Any point in calling guards?

John Mason

There is a car driving around my area with no working brake lights.

It has been two weeks now.

Will the guards care or do anything? I have the registration number.

She is a ridiculously bad driver and I am concerned that she is going to cause a major accident

Cabaal

Report it to the Gardai,

Gaillimh1976

If she's that bad a driver are you sure its the lights ? Maybe she is just not braking ??

Khomeini

Is it something worth mithering about?

dodzy

John Mason wrote: »

There is a car driving around my area with no working brake lights.

It has been two weeks now.

Will the guards care or do anything? I have the registration number.

She is a ridiculously bad driver and I am concerned that she is going to cause a major accident

Are you sure she knows ? Think of mentioning it to her ?

John Mason

Gaillimh1976 wrote: »

If she's that bad a driver are you sure its the lights ? Maybe she is just not braking ??

Well she normally drives at about 20 km but comes to a complete standstill at speed ramps.

I am not sure if her indicators work either, I have never seen her use them.

John Mason

dodzy wrote: »

Are you sure she knows ? Think of mentioning it to her ?

I don't know where she lives.

doolox

This has been done several times to people I know for driving with L plates on the motorway, defective lights, overuse of the horn etc around where I live.

While the guards cannot fine them if the problem has been fixed in the meantime they can prosecute for defects that they can see such as dead lights.

djimi

The Gardai almost certainly wont do anything about it (I cant see them sending out an APB to track down a car with busted brake lights), but that said I probably would still report her if it were me and I felt that she was likely to cause an accident.

John Mason

I don't want her prosecuted or anything, I don't know where she lives but I am assuming with the reg number, the guards can find out and let her know.

Would the guards think I was wasting their time.

djimi

John Mason wrote: »

I don't want her prosecuted or anything, I don't know where she lives but I am assuming with the reg number, the guards can find out and let her know.

Would the guards think I was wasting their time.

Youre a concerned citizen; I wouldnt worry about what they think! Worst case scenario they will humour you over the phone and do nothing about following it up.

H3llR4iser

John Mason wrote: »

I don't want her prosecuted or anything, I don't know where she lives but I am assuming with the reg number, the guards can find out and let her know.

Would the guards think I was wasting their time.

So, if she comes to a standstill at speed ramps, can't you just try to signal her to stop a moment and tell the lights ain't working?

Besides, I come at an almost standstill at speed ramps as well, as I care about my suspensions...I cringe when I see the majority of drivers go Dukes of Hazzard on them :eek:

ProudDUB

Calling the Guards seems a bit heavy handed. Why not just go to the woman herself?

Next time you see her, follow her to see where she lives and leave a note on her windscreen, telling her that her lights are broken, her car is a danger to other motorists and she risks a big fine if the Guards ever see her driving with broken lights. She may not even know they are broken & will appreciate the headsup. Or flag her down the next time you see her (as if you were asking for directions) and tell her the same thing face to face. Do it in a friendly, non threatening manner and you may get better results than if you scare the bejebus out of her.

dodzy

John Mason wrote: »

There is a car driving around my area with no working brake lights.

It has been two weeks now.

Will the guards care or do anything? I have the registration number.

She is a ridiculously bad driver and I am concerned that she is going to cause a major accident

John Mason wrote: »

I don't know where she lives.

Cant be that hard to get the message across. If she drives as slow as you say, it couldn't be that hard.

Greyfoot

Lovely society we live in, opening a thread about calling police on someone that has defective brake lights/switch..

beauf

ProudDUB wrote: »

...Next time you see her, follow her....

...No way that could be mis-interpreted....

Moneymaker

Greyfoot wrote: »

Lovely society we live in, opening a thread about calling police on someone that has defective brake lights/switch..

Someone is concerned for the safety of a fellow motorist?

What's the problem with that?

Report it, OP. Last thing you want to happen is an accident and then you wondering would it have happened if you did something.

