faulty lights are a real bug bear for me, i contacted the Garda traffic Corp who told me there were between 150-170 checkpoints in each Garda district .Now, having spoken to colleagues of mine who are also high mileage salemen, i cant find anyone who actually came across one of these checkpoints . Id be really grateful to hear from anyone who did .

carzony

150-170 checkpoints? has to be lies, I'm just back from a trip to lucan and the amount of cars i'v seen with broken lights was unreal.


just being nosey here lol.. Can anyone explain to me why all the new gardai cars seem to have their tail lights off a lot of the time? I have noticed it with the avensis and seen a new focus the other night driving on the motor way with headlights on but no tail light?

newcavanman

Id take a guess.people have daytime driving lights that come on automatically with the engine, and so when they look they have front lights, but on some cars they only work the front lights, so they dont know they have no backlights, at least we have a golf and thats the way it is on it

carzony

newcavanman wrote: »

Id take a guess.people have daytime driving lights that come on automatically with the engine, and so when they look they have front lights, but on some cars they only work the front lights, so they dont know they have no backlights, at least we have a golf and thats the way it is on it

ah now it makes sense, I was actually baffled by that :o

carzony

carzony wrote: »

just being nosey here lol.. Can anyone explain to me why all the new gardai cars seem to have their tail lights off a lot of the time? I have noticed it with the avensis and seen a new focus the other night driving on the motor way with headlights on but no tail light?

There was a thread on here before about this, actually, specifically referencing the Avensis as having an issue wherein it's hard to know (from inside) if the rear lights are on or not.


As for checkpoints, I was spinning about last night and came across two Garda cars on blues (at separate, though very close, places). One had a car pulled at the side of the road and the other I didn't get a good look at (it was on a road I didn't go down).

I presume this has nothing to do with lights, and more of a random occurrence, but from what I seen last night it seemed like they were out doing a number on people (though it's entirely possible they were just looking for drink drivers? Paddy's weekend and all?).

Do they have blues generally turned on at a check-point? Or is that just fore-warning people that have something to hide?

Potential-Monke

Deleted User wrote: »

Do they have blues generally turned on at a check-point? Or is that just fore-warning people that have something to hide?

For safety reasons the lights have to be on at checkpoints or any other time when there is a stop or obstruction to the flow of traffic, to warn oncoming motorists that there is something ahead.

Potential-Monke

Potential-Monke wrote: »

For safety reasons the lights have to be on at checkpoints or any other time when there is a stop or obstruction to the flow of traffic, to warn oncoming motorists that there is something ahead.

Seems a bit silly. Surely a fella with GARDA written across his chest and a Garda car parked at the side of the road should be attention-taking enough? Or that the traffic in front has come to a crawl?


Blue flashing lights are visible from a mile down the road. If I'm trying to hide something I'd just take the next turn off, or pull over and wait until they head off. I'm pretty sure most people would do the same?

TheNog

KKV wrote: »

Seems a bit silly. Surely a fella with GARDA written across his chest and a Garda car parked at the side of the road should be attention-taking enough? Or that the traffic in front has come to a crawl?


Blue flashing lights are visible from a mile down the road. If I'm trying to hide something I'd just take the next turn off, or pull over and wait until they head off. I'm pretty sure most people would do the same?

Not silly at all. Blue lights are switched on for the safety of the members standing on the road. You would not the amount of late breaking of motorists driving at speed or even some people who seem to drive at Gardai although without intent. I even had a rear ender accident happen right in front me once.

Safety is first and foremost. I like going home after my shift ends. If you still think its silly having the blue lights on then walk into the middle of the road and stand there. I would say you would not be there for very long before being struck.

TheNog

newcavanman wrote: »

A couple of weeks ago the Gardai had one of their high viz campaigns, plenty of media exposure regarding a 48 hour crackdown on cars with broken/faulty lights . I cover quite a few miles each day and was really surprised to not see a single checkpoint , even though i started before 6am and didnt get home till after 8pm . As faulty lights are a real bug bear for me, i contacted the Garda traffic Corp who told me there were between 150-170 checkpoints in each Garda district .Now, having spoken to colleagues of mine who are also high mileage salemen, i cant find anyone who actually came across one of these checkpoints . Id be really grateful to hear from anyone who did .

