Checkpoints... do they catch many?

veryangryman

The tax and insurance checks I mean. Just wondering. I see them from time to time but in same location. Surely the dodgers just take alternative routes.

Do they do them in random places where you are from? Me I have seen them in like 2 local locations in total. Just seems a bit thick not having greater element of surprise

C.K Dexter Haven

Many what?

qo2cj1dsne8y4k

God I haven't met a checkpoint in about 3 years, and even then it wasnt a proper checkpoint it was the armed unit obviously looking for a specific person

Aint Eazy Being Cheezy

They must or they wouldn't keep doing it.

Mr. G

I think Revenue will know if you haven't paid car tax, as they have your details once the car has paid VRT.

In fairness most people would have tax and insurance paid (or out just a few days)

Speed points however is a diffierent story, it would catch a lot I'd imagine.

C.K Dexter Haven

veryangryman wrote: »

Just seems a bit thick not having greater element of surprise

Does that then make you angry, like, very angry?

How seriously do they take not having NCT?

donegal_road

Deleted User wrote: »

How seriously do they take not having NCT?

depends how long the NCT is up and whether you have applied to do one. Apply and have the appointment letter handy if you dont have the NCT.

Likewise with the tax, have a tax renewal form handy with the off-the-road category filled out, and have it stamped at the garda station. It looks as if you have made the effort.

endacl

I really don't know why they bother with checkpoints for tax/insurance/nct. Would it not be simpler and far more efficient to have a walk through the country's shopping centre carparks on any given Saturday? Those cars were all driven on the public road to get there, and they wouldn't cause those 'down-to-one-lane' checkpoint queues. One Guard with a radio could cover hundreds of cars in an afternoon, instead of tying up a whole shift plus vehicles.

Keep checkpoints for drink testing obviously. And no harm casting an eye over the discs while they're at it, but surely there's a better way of checking the revenue stuff?

S28382

I once drove up to a checkpoint on a fairly long stretch of road you would see the checkpoint from a good distance away, either way from where they were there were adjoining roads so if you were trying to dodge em for whatever reason you could do so very easily, it was a stupid place for a checkpoint so i very much doubt it if they caught anyone that day.

cassid

Friend of mine is a Garda. He's says its all PR to show the public that the police are on the street, while they are doing traffic duty, the station is left minus Gardaí for serious issues. There seems to be loads of checkpoints now, there is even a facebook page, listing the latest checkpoints, speed guns etc, it's a busy ole page

Haven't seen a checkpoint myself, in a while.

Mint Sauce

cassid wrote: »

Friend of mine is a Garda. He's says its all PR to show the public that the police are on the street, while they are doing traffic duty, the station is left minus Gardaí for serious issues. There seems to be loads of checkpoints now, there is even a facebook page, listing the latest checkpoints, speed guns etc, it's a busy ole page

Don't get them FB pages, as most of time by the time the poster gets home, and puts the information up, the check point is probably gone.

Bench Press

S28382 wrote: »

I once drove up to a checkpoint on a fairly long stretch of road you would see the checkpoint from a good distance away, either way from where they were there were adjoining roads so if you were trying to dodge em for whatever reason you could do so very easily, it was a stupid place for a checkpoint so i very much doubt it if they caught anyone that day.

If they spot someone doing a u-turn or dodging them coming up to a checkpoint and go after them, they are in deep ****

Rabies

C.K Dexter Haven wrote: »

Many what?

flying unicorns.

What the fvck do you think?

akura

I was stopped at a checkpoint last week. It must of been the good weather because I haven't seen one in ages.

S28382

Bench Press wrote: »

If they spot someone doing a u-turn or dodging them coming up to a checkpoint and go after them, they are in deep ****

But no one has to do a u turn as there is other roads to just turn off on to thats why it was stupid where they had the check point.

For Forks Sake

donegal_road wrote: »

depends how long the NCT is up and whether you have applied to do one. Apply and have the appointment letter handy if you dont have the NCT.

Likewise with the tax, have a tax renewal form handy with the off-the-road category filled out, and have it stamped at the garda station. It looks as if you have made the effort.

Not any more, you have to make the declatarion before you take the car off the road. Also, the traffic corps cars have on board computers with access to all tax.nct etc status.

General General

Nothing like seeing the GS spring into action on their spotting some car halfway down the queue trying to do a U turn, especially if it's a boy-racer type.

kneemos

Got caught twice in one week for no seat belt,must be about ten years ago now though.