Alias G

Greyfoot wrote: »

Lovely society we live in, opening a thread about calling police on someone that has defective brake lights/switch..

Unfortunately we live in a society where many people don't take responsibilty for their actions. If the OP has no means of contacting the driver, what do you propose? Wait until a possible accident occurs?

John Mason

I am not following anyone anywhere.

When I see her, I take a different route , as I have seen many near misses with her plus I am 8.5 months pregnant, I am not clambering out of my car and chasing someone down road.


I leave it/ I just thought there might be a way reporting it

power pants

Surely you could have a word with her, you seem to see her enough times and monitor her alot. ringing up the guards would be a waste of time, maybe concentrate on the things in your life

Big Bag of Chips

There's a very good chance she has no idea. My dad spotted I had no reverse lights, recently. The switch was gone. I hadn't noticed.. I don't stand behind my car when I'm reversing and nobody else had told me. You seem to see her very regularly, why not just flag her down and tell her.

You say you are 8.5 months pregnant, but obviously you are still able to be out and about driving in your own car? So flagging someone down shouldn't be that much of an effort for you. You don't have to go "clambering" out of your car, or "chasing" anyone anywhere. I think you are being over dramatic now, to justify calling the guards instead of just approaching the woman directly. You can beep at her to get her attention. You can wave your arm out the window if you approaching her in your own car, or you can just flag her down if you are out walking when she is around.

A simple "Do you know your brake lights are gone?" should do it.

JohnBoy26

John Mason wrote: »

I am not following anyone anywhere.

When I see her, I take a different route , as I have seen many near misses with her plus I am 8.5 months pregnant, I am not clambering out of my car and chasing someone down road.


I leave it/ I just thought there might be a way reporting it

If I had defective lighting that I was unaware of, I'd much rather be informed by the person that notices it, rather than being reported and having the gardai come knocking on my door and potentially giving me a fine.

Silvera

On a few occasions I have told drivers that their brake lights were not working. Having said that they happened to pull in and I stopped alongside and told them, I dont think I would follow them home to tell them tbh.

OP, is her centre (high level) brake light also not working?
If so (these centre lights are normally led bulbs which can last for years) then she must not have checked her lights/had her car serviced in a long long time?!:eek:

For the record, centre/high level brake lights are not a legal requirement, whereas each (side) brake light are.

JohnBoy26

Silvera wrote: »

On a few occasions I have told drivers that their brake lights were not working. Having said that they happened to pull in and I stopped alongside and told them, I dont think I would follow them home to tell them tbh.

OP, is her centre (high level) brake light also not working?
If so (these centre lights are normally led bulbs which can last for years) then she must not have checked her lights/had her car serviced in a long long time?!:eek:

For the record, centre/high level brake lights are not a legal requirement, whereas each (side) brake light are.

If all three are gone it's more than likely something else at fault like a brake light switch or a fuse etc rather than the bulbs being blown due to lack of maintenance.

meoklmrk91

I would def do something OP, I know someone who is currently in the middle of a claim, they rear-ended someone with no brake lights, insurance paid for the car, a hefty sum but now hey have come back with a personal injury claim of thousands, the person involved may never drive again because of the other driver not having brake lights. I don't know about anyone else but I wouldn't have the sheet to put in a claim if my brake lights weren't working, never mind a personal injury claim.

cnoc

John Mason wrote: »

I am not following anyone anywhere.

When I see her, I take a different route , as I have seen many near misses with her plus I am 8.5 months pregnant, I am not clambering out of my car and chasing someone down road.


I leave it/ I just thought there might be a way reporting it

Have you ever reported other motorists with broken or malfunctioning light?

Jesus.

