Lucky escape!

stefanovich

Went for a drive down to Inch beach in Kerry yesterday, had a nice walk and then stopped in Killarney for food before heading home. Sounds nice except... I took out my insurance disc that morning to get my policy number and forgot to put it back. Lo and behold there was a garda checkpoint. I was fumbling for my license and trying to get my head straight when the garda just waved me on. I tore off like a lunatic. How likely were they to impound the car? I'm pretty sure that was a close one.

blade1

stefanovich wrote: »

Went for a drive down to Inch beach in Kerry yesterday, had a nice walk and then stopped in Killarney for food before heading home. Sounds nice except... I took out my insurance disc that morning to get my policy number and forgot to put it back. Lo and behold there was a garda checkpoint. I was fumbling for my license and trying to get my head straight when the garda just waved me on. I tore off like a lunatic. How likely were they to impound the car? I'm pretty sure that was a close one.

It would be bad form for him to do you for a genuine mistake imo if you have paid for your tax,license and insurance.
I've seeing worse things let off.

stefanovich

blade1 wrote: »

It would be bad form for him to do you for a genuine mistake imo if you have paid for your tax,license and insurance.
I've seeing worse things let off.

Yes, but in all fairness he had no proof that I was insured. Would he let a potentially uninsured person drive off? I would have thought no.

blade1

stefanovich wrote: »

Yes, but in all fairness he had no proof that I was insured. Would he let a potentially uninsured person drive off? I would have thought no.

He would tell you hand in your documents to a station of your choice within 10 days.
I ride motorbikes.
No insurance disc required on them and I doubt a guard would assume I wasn't insured because he can't see it.
A few questions from him would probably give him an idea if you were lying or not.

tmh106

You would probably be OK. Once you explained to the guard (assuming he/she was a reasonable sort). They would probably just have asked you to bring it to a local Garda station the next day. Or, for insurance, maybe they can do an on the spot verification based on the reg number.

stefanovich wrote: »

I tore off like a lunatic.

Now that was far more likely to get you in a spot of bother with said guard. Not a very sensible way to depart a Garda checkpoint ;-)

tmh

Atlantis50

Happened to a friend of mine.

Had his insurance disc at home, stopped by a Garda, car seized and got a fine.

He was also driving with L plates unaccompanied but nothing was said about this (this happened last summer just before penalty points came in for driving unaccompanied/no L plates).

Bullocks

tmh106 wrote: »

You would probably be OK. Once you explained to the guard (assuming he/she was a reasonable sort). They would probably just have asked you to bring it to a local Garda station the next day. Or, for insurance, maybe they can do an on the spot verification based on the reg number.



Now that was far more likely to get you in a spot of bother with said guard. Not a very sensible way to depart a Garda checkpoint ;-)

tmh

I'd say lots of people behave oddly at a check point , they probably see alot of flustered people . The wife was stopped at a check point before and kept saying sorry to the guard even though everything was in order ! Stalled twice pulling away , the cop was laughing and told her to relax

kippy

stefanovich wrote: »

Went for a drive down to Inch beach in Kerry yesterday, had a nice walk and then stopped in Killarney for food before heading home. Sounds nice except... I took out my insurance disc that morning to get my policy number and forgot to put it back. Lo and behold there was a garda checkpoint. I was fumbling for my license and trying to get my head straight when the garda just waved me on. I tore off like a lunatic. How likely were they to impound the car? I'm pretty sure that was a close one.

Would you not have had the insurance cert in the car to back up that you had insurance? In fairnessthey would have been harsh to do you for not displaying in the circcumstances.

To Elland Back

Atlantis50 wrote: »

Happened to a friend of mine.

Had his insurance disc at home, stopped by a Garda, car seized and got a fine.

He was also driving with L plates unaccompanied but nothing was said about this (this happened last summer just before penalty points came in for driving unaccompanied/no L plates).

They won't seize a car for not displaying a disc. It was other matters, or a combination of offences, that led to this

JCX BXC

I was a passenger in a car about 3 years ago when we came to a Garda checkpoint out in the middle of nowhere. As it was too late to turn back, the driver just proceeded to the checkpoint. The driver only ever used the car to get in and out of town, but as his other car was in the garage, we had to venture a little further. The NCT was out 4 or 5 months, the insurance was out only a week and the car hadnt been taxed since it was bought 6 years previous.

The garda looked at the car, tapped the top corner of the windscreen, said "get that sorted" in a grumpy tone and waved us on.


