Traffic Watch - What's the point?

dilallio

Twice this year, I've called Traffic Watch to report dangerous driving.
Both incidents involved driving through red lights.

1. A lady drove through a red light about 10 secs after the lights turned red. Other cars stopped, but because she was driving in the bus lane, had her head bent over to hold her mobile phone and had a sheet of paper in her right hand, she may have not seen the red light.

2. On the same set of lights, a van drove through 5 secs after the lights went red and I had to grab a girl in front of me and pull her back or she would have been hit.

Both incidents occurred 2 months apart.

On both occasions, I called Traffic Watch and reported both drivers with the number plates, make and model. The gentleman said that the local Garda Station would be in touch.

Nobody from AGS has ever contacted me.

I was discussing this at work, and 2 others who previously used the Traffic Watch service never heard anything back either.

Is this normal and is it due to lack of resources? If it's a case that it's difficult to gain a conviction unless a Garda member witnesses the bad driving, then why don't they abolish Traffic Watch and give the extra resources to AGS?

I find people say they won't go to court and just want you to have a word with the driver. I don't know do they think we can just prosecute on their say so.

Potential-Monke

To mirror foreign, most people are not willing to go to court on these matters. Gardaí can't "just have a word" with someone. Without proof, and that means a statement and a willingness to go to court, there is no evidence to even approach someone. People don't realise this, and think that they only need to say it to the Gardaí and that's enough. Especially in this day and age, a Garda accusing someone of doing something without proof is dangerous territory for the Garda.

As for not getting a call back, well, that's a different matter, and one i can't respond to.

saltandpepper10

I recon your best bet is ti hide behind a hedge in a 60 km zone and catch a real lawbreaker

Zambia

Pesky evidence ... Rears it's head every time.

Op if what I read in my rte feed is right. People appear to be getting shot in Ireland on a regular basis. If that level of law breaking is common volume crime burgs, theft , drugs, assaults etc must be rampant.

In this environment and given the fact there has been no intake of new Gardai in many years these reports probably are doomed to sit in a tray.

Iwannahurl

Zambia wrote: »

Op if what I read in my rte feed is right. People appear to be getting shot in Ireland on a regular basis. If that level of law breaking is common volume crime burgs, theft , drugs, assaults etc must be rampant.

In this environment and given the fact there has been no intake of new Gardai in many years these reports probably are doomed to sit in a tray.

Does Ireland have a high rate of crime by international standards? I doubt it.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/rise-in-garda-staff-for-divisions-with-lowest-crime-rates-238175.html

http://www.irishexaminer.com/crime/crimebycounty/

There's also a Garda Traffic Corps.

http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/motors/head-of-garda-traffic-corps-denies-lower-enforcement-levels-1.1670920

Iwannahurl

Iwannahurl wrote: »

Does Ireland have a high rate of crime by international standards? I doubt it.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/rise-in-garda-staff-for-divisions-with-lowest-crime-rates-238175.html

http://www.irishexaminer.com/crime/crimebycounty/

There's also a Garda Traffic Corps.

http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/motors/head-of-garda-traffic-corps-denies-lower-enforcement-levels-1.1670920

They haven't been immune from the cut backs in numbers and vehicles.

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/study-sought-on-link-between-road-deaths-and-garda-numbers-1.1763882

Iwannahurl

That may be true, but the TC is there for traffic-related policing.

The Dagda

Well it is a form of whistle-blowing, and the force aren't mad on that...

Knob Longman

Traffic Watch is all bark and no bite, Its like lots of other Oirish organisations just there for show and jobs for the boys.

Iwannahurl

Iwannahurl wrote: »

That may be true, but the TC is there for traffic-related policing.

But the reports go to the station where the report covers. If traffic are running around chasing up on these they're not available on the roads.

Knob Longman

Knob Longman wrote: »

Traffic Watch is all bark and no bite, Its like lots of other Oirish organisations just there for show and jobs for the boys.

The calls are taken by our call center in Castlebar who also deal with our PULSE incidents so nobody extra employed.

Sorry if that upsets your public sector bashing attempt.

Iwannahurl

foreign wrote: »

But the reports go to the station where the report covers. If traffic are running around chasing up on these they're not available on the roads.

So the TC reports go to the local station, not to the TC.