I would imagine that if 150-170 checkpoints were done it was across divisions rather than districts. We really don't have the resources for that amount per district.

Also there are about 90,000 km of road in this country with maybe potentially 2,000 Gardai working at any particular time. Usually it is best to have 2 people doing a checkpoint again for safety so that brings it down to 500 potential checkpoints. Now there are calls that need attending to, enquiries, summons to be served etc etc. you can see the amount of resources diminish fairly quickly.

Also checkpoints are generally done for 10 to 15 mins before moving on to another spot

Mint Sauce

Done nearly a full tank of petrol that weekend driving all over the west and northwest. Did not see one checkpoint.

goldie fish

irish-stew wrote: »

Done nearly a full tank of petrol that weekend driving all over the west and northwest. Did not see one checkpoint.

The lights thing was targeted over two days over a week ago.

Mint Sauce

goldie fish wrote: »

The lights thing was targeted over two days over a week ago.

When ever it was, that was the weekend I was referring to. There certainly was a publicised campaign in the last 3-4 weeks that I was aware of.

goldie fish

irish-stew wrote: »

When ever it was, that was the weekend I was referring to. There certainly was a publicised campaign in the last 3-4 weeks that I was aware of.

It wasn't a weekend.

Mint Sauce

goldie fish wrote: »

It wasn't a weekend.

Okay, so it wasn't taking place during a weekend, it was the 20/21 of feb, which was well over a week ago, about 4 to be exact. My point still stands though, I did quite a bit of driving over them couple of days, though Sligo, Donegal, Cavan, and Leitrim, on local, regional, and national roads, including late at night, and did not see one checkpoint.

goldie fish

Nice edit!

I was also on the road on those days, and put up a stupid amount of mileage, and passed 3 checkpoints. I also heard from colleagues who passed through a number of them.

Discodog

They were all around Spiddal. 5 checkpoints with some involving 4 squad cars at a time, in 10 days!

TheNog

TheNog wrote: »

Not silly at all. Blue lights are switched on for the safety of the members standing on the road. You would not the amount of late breaking of motorists driving at speed or even some people who seem to drive at Gardai although without intent. I even had a rear ender accident happen right in front me once.

Safety is first and foremost. I like going home after my shift ends. If you still think its silly having the blue lights on then walk into the middle of the road and stand there. I would say you would not be there for very long before being struck.

Wasn't really thinking from a member's safety standpoint to be honest. Hadn't really crossed my mind.

That said, the last two checkpoints I came across (neither of them as a motorist) were car-less. Two Gardaí just standing in the road, one with an amber wand in his hand waving it about directing people to stop/start/move on/etc.

blade1

Twice since the new law came in, I have seen 2 squad cars with only one front light working!
Is it one law for them and an other for the public?
Hypocrites!!

dahamsta

Ah c'mon, sure the bulbs had probably only just blown. They were probably in the way to Halfords to replace them.

newcavanman

TheNog wrote: »

I would imagine that if 150-170 checkpoints were done it was across divisions rather than districts. We really don't have the resources for that amount per district.

Also there are about 90,000 km of road in this country with maybe potentially 2,000 Gardai working at any particular time. Usually it is best to have 2 people doing a checkpoint again for safety so that brings it down to 500 potential checkpoints. Now there are calls that need attending to, enquiries, summons to be served etc etc. you can see the amount of resources diminish fairly quickly.

Also checkpoints are generally done for 10 to 15 mins before moving on to another spot

I understand all this , my point is, that they make a song and dance about cracking down , and do very little about it . Catching people with faulty headlights is the easiest thing the gardai could do, traffic law wise . No stopping traffic to try and look through grimey windows to read tax discs . Just park at the side of the road, AT NIGHT , and watch the oncoming traffic, the faulty headlamp brigade tend to stand out like a sore thumb