In order to not come across that garda again, we went on the mainroad. Sure enough, he was there again. He stopped us again, got out his baton thing, hit the windscreen fairly hard 3 times and goes freakishly calmly -"I said get it sorted" then waved us on.


Some guards would have fined us 2 times over, other wouldnt. It depends on who you come across.

Atlantic Dawn

Carnacalla wrote: »

I was a passenger in a car about 3 years ago when we came to a Garda checkpoint out in the middle of nowhere. As it was too late to turn back, the driver just proceeded to the checkpoint. The driver only ever used the car to get in and out of town, but as his other car was in the garage, we had to venture a little further. The NCT was out 4 or 5 months, the insurance was out only a week and the car hadnt been taxed since it was bought 6 years previous.

The garda looked at the car, tapped the top corner of the windscreen, said "get that sorted" in a grumpy tone and waved us on.


In order to not come across that garda again, we went on the mainroad. Sure enough, he was there again. He stopped us again, got out his baton thing, hit the windscreen fairly hard 3 times and goes freakishly calmly -"I said get it sorted" then waved us on.


Some guards would have fined us 2 times over, other wouldnt. It depends on who you come across.

No tax is one thing, no insurance is pure wreckless.

jca

Carnacalla wrote: »

I was a passenger in a car about 3 years ago when we came to a Garda checkpoint out in the middle of nowhere. As it was too late to turn back, the driver just proceeded to the checkpoint. The driver only ever used the car to get in and out of town, but as his other car was in the garage, we had to venture a little further. The NCT was out 4 or 5 months, the insurance was out only a week and the car hadnt been taxed since it was bought 6 years previous.

The garda looked at the car, tapped the top corner of the windscreen, said "get that sorted" in a grumpy tone and waved us on.


In order to not come across that garda again, we went on the mainroad. Sure enough, he was there again. He stopped us again, got out his baton thing, hit the windscreen fairly hard 3 times and goes freakishly calmly -"I said get it sorted" then waved us on.


Some guards would have fined us 2 times over, other wouldnt. It depends on who you come across.

Yea like a Guard would let an uninsured car through a checkpoint. ... Twice....

georgefalls

Why would anyone need to remove the disc from the car, if they were at home. The policy number is on the big bit of the sheet that it was attached to.

Being that its the big bit that you'd have to produce if it was requested, it would be handy to know where it is at all times.

I'm guilty of going out to the car to get the number as well, for quickness, but I take a pen and paper.

stefanovich

georgefalls wrote: »

Why would anyone need to remove the disc from the car, if they were at home. The policy number is on the big bit of the sheet that it was attached to.

Being that its the big bit that you'd have to produce if it was requested, it would be handy to know where it is at all times.

I'm guilty of going out to the car to get the number as well, for quickness, but I take a pen and paper.

Laziness, sheer laziness.

JCX BXC

jca wrote: »

Yea like a Guard would let an uninsured car through a checkpoint. ... Twice....

Obviously the guards in wexford are not as lazy as the lads here.

jca

Carnacalla wrote: »

Obviously the guards in wexford are not as lazy as the lads here.

I wouldn't know I only drive road legal vehicles.

JCX BXC

jca wrote: »

I wouldn't know I only drive road legal vehicles.

So why would you be the one to comment?
I likewise only drive legal vehicles, I was a passenger.

rosie16

It took me 4 months to realise I hadn't put up my nct disc. I had the the letter with the disc in the glove box so it was all good.

Heathen

In this day and age it's rediculois that we still have to display it, it's a massive waste of money to print and post something that is already stored on a database, the Garda can query pulse and tell right away if it's taxed and insured... Paperwork should be done away with now like in the UK

H

Atlantic Dawn

Heathen wrote: »

In this day and age it's rediculois that we still have to display it, it's a massive waste of money to print and post something that is already stored on a database, the Garda can query pulse and tell right away if it's taxed and insured... Paperwork should be done away with now like in the UK

H

Yes at a start the tax disc should have NCT details printed on it, you could be given a replacement tax disc at each NCT.

ShaunieVW

Or we could catch up with the 21st Century and sort out ANPR for all Garda cars. At least then it would pick up uninsured drivers (Arseholes) in traffic etc. and not just at checkpoints.

tmh106

ShaunieVW wrote: »

Or we could catch up with the 21st Century and sort out ANPR for all Garda cars. At least then it would pick up uninsured drivers (Arseholes) in traffic etc. and not just at checkpoints.