John Mason wrote: »

There is a car driving around my area with no working brake lights.It has been two weeks now.Will the guards care or do anything? I have the registration number.She is a ridiculously bad driver and I am concerned that she is going to cause a major accident

I have to be calm and careful here because I don't want to get banned again

OP, you've posed a question looking for honest answers so I'll give you one. I think ringing the Cops in any matter should always be a very last resort. I've never called the Cops over anything in my life because I believe there's ways to deal with things like a man and not go ratting to the authorities behind people's back like a classroom rat. I think its cowardly and devious tbh.

If you're as concerned as you say you are then go and talk to the person concerned and let her know politely that her break lights are out and that she should have it seen to because it could get her and others into an awful lot of bother. I'm surprised you've not done that already before asking people should you ring the authorities anonymously. It would never even occur to me to bring the police into a situation like this. FFS, what kind of a society are we becoming?

Rant over

John Mason

for the last time, i dont know her, i dont know where she lives. she drives on N2 regularly, so she could be coming from anywhere.


i am sure how i am supposed to get her attention when i am driving and concentrating on not going into the back of her - today i was the 7th car lined up behind her.

as i have already stated i will not report her, i wasnt going to to do it anonymously and no i have never reported anyone before, i was wondering what the protocol was.

again, 8.5 months pregnant, no interest in getting an road side arguement

jeez, there are a lot of people on their high horse here:cool:

Jesus.

John Mason wrote: »

for the last time, i dont know her, i dont know where she lives. she drives on N2 regularly, so she could be coming from anywhere.i am sure how i am supposed to get her attention when i am driving and concentrating on not going into the back of her - today i was the 7th car lined up behind her.as i have already stated i will not report her, i was going to to do it anonymously and no i have never reported anyone before, i was wondering what the protocol was.again, 8.5 months pregnant, no interest in getting an road side arguement

jeez, there are a lot of people on their high horse here:cool:

This is incredible. You start a thread about reporting a fellow citizen to the Police (anonymously in reality cos she'll never know who you are) over faulty lights on her car and you call those who criticize such action as being on their High Horse!!! No mate, its very much you who's on the High Horse.

If you're in a situation where you're never behind her, you're never beside her and you can never get up behind/beside her to let her know of the fault, why on earth would this have you so bothered??? Also, if you're never behind or beside her, how could you get her number plate to report her?

I'm not calling you a liar mate but I find it difficult to understand how a woman who's almost due to give birth to a child could be so concerned about someone's bloody Motor that she's never near, having blown breaklights

I would've thought you'd have more pressing matters to concern you.

Keep_Her_Lit

John Mason wrote: »

I am 8.5 months pregnant

That's quite an achievement, John. Congratulations!

jack of all

Won't be long now...

beauf

Its curious how contacting the guards is seen as entirely pointless and overreacting at the same time.
In that people think they are likely to do nothing, and at the same time immediately issue a fine.
Also how can you have such a fear of authority, yet want to take on the role yourself.
Not want to antagonist someone by asking the guards to have a word, but instead want to follow someone perhaps to their home.

Seriously weird.

JohnBoy26

Keep_Her_Lit wrote: »

That's quite an achievement, John. Congratulations!

No wonder Jesus isn't happy :pac:

power pants

beauf wrote: »

Its curious how contacting the guards is seen as entirely pointless and overreacting at the same time.
In that people think they are likely to do nothing, and at the same time immediately issue a fine.
Also how can you have such a fear of authority, yet want to take on the role yourself.
Not want to antagonist someone by asking the guards to have a word, but instead want to follow someone perhaps to their home.

Seriously weird.

rings guard "hi this woman has her break lights out,her reg is xxxxxx"

guard "thank you very much for the tip off mrs"


guards then drive out to address , knocks on door.

" hi, sources reveal your break lights are not working?"

woman "eh?"

guard " lets see your car, please"

woman shows car, car has no break lights:eek:

guard-"oh gosh, Get that sorted please"

woman " thanks for showing me guard"

guard " all part of the service baby"



I cant really see that happening with the stretched resources, unsolved murders and whatever else that is pushing the guards to the limit at the moment

beauf

You might ask why did they set up the hotline then.

