Today I reported an idiot to the Gardai thread

alias no.9

Just a thought...

There are frequent threads about dangerous incidents and behaviors on the roads. Generally having a good moan to get it out of our systems and all is forgotten about.

Lot's of us complain about lack of enforcement of anything other than exceeding the posted limit but maybe if we took the time to alert Gardai to other types of incident, detection rates would increase.

How about a thread where we record actual incidents we've taken the time to report? For incidents that are in progress and likely to be caught in the act call the local Gardai or for stuff that you've witnessed and have relevant details call Traffic Watch (lo-call number 1890 205 805).

I'll kick it off... Tractor heading westbound on the M4 between J5 and J6 this morning. Called the Leixlip Gardai who said they'd send a car out. An accident waiting to happen.

MugMugs

alias no.9 wrote: »

An accident waiting to happen.

Was said tractor under the designated CC / Speed?

furtzy

Unfortunately in this country once the tractor can do the minimum required 50kph he's allowed on the motorway

alias no.9

furtzy wrote: »

Unfortunately in this country once the tractor can do the minimum required 50kph he's allowed on the motorway

They still have an obligation to drive by the rest of the RTA such as Driving without reasonable consideration for other Road Users.

tossy

So your first post was misleading ? Did you report him for driving a tractor or driving like an idiot ?

alias no.9

tossy wrote: »

So your first post was misleading ? Did you report him for driving a tractor or driving like an idiot ?

I reported him for his idiocy in bringing a tractor onto a motorway. The tractor may or may not be technically prohibited, but it's dangerous none the less and I'm happy to let the gardai determine any offence.

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

djimi

alias no.9 wrote: »

I reported him for his idiocy in bringing a tractor onto a motorway. The tractor may or may not be technically prohibited, but it's dangerous none the less and I'm happy to let the gardai determine any offence.

Problem is there is no minimum speed limit on the motorways, just that the vehicle must be capable of doing 50km/h, so if the Gardai catch up to him and pull him over, Im not sure what they could charge him with.

K.Flyer

alias no.9 wrote: »

I reported him for his idiocy in bringing a tractor onto a motorway. The tractor may or may not be technically prohibited, but it's dangerous none the less and I'm happy to let the gardai determine any offence.

To be honest I have seen way more idiotic things being done on the motorway than a slow moving tractor.
A few examples,
last minute change from outside lane to exit ramp, reversing back down exit ramps reversing back up entry ramps and the doosie of the week award went to the total moron who stopped his car in lane three to attend to a flat tyre.

furtzy

2 cyclists on the M2 this morning for instance

unkel

djimi wrote: »

Problem is there is no minimum speed limit on the motorways, just that the vehicle must be capable of doing 50km/h

+1

The idiocy is in the law here. Can't expect a farmer not to go on motorway and can't expect a Garda to do something about it, although we all know it's ridiculously dangerous

As an aside, try do 50km/h on any motorway in Europe and see what happens...

Or in Florida, much worse again

Toyotafanboi

i only once rang the gardai over a motoring incident. i was on a twisty country road doing maybe 55km/h when a white van came around the corner on completely the wrong side of the road doing 80 or 90km/h to the extent of where i had to drive the full width of my car into the ditch to avoid an accident.

i could tell by the look in his eyes he got a shock when he seen my car but after i got my car out of the ditch and drove after him and chewed him (that's how angry i was) he out and out refused to admit any liability. according to him sure i was the young lad in the boy racer car car, clearly my fault. only for that it was a road i live down the end of so i know to take it easy on it.

rang the garda traffic phone number anyway. the got in touch with the van driver and phoned me back to say they had spoken to him but if i didn't want to go to my local station to make a complaint in writing that there was nothing more they could do. i was happy with that, it was probably enough to put the ****s up him because he was such a rude asshole to not even stop to check was i ok when i had to ditch my car to avoid him.

Sofiztikated

Only rang the Gardai once on someone.

