Stopped for speeding

Dancing Johnny

I was stopped on my way home from work this evening for speeding, I hold my hand up I was speeding. However, two guards not wearing hi viz jackets came out of a ditch and waved me down, as I was approaching I thought it was some lunatic but it was a guard, it was in a highly dangerous place coming towards a bend there was no squad car and they had no hi viz clothing but it was day light. I had to try pull in but there was no hard shoulder so I ended up holding up traffic and they had another car pulled in behind me, it was a mess. I thought to myself these guards are endangering their own lives and other motorists. Does anyone know if guardai do this off their own bat or are they posted to a certain spot? Also does anyone know if I can make a complaint/recommendation regarding where and how this speed trap was in operation?

Atlantic Dawn

This is where a dashcam is handy as if you ran them down that could to a degree cover your ass.

26000 Elephants

I had a biker-cop jump out of a hedge in chapolizod* a few years ago, in full black leathers, no hi viz, with a setting sun behind him. I was about 50 yards beyond him before I copped he was a cop. By the time I stopped, he had run back to the ditch for his bike - ready for a chase like - but I put the car in reverse and went back to him ( almost as quick as I went past him )

I refused the ticket and told him to send me a summons as I wanted him to explain his tactic to the court. I got out of the car and took a picture of the spot (with the bike hidden in the ditch) and the sun setting behind. I was only marginally over the speed limit.

Never got the summons and never heard any more about it.

(yeah, yeah, cool story, bro!, etc...)

* the straight road beside the park, not the bypass.

ThisRegard

Ironically it was probably easier to see them without their high vis.

Why was it a dangerous spot approaching a bend,.and what was the speed limit?

bear1

Considering they haven't been trained to drive the squad car properly or use the lights I imagine this is how the gardai will be doing speed checks from now on.

uck51js9zml2yt

I remember when going to Kerry that they'd hide in the hedges and behind trees around castle island and rathkeale.

Allinall

Am I the only one wondering why the OP was speeding in a "highly dangerous place, coming towards a bend"?

the_syco

Allinall wrote: »

Am I the only one wondering why the OP was speeding in a "highly dangerous place, coming towards a bend"?

55 in a 50 zone is still speeding. 55 coming up to a dangerous bend is not really dangerous, as you can still brake further. Without the OP saying what the limit was, and what speed he was travelling at, who's to know?

Dancing Johnny

Allinall wrote: »

Am I the only one wondering why the OP was speeding in a "highly dangerous place, coming towards a bend"?

I was speeding on a straight but started to slow down as I came to the bend where the cops were but of course the hair dryer got me, I have no problem admitting I was speeding but I am taking issue with two cops hiding in a ditch coming towards a dangerous bend on a road with no hard shoulder, does anyone know if I can find out if these guys were told to hide here or if they did it off their own bat because it was lunacy

ThisRegard

But the dangerous bend was ahead of you, after a straight. Why is the bend a factor?

Maybe throw in a Google maps link?

bear1

Allinall wrote: »

Am I the only one wondering why the OP was speeding in a "highly dangerous place, coming towards a bend"?

And here is the post that will probably derail the entire thread.

Dancing Johnny

ThisRegard wrote: »

But the dangerous bend was ahead of you, after a straight. Why is the bend a factor?

Maybe throw in a Google maps link?

The bend is a factor because there was no hard shoulder for me to pull in
And they had a car pulled in behind me also and cars had to go around us with oncoming traffic coming around the bend it was on the dunboyne summerhill road in Meath

bazz26

Not easy hiding in a ditch if you're going to wear a hi viz jacket :pac:

MarkAnthony

The OP has admitted the speed he was doing was at the very limit of his driving skill, I'd be very careful what I wrote in a complaint tbh.

Post #3 is absolutely bang on in relation to the proper way to take things further if the OP is aggrieved at the situation.

This happens and I don't think there's much you can do about it only try not to run into them. The M8 motorway wasn't too long open down around Cork, sometime in late 2008, and it was my first time driving the stretch of road. There was not a sinner on it even though it was in the afternoon, so I was cruising along northbound at just under 90mph. Next thing I cop the two uniforms running down the embankment towards the motorway with their arms waving.

I knew straight away that it was the guards and that it was me they were waving at, but I was a bit bewildered with how they just appeared out of nowhere and started to run onto the motorway. I stopped about 50 yards beyond where they were, and one of them approached the car to give me my notice. There still was no sign of a squad car or any form of Garda vehicle, but I got my fine and my points in the post several weeks later.

I imagine this type of ambush is done regularly enough, there are surely safer ways to conduct speed checks though.

Dancing Johnny

bazz26 wrote: »

Not easy hiding in a ditch if you're going to wear a hi viz jacket :pac:

Why do you even bother coming on here?

MarkAnthony

Dancing Johnny wrote: »

Why do you even bother coming on here?

Because he's funny?

bear1

Anyone want some popcorn?

26000 Elephants

Valentin Immense Ozone wrote: »

I remember when going to Kerry that they'd hide in the hedges and behind trees around castle island and rathkeale.

In fairness, that might have been their garda station.

bazz26

Dancing Johnny wrote: »

Why do you even bother coming on here?

Lol. It's called humour.

So your choices are either make enquiries at a Garda station about lodging a complaint or just forget about it and move on. You decide.

biko

Pay the fine and go into the garda station and tell them about the "danger" the two garda posed.