NuckingFacker

Mr. G wrote: »

I think Revenue will know if you haven't paid car tax, as they have your details once the car has paid VRT.

In fairness most people would have tax and insurance paid (or out just a few days)

Speed points however is a diffierent story, it would catch a lot I'd imagine.

You're posh, anyway. Next you'll be saying everyone has an NCT cert.. round here they seem to be regarded as obstructive to a clear view through the windscreen...

Reindeer

I fled on foot.

Sir Humphrey Appleby

Dont think they need as many checkpoints now, most Traffic Corps cars have an automated reader which reads the reg plate and can tell if the car is taxed and insured

oldyouth

donegal_road wrote: »

depends how long the NCT is up and whether you have applied to do one. Apply and have the appointment letter handy if you dont have the NCT.

I suddenly remembered today that mine is out next week. Went online to book it in and the earliest date I could get was 1st October at 4.20pm. Better keep the appointment sheet in the car

NuckingFacker

Old and grey wrote: »

Dont think they need as many checkpoints now, most Traffic Corps cars have an automated reader which reads the reg plate and can tell if the car is taxed and insured

Mucky plates, ftw.

aphex™

Haven't seen one in a while.

However, the amount of cars they pull in the one outside IKEA they have from time to time.. it really is something to behold :eek:

Uriel.

cassid wrote: »

Friend of mine is a Garda. He's says its all PR to show the public that the police are on the street, while they are doing traffic duty, the station is left minus Gardaí for serious issues. There seems to be loads of checkpoints now, there is even a facebook page, listing the latest checkpoints, speed guns etc, it's a busy ole page

I hate that bull**** trotted out about Gardai shouldn't be doing X, y or Z because it distracts them from "serious" issues.

Gardai are there to enforce the law no matter how trivial you might think it is (not that tax or insurance are trivial matters)

You'd swear that unless it's murder or rape, no other crime matters and we should all just go ahead and do what we like

NuckingFacker

aphex™ wrote: »

Haven't seen one in a while.

However, the amount of cars they pull in the one outside IKEA they have from time to time.. it really is something to behold :eek:

Ikea always deals in big volumes - and slight tightness... put two and two together..

Fsehnagorg

Old and grey wrote: »

Dont think they need as many checkpoints now, most Traffic Corps cars have an automated reader which reads the reg plate and can tell if the car is taxed and insured

Still get a fair share of diesel dipping and combined revenue check points.

They had a clamp down on small vans recently trying to catch out drivers who were on the live register. Apparently they caught out a lot of scrap metal dealers in the South East. No harm.

Mr. G

NuckingFacker wrote: »

You're posh, anyway. Next you'll be saying everyone has an NCT cert.. round here they seem to be regarded as obstructive to a clear view through the windscreen...

Well I'm definately not I can assure you! I suppose the reason nobody has NCTs in your area is because they all have new cars, rich feckers.

awec

The last two checkpoints I have seen have been on one way roads with no roads to turn off, so it wouldn't matter if you saw them in the distance - you had nowhere to go.

I have seen them have checkpoints with a flatbed truck sitting parked up, and cars parked behind it that they had obviously confiscated.

johnr1

awec wrote: »

The last two checkpoints I have seen have been on one way roads with no roads to turn off, so it wouldn't matter if you saw them in the distance - you had nowhere to go.

I have seen them have checkpoints with a flatbed truck sitting parked up, and cars parked behind it that they had obviously confiscated.

Don't see what use a "flatbed" would be to them in that situation. A beavertail would be what they'd need.

phasers

One time I was going through a checkpoint with no NCT and out of date tax. I was bricking it, but then the garda pulled the car in front of me in and I got to drive straight through! :cool:

danger mouse

endacl wrote: »

I really don't know why they bother with checkpoints for tax/insurance/nct. Would it not be simpler and far more efficient to have a walk through the country's shopping centre carparks on any given Saturday? Those cars were all driven on the public road to get there, and they wouldn't cause those 'down-to-one-lane' checkpoint queues. One Guard with a radio could cover hundreds of cars in an afternoon, instead of tying up a whole shift plus vehicles.

Keep checkpoints for drink testing obviously. And no harm casting an eye over the discs while they're at it, but surely there's a better way of checking the revenue stuff?