Driving from Cavan to Clones, some fool was up my arse the whole damn way. When I got a chance, on a bit of a straight, I slowed, and pulled in to let him pass, but he dropped way back.

Back to the twisties, and back up my arse again.

Got into Clones, headed for Monaghan, he was still up my pooper. So I pulled over, let him pass, and continued on my way, getting his reg while herself dialed the Gardai in Monaghan.

Dangerous muppet.

It wasn't even tailgating, he was virtually in the back seat!

Supergurrier

I would always report and i have in the past although you tend to get a smartarse guard on the other end of the phone with the "Oh really is that a fact now" attitude.

I don't understand the Irish "oho so your an informer for the law" attitude

Cuddlesworth

If you ring traffic watch and insist that they log a call about it(ie don't say you'll ring the local station instead), then the local station are forced to deal with it. They can't fob it off.

Geomy

alias no.9 wrote: »

I reported him for his idiocy in bringing a tractor onto a motorway. The tractor may or may not be technically prohibited, but it's dangerous none the less and I'm happy to let the gardai determine any offence.

These posts crack me up, maybe he had no choice but to drive on the motorway, more than likely that motorway cuts through his land.

The hypocrisy of some posters. ..

_Kaiser_

I doubt it makes a blind bit of difference TBH..

2 examples I've mentioned here before...


One evening on the M3 outbound approaching Dunshaughlin I came across a squad car with all it's lights on speeding up the road.. TOWARDS me on the same side of the road half-in the hard shoulder

Called Dunshaughlin, Ashbourne and Navan Garda stations to be met with disinterest and a story that they were chasing a car doing the same thing?

Now I joined the road at the M50 and something like that isn't something you'd miss! Even it it WAS true.. surely the correct response would be to pursue on the correct side of the motorway and radio ahead to coordinate the blocking of exits or intercept at the Dunboyne toll - NOT put other motorists at risk by driving along the wrong side of a motorway at speed!

I then rang Garda HQ and spoke to an inspector who completely agreed but basically said that each district is it's own empire and very little they could do. Not his fault, but a shocking state of affairs if so.


More recently on the M7, I was overtaking a line of slower cars with a (obviously) unmarked squad car behind me doing likewise. Suddenly a third car behind us cut into a brief gap in the left lane, tore past both of us, and forced it's way in ahead of me almost clipping the car.

I of course, knowing the 2 boys behind me had seen the whole incident, moved over to let them do their thing but.. nothing! Despite attempts on my part to flag them down for a chat I ended up ringing various stations to the same disinterested response. Finally caught up with the 2 boys at Newlands Cross and asked why they hadn't intervened given they had witnessed the incident (and confirmed they had).

They were off to Belfast apparently was the explanation but I got a name and station and had a long chat with the Sergeant on the rest of the way home about their attitude to the job and the impression it gives, never mind allowing a dangerous driver to continue on to cause more chaos. After he spoke to the 2 Gardai in question it turned out they hadn't even managed to get the reg of the car properly either!


This is only 2 examples.. I have many more that I've reported but heard nothing more about.


No doubt the usual posters will be along soon to tell me how I'm making this all up, but it's no wonder that road behaviour is so poor when those who are charged to enforce it can't themselves be bothered or violate them routinely (and putting other drivers at risk) themselves.

ballooba

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

More recently on the M7, I was overtaking a line of slower cars with a (obviously) unmarked squad car behind me doing likewise. Suddenly a third car behind us cut into a brief gap in the left lane, tore past both of us, and forced it's way in ahead of me almost clipping the car.

Were they driving an F1 car? Must have been some acceleration if the gap was so small.

corktina

Geomy wrote: »

These posts crack me up, maybe he had no choice but to drive on the motorway, more than likely that motorway cuts through his land.

The hypocrisy of some posters. ..

there is ALWAYS an official alternative route to a motorway (for L drivers etc)...are you suggesting he has a field gate off the motorway?

whereas it's a tad foolish to drive at 50km/h on a motorway, it's not illegal and only dangerous if drivers are not looking out for hazards...

