National Slow Down day - Fri 21st

Special Circumstances

Will ye ever shlow down, limit not a target, 60kph is grand grand grand etc etc.

Not that any of us speed but take it handy tomorrow folks.

When is the first national anything goes day / blue flu day?

Joeseph Balls

I take it handy every day. My air flow meter is gone also I drive a VW

bazz26

Aren't AGS on strike tomorrow?

Commotion Ocean

I think they mean "national-place-a-speed-trap-on-the-verge-of-a-100km/h-50km/h-and-catch-all-those-"dangerous-speeders"-day".

Ferrari3600

Special Circumstances

bazz26 wrote: »

Aren't AGS on strike tomorrow?

I too was confused by that. Thought there was a "soft" strike tomorrow and "hard"strikes in November.

http://www.garda.ie/Controller.aspx?Page=19245

Tomorrow definitely shlow down day though.

Guessing there may be national don't be robbing /fighting /shooting Fridays planned for November?

bazz26

Or is that just what they want drivers to think. :pac:

Steve

Slow down, drive well below your attention limit, text your mate, oogle the hot jogger in lycra, start reprogramming the radio...

Cos when you have nothing better to do, driving boringly slow is best.

Not saying it right or wrong, just that 'them' are not always right.

Special Circumstances

bazz26 wrote: »

Or is that just what they want drivers to think. :pac:

These are FAKE nGardai!! It's a scam!

mikeecho

If it's anything last the last National Slow Down Day,

I don't think it'll be anything to be concerned about.

Special Circumstances

mikeecho wrote: »

If it's anything last the last National Slow Down Day,

I don't think it'll be anything to be concerned about.

True, I saw no speed checks the last time. Previous ones were busy enough though.

road_high

More misguided rubbish from the RSA I assume? It's not speed alone that kills, it's inappropriate speed and poor judgement usually of a situation...if tootle along at 70kmh in the middle of the road in your Almera, holding up a mile of traffic then it's all super safe because you're going slow ��

Cookie_Monster

They should rebrand it 'National don't drive like a ****ing <snip, use better language, moderator> day", might actually achieve something it the full picture is taken into account

CiniO

Luckily it doesn't apply to me.

No speed vans, gardai, or anything like that on my usual commute.

I can drive as fast as I wish.

Foxhole Norman

CiniO wrote: »

Luckily it doesn't apply to me.

No speed vans, gardai, or anything like that on my usual commute.

I can drive as fast as I wish.

That's not how it works.

polan

So, who wants to play speeder's roulette? We break the limits and see if we get caught.

I play it on regular basis :pac:

CiniO

Foxhole Norman wrote: »

That's not how it works.

For me it is.

Only thing that can stop me from driving at speed I consider appropriate (which often is above posted speed limit), is a threat of speed trap, speed van, Garda with speedgun, etc.
If I can have guarantee there won't be any (and I do for most roads I drive), then I'm not bothered by speed limits at all.

Special Circumstances

road_high wrote: »

More misguided rubbish from the RSA I assume? It's not speed alone that kills, it's inappropriate speed and poor judgement usually of a situation...if tootle along at 70kmh in the middle of the road in your Almera, holding up a mile of traffic then it's all super safe because you're going slow ��

Oh yeah, it is "national lump yourself out into the motorway at 80kph". Ain't nobody got time for the insurance implications of points for briefly touching 130 while merging before settling back to 120.

I've got a fistful of qualudes so I can observe anticipate react at the same level as the usual "merge at 80kph" crew.

Downloaded "blue danube" on mp3. Shtraight into top gear by the end of the drive way and no changing down, just shlip the clutch if she shtart bucking. Zero acceleration. Gonna be epic.

Ferrari3600

CiniO wrote: »

For me it is.

Only thing that can stop me from driving at speed I consider appropriate (which often is above posted speed limit), is a threat of speed trap, speed van, Garda with speedgun, etc.
If I can have guarantee there won't be any (and I do for most roads I drive), then I'm not bothered by speed limits at all.

I go with the old LJK Setright rule.

Treat village and suburban speed limits with respect, and 'open road' speed limits with disdain.