Traffic wardens for the county councils do this. They walk around the public car parks and roads side parking spots in towns, checking for parking tickets and out of date tax discs. They issue a fine if your tax is out of date.

awec

johnr1 wrote: »

Don't see what use a "flatbed" would be to them in that situation. A beavertail would be what they'd need.

I bow to your superior knowledge of trucks. :P

Caliden

They're doing it all wrong, if they want to catch people they need to start setting them up on the roads out of industrial estates.

In Galway they set up a checking at the Ballybane Ind. estate and had revenue & Gardai there to confiscate and issue fines for non paid VRT/ no tax / insurance / nct. Caught a load of people and rightly so in my opinion.

Say what you want about motor tax/nct/insurance being too expensive/pointless/etc. but the fact of the matter is, that's the law and if you don't like it then you can avoid paying them but don't freak out when you get caught.

minotour

Uriel. wrote: »

I hate that bull**** trotted out about Gardai shouldn't be doing X, y or Z because it distracts them from "serious" issues.

Gardai are there to enforce the law no matter how trivial you might think it is (not that tax or insurance are trivial matters)

You'd swear that unless it's murder or rape, no other crime matters and we should all just go ahead and do what we like

Well said, agree with you wholeheartedly, its about time someone had the balls to say it. No murder or rape now lads, down with that sort of thing, everything else is grand though.

....if only.

Nemeses

I haven't seen a checkpoint in a good couple of years.

However, My windscreen is now fully legal... Why is there not a checkpoint so I can show off

carzony

Deleted User wrote: »

How seriously do they take not having NCT?

Not seriously, I'v had no nct for the past 6 months and most don't say anything about it. The odd time i'v had them ask, I just say I'll get it sorted soon and i'm waved on. Tax and insurance is the big thing.


The majority of Guards and decent enough folks and because of that I'd imagine they don't like taking cars off people. Especially mothers with kids, young students and older people. For me having nct/tax is there just incase you catch a guard on a bad day.

Checkpoints are regular enough around clondalkin/lucan/ballyfermot from my experience. If they did go crazy and started collecting cars properly the government would make a fortune off of it:D

Bench Press wrote: »

If they spot someone doing a u-turn or dodging them coming up to a checkpoint and go after them, they are in deep ****

Somthing similar happened to me one night, My mate lives in a cul-de-sac and the gardai were doing a checkpoint just after it. So I was coming down the road and turned in, Went into my friends house for 10 minutes and as I left, I turned the opposite direction to the checkpoint. Next thing I know an unmarked corolla and a RSU Unmarked mondeo over takes me and blocks me in. Got the fright of my life. Maybe the car I was driving matched a description or somthing.

becost

I was driving down the north circular one night and was approaching the junction near the five lamps. Noticed traffic was backed up but thought nothing of it, then turned the corner and about four cars in front of me was a checkpoint. Knowing that i had no tax, no insurance, no NCT, no license or any way to avoid it, the blood rushed out of my head. It was midnight and the garda was going right up to the windscreens with a maglight to check the discs. As I watched him carefully check each car in front, I was desperately trying to think what to say but knew there was no way out of this. After he finished checking the car in front of me, for some reason that I'll never know, he gestured me to move on. :eek: I looked in the rear view mirror and he was right up at the windscreen of the car behind me with his maglight. One of the weirdest things that ever happened to me.

Galwayguy35

The Guards are down the road from me 24/7 but they are parked by the side of the road to stop them cutting turf, some people were giving out that it's taking them away from traffic duty.

As regards checkpoints the last one I saw was in Craughwell about a year ago.

mistermano

im out the country

people drinkin and drivin 7 nites a week

the odd time a DD checkpoint goes up

the local taxis have word straight back to all pubs on grouptext

loads of people got no nct doe tax... for like years out of date

mistermano

the checkpoints always go on the main roads

anyone got no road tax ,insurance just detours on back roads

Bench Press

whatever about no nct and no tax, driving without insurance is very foolhardy

Red Pepper

Bench Press wrote: »

whatever about no nct and no tax, driving without insurance is very foolhardy

Look around lads. Reckon quarter of cars are not taxed to date.

marialouise

Nemeses wrote: »

I haven't seen a checkpoint in a good couple of years.

However, My windscreen is now fully legal... Why is there not a checkpoint so I can show off

I get such a buzz from going through a checkpoint with all the bits up to date! Usually chasing my tail with one of them.... although I have to admit I get a bit of a kick too out of getting waved on despite one disc being blatantly out of date