Sometimes the incident merits little more than a call to the home of the motorist by a Garda, informing them that there has been a complaint about their driving from another road user.

http://www.independent.ie/regionals/kerryman/news/save-lives-by-reporting-all-dangerous-driving-27365974.html

sdanseo

Ahem, traffic watch.

http://www.garda.ie/Controller.aspx?Page=111

An Garda Síoch&#225 wrote: »

Traffic Watch is a partnership approach to reducing the number of road collisions and fatalities. It brings road users, An Garda Síochána, the National Roads Authority and the Road Safety Authority together in a united and sustained effort to improve safety on our roads.



Members of the public can report traffic-related incidents using the Traffic Watch lo-call number 1890 205 805. These calls are answered and logged by civilian personnel at the Garda Information Services Centre, Castlebar. The incident is then forwarded to the relevant District Officer (Superintendent) for investigation.



The District Officer will appoint a member of An Garda Síochána to investigate a Traffic Watch complaint. The investigating member makes contact with the complainant to:-

Establish the complainant's version of events
Establish if there are other witnesses to the alleged incident
Discuss the possible actions available, including if the complainant wishes the matter to go court or have the incident dealt with by way of caution, advice or guidance
If the complainant wishes to go to Court, a written statement is taken, and if not and an offence has been disclosed, arrangements are made to have the matter dealt with by way of caution, advice or guidance.



Where an offence is believed to have been disclosed and the complainant wishes to go to Court, a file is submitted to the District Officer who will decide what action, if any, is to be taken. In all instances the complainant should be notified of the outcome of his or her complaint.

beauf

Maybe I should have quoted a longer bit...

An idea originally thought up by a Garda working in the traffic corps, Traffic Watch is a rapid alert system ideally suited to the era of the mobile phone.

Anyone who sees someone driving in a dangerous manner is encouraged to note the registration of the offending vehicle, pull over, immediately telephone the lo-call number from their mobile and give details to the call centre in Kilkenny where the phone is manned on a 24-hour basis.

If the situation is deemed serious enough, it will be dealt with immediately by the Gardaí.

Sometimes the incident merits little more than a call to the home of the motorist by a Garda, informing them that there has been a complaint about their driving from another road user.

To date, scores of people throughout the country have been prosecuted as a direct result of calls to the Traffic Watch number and Supt Garvey said he warmly welcome the extension of the scheme to Kerry.

At the moment, calls from Kerry motorists are put straight through to the Kilkenny centre, but a new Traffic Watch centre at Mallow is due to be set up in the coming weeks and this will then process the Kerry calls

Kinda old news. Theres been threads on boards about it before.

foggy_lad

Op I would definitely ring the guards about this person! If their lights are out for a while it says that they are either deliberately hoping to be rear ended for a claim or that they are not competent to drive the car,. If they were they would check lights and other important things like washer bottle levels and tyre air pressures regularly. The person is a menace on the roads and may get you or some other innocent person killed!

shamwari

foggy_lad wrote: »

Op I would definitely ring the guards about this person! If their lights are out for a while it says that they are either deliberately hoping to be rear ended for a claim or that they are not competent to drive the car,. If they were they would check lights and other important things like washer bottle levels and tyre air pressures regularly. The person is a menace on the roads and may get you or some other innocent person killed!

:rolleyes:

John Mason

f you're in a situation where you're never behind her,

I wasnt behind her yesterday but i have been behind her loads of times. How do you suggest, i let her know that her lights are out when i am behind again ?