ANPR -what's that?

tmh

Special Circumstances

tmh106 wrote: »

ANPR -what's that?

tmh

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=ANPR&l=1

I've been driving around with no Insurance disc for a while now (waiting on it to come in the post, I have an actual insurance policy, just no disc).

All I've been doing different is avoiding parking on the street (I believe you can be fined for not displaying discs, by a traffic warden?). I've been driving around as normal and, to be honest, the thoughts of a checkpoint never bothered me as, if the Garda has doubts, you can just ring the insurance company or, more than likely, present the insurance details at the station at a later date.

I wouldn't be worried about it at all.

I think a Garda will make a reasonable effort to ensure you're not insured before they try to seize your car.

68 lost souls

I stupidly realised the other day that I never put my new disc in the window when I renewed my policy in September. 6 months later when I went to renew the tax I realised and paniced. Sorted now thankfully I never went through a check point. Wont be making that mistake again.

9935452

Carnacalla wrote: »

I was a passenger in a car about 3 years ago when we came to a Garda checkpoint out in the middle of nowhere. As it was too late to turn back, the driver just proceeded to the checkpoint. The driver only ever used the car to get in and out of town, but as his other car was in the garage, we had to venture a little further. The NCT was out 4 or 5 months, the insurance was out only a week and the car hadnt been taxed since it was bought 6 years previous.

The garda looked at the car, tapped the top corner of the windscreen, said "get that sorted" in a grumpy tone and waved us on.


In order to not come across that garda again, we went on the mainroad. Sure enough, he was there again. He stopped us again, got out his baton thing, hit the windscreen fairly hard 3 times and goes freakishly calmly -"I said get it sorted" then waved us on.


Some guards would have fined us 2 times over, other wouldnt. It depends on who you come across.

Id say the guard was waiting for someone else.
But it was stupidity to drive a car with no insurance tax or nct.

kippy

Carnacalla wrote: »

I was a passenger in a car about 3 years ago when we came to a Garda checkpoint out in the middle of nowhere. As it was too late to turn back, the driver just proceeded to the checkpoint. The driver only ever used the car to get in and out of town, but as his other car was in the garage, we had to venture a little further. The NCT was out 4 or 5 months, the insurance was out only a week and the car hadnt been taxed since it was bought 6 years previous.

The garda looked at the car, tapped the top corner of the windscreen, said "get that sorted" in a grumpy tone and waved us on.


In order to not come across that garda again, we went on the mainroad. Sure enough, he was there again. He stopped us again, got out his baton thing, hit the windscreen fairly hard 3 times and goes freakishly calmly -"I said get it sorted" then waved us on.


Some guards would have fined us 2 times over, other wouldnt. It depends on who you come across.

It does indeed - however you should have been "done" twice.

There are a lot of people out there who don't pay their share and whatever about tax, no insurance is a complete joke and there should be a zero tolerance to it, which there generally is tbf.
Policing of tax, insurance and NCT flags is pretty low though, going by the amount of people that take chances with these things - so the introduction of ANPR can only be heralded to ensure all pay their share.

foxy farmer

The checkpoints are a joke in most cases. They only look at the date on the discs. They don't scrutinise the discs at close range. You could put up a disc belonging to another vehicle and they won't cop it unless they compare the reg plate with whats on the disc. There have been cases of discs being stolen out of cars so some people have copped onto this.

9935452

foxy farmer wrote: »

The checkpoints are a joke in most cases. They only look at the date on the discs. They don't scrutinise the discs at close range. You could put up a disc belonging to another vehicle and they won't cop it unless they compare the reg plate with whats on the disc. There have been cases of discs being stolen out of cars so some people have copped onto this.

i completely agree . i was stopped on the quad bike by the traffic core one day. Insured FBD taxed privately and plates that werent local. i believe the guard thought i had taken the discs and plates off a car. (until he ran the plates)
Ive always wondered what you could get away with with a color photocopier or of you want the details to match the reg , a scanner , photo editiing software and a printer

kippy

9935452 wrote: »

i completely agree . i was stopped on the quad bike by the traffic core one day. Insured FBD taxed privately and plates that werent local. i believe the guard thought i had taken the discs and plates off a car. (until he ran the plates)
Ive always wondered what you could get away with with a color photocopier or of you want the details to match the reg , a scanner , photo editiing software and a printer

You could to a point, depending on whether its tax/insurance or NCT.
The "new" technology mentioned above will take care of all that though, thankfully.