_Kaiser_

ballooba wrote: »

Were they driving an F1 car? Must have been some acceleration if the gap was so small.

Not really that big a stretch..

- Cars on the inside doing around 100 or less (regular occurrence on the M7)
- Cars on outside doing around 120

Wouldn't take much to get to get to 140+ in a decent engined car. It was a blue Lexus with a bunch of youngfellas in it.

_Kaiser_

corktina wrote: »

there is ALWAYS an official alternative route to a motorway (for L drivers etc)...are you suggesting he has a field gate off the motorway?

There does seem to be a few points on the M8 where it backs onto gates strangely enough?

Muilleann

Captain Morgan wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Probably not.

Detective Garda told me c.15 years ago that from a Garda perspective the mobile 'phone was the worst invention ever as "every eejit with a mobile" was now ringing in reporting road traffic offences,etc.

I once rang local Gardaí to tell them that an alcoholic living near us had just driven into town after drinking a bottle of vodka to get some more drink from Tesco.

They didn't do a thing to stop him.

djimi

Ive rang the Gardai a few times on drivers for various things. Used to work in a shop; called the Gardai a couple of times for customers coming in steaming drunk and getting back into their car parked out front and driving off. Called them another night when an idiot got it into his head that he was racing me, overtook me by driving the wrong way around a roundabout in the middle of a village and then nearly ran me off the road.

My parents called the Gardai a few years ago when a car pulling a caravan overtook them and a line of other cars on a bend. The Gardai said that they would investigate and if they saw the car pulled in to pull over and give a statement. True to their word my parents came across the car pulled over a few miles up the road, so the Gardai do take these complaints seriously at least some of the time.

djimi

Geomy wrote: »

These posts crack me up, maybe he had no choice but to drive on the motorway, more than likely that motorway cuts through his land.

The hypocrisy of some posters. ..

Irrespective of what the law says there is absolutely no call or justification for a slow moving vehicle to create a dangerous hazard by driving on a motorway. There is always an alternative route; it might not be convenient but neither is causing a serious motor collision...

Geomy

corktina wrote: »

there is ALWAYS an official alternative route to a motorway (for L drivers etc)...are you suggesting he has a field gate off the motorway?

whereas it's a tad foolish to drive at 50km/h on a motorway, it's not illegal and only dangerous if drivers are not looking out for hazards...

Aweee shucks, the next thing us farmer's have to explain why we need to use the motorways, to princesses in their mini coopers with spin fm blaring out the Windows etc and doing their hair,drinking coffee and texting all at once. ...

Empathy goes a long way hunnie....

Ohhhh you guyyysss.....

Geomy

djimi wrote: »

Irrespective of what the law says there is absolutely no call or justification for a slow moving vehicle to create a dangerous hazard by driving on a motorway. There is always an alternative route; it might not be convenient but neither is causing a serious motor collision...

Buy a farm in that scenario, and let us know how you manage it :-)

djimi

Geomy wrote: »

Aweee shucks, the next thing us farmer's have to explain why we need to use the motorways, to princesses in their mini coopers with spin fm blaring out the Windows etc and doing their hair,drinking coffee and texting all at once. ...

Empathy goes a long way hunnie....

Ohhhh you guyyysss.....

What has empathy got to do with it? Its a safety issue; dont take it personally. It shouldnt require much explanation as to why a slow moving vehicle does not belong on a road where cars allowed to travel at high speeds. There is always an alternative route to using the motorways.

djimi

Geomy wrote: »

Buy a farm in that scenario, and let us know how you manage it :-)

I dont need to buy a farm to know that its not that much of an inconvenience to not drive on the motorway, especially when you are going to be travelling at low speeds regardless.

Geomy

djimi wrote: »

What has empathy got to do with it? Its a safety issue; dont take it personally. It shouldnt require much explanation as to why a slow moving vehicle does not belong on a road where cars allowed to travel at high speeds. There is always an alternative route to using the motorways.