Keep_Her_Lit wrote: »

That's quite an achievement, John. Congratulations!

thanks, it has been long battle but we have almost finally made it.:)

John Mason

sdeire wrote: »

Ahem, traffic watch.

http://www.garda.ie/Controller.aspx?Page=111

thanks this is the kind of thing i was wondering was in place but i am not going to call them.

i have learnt from Boards, that if she causes a pile up stopping at traffic lights, it is not my problem and my conscience is clear

allthedoyles

You could send an email : traffic@garda.ie or tweet @gardatraffic

If its an older car , it will be due NCT within 2 years , so problem will be fixed anyway.

jackofalltrades

Flagging down drivers is a lot harder than people think, fear of road rage/car jacking/assault means people are very hard to approach in their cars.
I once tried to flag down a motorist whose car was on fire with a trail of smoke coming out the back, and it still took over 5 miles before he stopped.

Jesus. wrote: »

I think ringing the Cops in any matter should always be a very last resort. I've never called the Cops over anything in my life because I believe there's ways to deal with things like a man and not go ratting to the authorities behind people's back like a classroom rat. I think its cowardly and devious tbh.

We're adults and no longer living under British rule, so there's no need to be insinuating that people are "rats".

You do realise that a lot of corruption in this state has been stopped by or could have been stopped by "ratting" as you call it.
Certainly address things with people to their face, if you have that option and they are reasonable.
But at the same time you need to realise that people sometimes choose to report things anonymously for fear of retaliation.

But I'd see no problem with reporting a motorist who doesn't have working brake lights.
The worst that's likely to happen to them is the Gardaí point it out to them.

FFS, what kind of a society are we becoming?

One that cares about other people and doesn't want to see people get needlessly injured.
As another poster pointed out, driving without brake lights leads to accidents.

Big Bag of Chips

I mentioned flagging the driver down because the OP mentioned she drives very slowly, and comes to a standstill at speed ramps. I assumed she was in a housing estate. I'm not too familiar with the N2, so am not aware of where the speed ramps are on it.

Ring the guards if you want. It'll take 2 minutes, and they'll either do something about it, or they won't.

whiterebel

I wonder how the sanctimonious posters on here would feel if that car jams on the brakes on a motorway, injuring or killing friends or relatives who are driving behind them and don't see any brake lights?

Jesus.

John Mason wrote: »

How do you suggest, i let her know that her lights are out when i am behind again ?

Are you serious? You say its in around an estate so why don't you wait 'til they come to a halt at a stop sign, school crossing, traffic light etc and hop out and tell her?

I can't believe someone is asking how they would get the driver's attention directly in front of them. Do you need to be taken by the hand and walked through every ridiculously simple scenario in life?

(Sorry if I'm sounding a bit strong here but this thread is making me wonder...)

Jesus.

jackofalltrades wrote: »

Flagging down drivers is a lot harder than people think, fear of road rage/car jacking/assault means people are very hard to approach in their cars.I once tried to flag down a motorist whose car was on fire with a trail of smoke coming out the back, and it still took over 5 miles before he stopped. We're adults and no longer living under British rule, so there's no need to be insinuating that people are "rats". You do realise that a lot of corruption in this state has been stopped by or could have been stopped by "ratting" as you call it. Certainly address things with people to their face, if you have that option and they are reasonable.But at the same time you need to realise that people sometimes choose to report things anonymously for fear of retaliation.But I'd see no problem with reporting a motorist who doesn't have working brake lights.
The worst that's likely to happen to them is the Gardaí point it out to them.
One that cares about other people and doesn't want to see people get needlessly injured.As another poster pointed out, driving without brake lights leads to accidents.

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!!!

dodzy

John Mason wrote: »

I wasnt behind her yesterday but i have been behind her loads of times........

Nicccceeeeeeee:cool:

Drummerboy08

Report it to Traffic Watch. I've done it in the past (albeit it was dark, and the car had no rear lights whatsoever).

Got a phonecall from the next Garda Station up the motorway about an 30 minutes after my report saying they had stopped the car, told the driver the car wasn't moving until the lights were fixed and thanked me for my time.

Having working lights on a car is a basic function, and it's up to each driver to make sure they're all working. If that means checking every light once a week then so be it.