Laurence Setright didn't die in a car-crash. It was the cancer sticks (Turkish, I believe) that killed him, at a few years more than the proverbial three score and ten.

http://www.stephenbayley.com/w/why-leonard-setright-was-the-greatest-car-writer-ever

Special Circumstances

Quiet out there in Limerick this morning. Well, ahead of me at least!
A 55bhp Smart forTwo cDi passed me at one stage. LOL, needed the quaaludes to cope with that one.

Cantona's Collars

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

They should rebrand it 'National don't drive like a ****ing retard day", might actually achieve something it the full picture is taken into account

They'd never have enough gardai to detect all those kinds of drivers.

satguy

I wish they would come down to my neck of the woods and do a speed up day. Start to pull over drivers and ask them why they were only doing 45 when the road is 80. Are their cars broke?, Are their eyes Bad?, Do you not see the 15 car tailback behind you?..

fancy pigeon

mikeecho wrote: »

If it's anything last the last National Slow Down Day,

I don't think it'll be anything to be concerned about.

It's not today you need to worry about, but the following day they are out in force when people think it's safe again...

ironclaw

Its a target, not a limit. Right?

Jesus.

bazz26 wrote: »

Or is that just what they want drivers to think. :pac:

It seemed like that today when I saw 4 Police cars on the main street of my town for the first time. They had a van pulled in and were lurking all about.

demanufactured

They were on the last flyover coming into Galway off the M6 this morning...where it comes down to 100lph.
I bombed though at 135...didn't spot them until the last second day. ...they disn't seem interested in me

Damien360

Very few gardai on the road today. I drove newbridge to Castlebar and back again today (6 hour round trip) and there was one speed van outside edgeworthstown and not a single Garda car spotted. National slow down day me arse.

Stoogie

I drove from sligo to Dublin and back today
Checkpoint near Boyle. Speed can near mullingar, speed van at Edgeworthstown and then speed trap coming back into Sligo town
They were not on strike. Also thanks to the idiot on a push bike with no lights on the dual caraigeway coming into Sligo cos I slowed down in shock when I saw you and sailed through the trap at 80kmph

Jesus.

Damien360 wrote: »

Very few gardai on the road today. I drove newbridge to Castlebar and back again today (6 hour round trip) and there was one speed van outside edgeworthstown and not a single Garda car spotted. National slow down day me arse.

I hope you're not complaining!

Commotion Ocean

You'd think they we're doing 200 km/h through a school crossing.
The ones highlighted are hardly "excessive".

From the Irish Independent

www.independent.ie/ wrote:

See some notable detections over the 24 hour period of National Slow Down Day:

• 138 km/h in an 80km/h zone on the Belgard Road Tallaght Dublin24 Dublin
• 91 km/h in a 60km/h zone on the N21 at Croagh Rathkeale Limerick

• 75 km/h in a 50km/h zone on the R445 at Ballymany Newbridge Kildare
• 107 km/h in an 80km/h zone on the R498 at Fishmoyne Borrisoleigh Tipperary

• 139 km/h in a 100 km/h zone on the N5 at Drummindoo Westport Mayo
• 130 km/h in a 100 km/h zone on the N25 at Loughaderry Midleton Cork

• 129 km/h in a 100 km/h zone on the N13 Treantaboy Drumkeen Donegal
• 83 km/h in a 60 km/h zone on the N69 Billeragh Listowel Kerry

• 69 km/h on a 50 km/h zone on the R712 Pennefatherslot Kilkenny Kilkenny

• 107 km/h in an 80 km/h zone on the R498 Fishmoyne Borrisoleigh Tipperary
• 89 km/h in a 60 km/h zone on the L3042 Fortyacres Piercetown Wexford

• 88 km/h in a 60 km/h zone on the R586 Murragh Enniskeane Cork

• 65km/h in a 50km/h zone on the N80 Newtownbarry Bunclody Wexford
• 62 km/h in a 50 km/h zone on the R245 at Ballyraine Letterkenny Donegal

• 108 km/h in an 80 km/h zone on the R458 at Ballyconneely Newmarket On Fergus Clare

• 139 km/h in a 100 km/h zone on the N24 at Whitehall Limerick Limerick
• 130 km/h in a 100 km/h zone on the N25 at Ballyadam Cork Cork

Commotion Ocean

The speeds reported in the article aren't even that bad when you translate them to % over the speed limit. The attitude towards "speeders" in this country is sickening. You'd think people went into a school and fired an Israeli Uzi when they are really only tipping along above an arbitrary speed limit.