Well maybe a slow lane for tractors would be more appropriate, after all they have a lively hood top.
I'll take back the mini Cooper jibe, sorry. ..

Geomy

djimi wrote: »

I dont need to buy a farm to know that its not that much of an inconvenience to not drive on the motorway, especially when you are going to be travelling at low speeds regardless.

My friend's other option would take him 6 miles more on the back roads, rather than 1.5 miles the other way. ..

We all need go to work in the morning. ...

giant_midget

djimi wrote: »

What has empathy got to do with it? Its a safety issue; dont take it personally. It shouldnt require much explanation as to why a slow moving vehicle does not belong on a road where cars allowed to travel at high speeds. There is always an alternative route to using the motorways.

exactly, i don't why this has to be over explained to some people it's pretty clear, get off the motorway with the tractors yez dam savages...

Sofiztikated

Geomy wrote: »

My friend's other option would take him 6 miles more on the back roads, rather than 1.5 miles the other way. ..

We all need go to work in the morning. ...

And?

If that's the case, I want the quickest way to my place of work. Be damned to peoples gardens, homes, bedrooms, safety, and anything else.

power pants

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

There does seem to be a few points on the M8 where it backs onto gates strangely enough?

Nobody has addressed this post? Surely if there is a gate backing onto a motorway then that would mean a tractor can use the motorway to enter the field?

corktina

one and a half miles between junctions sounds a little suspect.... not impossible I suppose but....well, rare.

corktina

power pants wrote: »

Nobody has addressed this post? Surely if there is a gate backing onto a motorway then that would mean a tractor can use the motorway to enter the field?

well, apart from the fact it would be illegal to do so, whatever the speed of the vehicle, I suspect any such gates are access points for emergency services only.

power pants

Have tractors actually been banned from motorways?

http://www.farmersjournal.ie/site/farming-Rules-of-the-road-for-farming-to-change-12434.html

wandatowell

Supergurrier wrote: »

II don't understand the Irish "oho so your an informer for the law" attitude

Balls to that attitude, I ratted out my neighbour for driving with no NCT, tax or Insurance. He just bought a car and drove it without a care in the world.

I'd have no issue with reporting someone.


People with the attitude of "oho so your an informer for the law" are usually the types that break the law so they are only looking after themselves.

ironclaw

Geomy wrote: »

My friend's other option would take him 6 miles more on the back roads, rather than 1.5 miles the other way. ..

We all need go to work in the morning. ...

Well I think the point can be made that the minimum sight line on a motorway would be not be less than 1km. So your not going to come around a bend and slam into a tractor. You'll have at least 30 seconds or so to react, and thats assuming the tractor is not moving at all i.e. 1000m divided by 120km/h (or 33 m/s) is about 30 seconds at minimum.

Dangerous on the M50? Yes but only given the sheer traffic volume. Dangerous on the M4 outside say Enfield at lunch time? Hardly in my opinion.

Geomy

corktina wrote: »

one and a half miles between junctions sounds a little suspect.... not impossible I suppose but....well, rare.

Just between the Dromoland roundabout and Newmarket on Fergus there's a few off roads. ...

Ok maybe im looking at this from my local perspective, but I don't be bombing down the motor way much, I tend to drive the scenic route mostly. ..

iverjohnston

was undertaken by someone on the n3, soared up behind me, swung left and passed on the hard shoulder, nearly cut the nose off me pulling back in, and then stood on the brakes as he realized his turn to the right was immediate. stood on the brakes and missed him by inches. reported him to the guards next day . they spoke to the owner, but if denied being the driver. then I had about 4 phone calls from the guard asking me to come in to the station and revoke the complaint. I refused, and eventually they give up. Would never bother reporting anything again.

Sam Russell

There was a car drove up our road yeaterday with one head light on, the other out. I complained to the Garda that was driving it and he said 'It's been out for ages!'

So there you are, Garda drives car with known defect and does nothing about it. None of the three other Gards in the car did anything either.