Would you call that joined-up management and an efficient use of (reportedly) scarce resources?

dilallio

foreign wrote: »

The calls are taken by our call center in Castlebar who also deal with our PULSE incidents so nobody extra employed.

Sorry if that upsets your public sector bashing attempt.

Are calls to the Traffic Watch centre in Castlebar logged on Pulse so that a snr. member can see which stations have / have not followed up on complaints?

dilallio

dilallio wrote: »

Are calls to the Traffic Watch centre in Castlebar logged on Pulse so that a snr. member can see which stations have / have not followed up on complaints?

Report on PULSE, don't know if someone follows up on progress.

discus

foreign wrote: »

I find people say they won't go to court and just want you to have a word with the driver. I don't know do they think we can just prosecute on their say so.

Yeah, but I'd be afraid of them coming after me, you never know who you are reporting against. Had one of ballymuns finest gentleman turn up to our family home one time after an RTA.

I'm aware that you guys have to put up with the threat of this too, just saying.

discus

discus wrote: »

Yeah, but I'd be afraid of them coming after me, you never know who you are reporting against. Had one of ballymuns finest gentleman turn up to our family home one time after an RTA.

I'm aware that you guys have to put up with the threat of this too, just saying.

and that's the problem, people think they can ring and it's over with but we can't prosecute without a witness.

If it's dangerous enough then just ring 999 or the local station.

discus

foreign wrote: »

If it's dangerous enough then just ring 999 or the local station.

That's the bottom line, I agree. We know most arseholes on the road get their cummuppence eventually

3fullback

[Deleted User] wrote: »

and that's the problem, people think they can ring and it's over with but we can't prosecute without a witness.

If it's dangerous enough then just ring 999 or the local station.

Please only ring 999 for an emergency situation.

3fullback

3fullback wrote: »

Please only ring 999 for an emergency situation.

Dangerous driving qualifies.

kub

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Dangerous driving qualifies.

Nice to see that dangerous driving has that importance in AGS. Just a shame now that after hearing earlier on the news that there have been 92 deaths on Irish roads so far this year.

Motorists have obviously gone back to their old ways as the roads are not being policed as well as it was a few years ago, no matter what officialdom says.

kub

kub wrote: »

Nice to see that dangerous driving has that importance in AGS. Just a shame now that after hearing earlier on the news that there have been 92 deaths on Irish roads so far this year.

Motorists have obviously gone back to their old ways as the roads are not being policed as well as it was a few years ago, no matter what officialdom says.

RSA chairman Gay Byrne was criticised by Shatter for says the same thing.

kub

[Deleted User] wrote: »

RSA chairman Gay Byrne was criticised by Shatter for says the same thing.

Well not that I was ever a huge fan of Gay Byrne but he is correct. There will i am sure be plenty of data about penalty points and drink drivers etc, but I am of the opinion that a lot of these figures are gained by regular units who are instructed to do some bit of traffic duty while trying to respond to calls etc.
Does anyone here have the most recent number of actual traffic corp officers now compared to a few years ago? Also how many of these traffic members now find themselves drafted in to regular roles due to the pressures that the regulars are under?

FGR

Irish Examiner - Urgent Need to beef up Traffic Corps

A year and a half ago, he wrote to the then justice minister Alan Shatter, telling him Garda enforcement levels were of "significant concern" to the authority, as the numbers being killed on the roads had increased. "In the absence of high-visibility, high-volume roads policing, road-user behaviour will continue to deteriorate and result in further loss of life and serious injuries," Mr Byrne said in the letter.

In a stinging rebuke, Mr Shatter rejected the argument and accused him of employing "completely wrong logic" in his assertions.

To re-affirm what's already been said here. The RSA can see it yet the Government covers their eyes and ears whilst ensuring senior ranking Gardaí state the 'we have adequate resources' line.

Potential-Monke

FGR wrote: »

To re-affirm what's already been said here. The RSA can see it yet the Government covers their eyes and ears whilst ensuring senior ranking Gardaí state the 'we have adequate resources' line.

I said it to a family member of mine about 2 years ago, that the reduction in numbers will have an effect in many areas, but specifically Road Traffic. She told me the other day i was bang on and that road deaths and traffic related incidents have increased.

Yet another reason to have AGS a completely separate entity from the Government.

markpb

Potential-Monke wrote: »

Yet another reason to have AGS a completely separate entity from the Government.

Unless it gets it's funding from a source other than taxation, it'll never be separate.