A few years back a Garda car in Milltown in Dublin crashed into a bus-stop and killed a lady (in a single vehicle accident). The car was found to have bald tyres.

_Kaiser_

power pants wrote: »

Nobody has addressed this post? Surely if there is a gate backing onto a motorway then that would mean a tractor can use the motorway to enter the field?

Here's a picture... just after the split from the M7...



I should add there's no warning of this entrance in advance either.


Here's another a little further south - this one does say Emergency Access but no advance warning and right after a bridge...




There's another one too that has actual road markings/a stop line at the edge of it...

djimi

One of the basic premises of a motorway is that there are supposed to be no entrances onto/off the motorway bar the actual slip road exits. Absolutely nuts that a gate like that opens up onto a motorway.

Geomy

Geomy wrote: »

Ohhhh you guyyysss.....

Does that sound very American or what ?

corktina

djimi wrote: »

One of the basic premises of a motorway is that there are supposed to be no entrances onto/off the motorway bar the actual slip road exits. Absolutely nuts that a gate like that opens up onto a motorway.

it's either a works access or for emergency use.

Tea 1000

djimi wrote: »

Irrespective of what the law says there is absolutely no call or justification for a slow moving vehicle to create a dangerous hazard by driving on a motorway. There is always an alternative route; it might not be convenient but neither is causing a serious motor collision...

I'm sorry, but if a person drives into a vehicle on a motorway that's doing 50km/h then that's the person who is the idiot, not the person doing 50km/h.
Provided you are in the Left Lane then you can proceed.
What kind of a f**k dog would you want to be to crash into the back of him and then actually have the tenacity to blame him for your chronic idiocy?

Lads and Lassies, a farmer in a tractor has every legal right to use the motorway in Ireland as long as the vehicle is 50 cc and capable of 50 kph and over ie my electric bicycle ha ha

If a farmer chooses to use the motorway at 7am rush hour or whenever and causes massive tailbacks, there is nothing you can do about it. And he can't pull over on the shoulder as this is illegal on a motorway but it isn't illegal on a normal national road where the shoulder lines are broken and not continuous.

Ringing the Guards over such matters will only make you more frustrated as there is nothing they can do about it. They are not breaking the law.

Stepping Stone

I don't have issues with slow moving vehicles on dual carriageways as long as they keep left, however there is always one muppet who can't manage it.

Drove through the Jack Lynch tunnel a few weeks ago at rush hour. Traffic was chaotic. Tractor moving slowly in the left lane and another moving equally slowly in the right hand lane.

It was just the most stupid thing that I have seen for a long time. I know it is harvest time, so lots of agri stuff on the road but there was just no excuse for it.

Davidth88

I have reported a few motoring things to the Gardai ,

a) Idiots jumping of the motorway bridge into the resevoir at Leixlip
b) A pedestrian walking on the central reservation of the M4 near the same spot with a fishing rod

On both occasions they said they would send a car .

The one time that sticks in my mind I have seen Gardai ignoring dangerous stupid behavior was on the M7. They were sitting on a Gardai layby looking for speeders ( had a hair drier )..... about 200 yds up stream from them a car was on the hard shoulder with kids PLAYING on the hard shoulder ( I kid you not ).

People should realise that the hard shoulder of a motorway is possibly the most dangerous place most people are likely ever to end up.

dgt

A few years ago a pot bellied pig ran into our yard then proceeded to run out and down the road. Having tried to catch the poor animal we decided it was best to ring the gardai and let them handle it, as it was terrified and on country roads oblivious to the dangers of passing vehicles.

Que the most awkward and funny phone call to the gardai, thank fook they saw some humour in it and did actually send a car out to catch the pig!

alias no.9

Geomy wrote: »

These posts crack me up, maybe he had no choice but to drive on the motorway, more than likely that motorway cuts through his land.

The hypocrisy of some posters. ..

No farmland is accessed from Motorways and there's precious little farmland immediately adjacent to the Motorway between these junctions, there are alternative routes either side of the motorway that he could have safely traveled.