Speed Speed limit % Over
138 80 73
91 60 52
75 50 50
89 60 48
88 60 47
107 80 34
139 100 39
83 60 38
69 50 38
130 100 30
65 50 30
129 100 29
108 80 35
62 50 24

Allinall

dfeo wrote: »

The speeds reported in the article aren't even that bad when you translate them to % over the speed limit. The attitude towards "speeders" in this country is sickening. You'd think people went into a school and fired an Israeli Uzi when they are really only tipping along above an arbitrary speed limit.

Speed Speed limit % Over
138 80 73
91 60 52
75 50 50
89 60 48
88 60 47
107 80 34
139 100 39
83 60 38
69 50 38
130 100 30
65 50 30
129 100 29
108 80 35
62 50 24

Sickening? Really?

You must be easily sickened.

marno21

dfeo wrote: »

You'd think they we're doing 200 km/h through a school crossing.
The ones highlighted are hardly "excessive".

From the Irish Independent

The last one there 130 in a 100 in Cork was on a dual carraigeway, shortly after where a 120km/h limit becomes 100km/h.

ironclaw

Whilst I disagree with the entire concept of the day, a percentage is a really poor way of demonstrating the effect. Taking the highest one there:

138 km/h => 38.33 m/s
80 km/h =>22.22 m/s

If you assumed a 2 ton car, so 2000kg, the kinetic energy of both is:

0.5 * 2000 * (38.33^2) = 1469188.9 Joules
0.5 * 2000 * (22.22^2) = 493728.4J

The increase in energy, and hence impact force, is 197.57% I wish they would show that statistic rather than a pretty floppy '70%'

CiniO

ironclaw wrote: »

Whilst I disagree with the entire concept of the day, a percentage is a really poor way of demonstrating the effect. Taking the highest one there:

138 km/h => 38.33 m/s
80 km/h =>22.22 m/s

If you assumed a 2 ton car, so 2000kg, the kinetic energy of both is:

0.5 * 2000 * (38.33^2) = 1469188.9 Joules
0.5 * 2000 * (22.22^2) = 493728.4J

The increase in energy, and hence impact force, is 197.57% I wish they would show that statistic rather than a pretty floppy '70%'

That's what I was trying to say in many threads here for years now.
That it's percentage of being above the limit that matters.
You increase speed twice (doing double the limit), and kinetic energy increases 4 times as well as braking distance and consequences of any accident.

Doing 180km/h on 120km/h motorway is increse of 50%, while doing 50km/h in 30km/h zone it's increase of 66%.

While for most posters the former one (doing 180km/h might seem more dangerous), but it's in fact the latter (50km/h in 30km/h zone) more dangerous.

Ferrari3600

There are roads where the speed limits are set about right, other roads where they are set too low, and still other roads where only an idiot would exceed the speed limit.

In general though, in this country, motorists, particularly those who commit the dreadful crime of driving a half-decent car, i.e. anything above a 1.3L Econobox Daysul, are used as a cash cow by TPTB.

Quite frankly, if you haven't got that by now, I truly can't help you.

Ireland has among the safest roads in the world, and at long last, a pretty decent road network.

0868832875

I was driving down the ballymun rd on Fri and the traffic was very light.I noticed a garda with a speed gun and a ban garda with a camera on the footpath .I was doing 60kmh and thought I was ok but later discovered it was a 50km zone.There were 3 lanes and I was on the one furthest away.What are my chances ?

mikeecho

0868832875 wrote: »

I was driving down the ballymun rd on Fri and the traffic was very light.I noticed a garda with a speed gun and a ban garda with a camera on the footpath .I was doing 60kmh and thought I was ok but later discovered it was a 50km zone.There were 3 lanes and I was on the one furthest away.What are my chances ?

I hear that the ban Garda is a bit of a go-er..
Get 6 drinks into her in coppers and you're onto a sure thing.

As for a speeding ticket.. nah.. you won't get one unless you were actually stopped .

ironclaw

0868832875 wrote: »

I was driving down the ballymun rd on Fri and the traffic was very light.I noticed a garda with a speed gun and a ban garda with a camera on the footpath .I was doing 60kmh and thought I was ok but later discovered it was a 50km zone.There were 3 lanes and I was on the one furthest away.What are my chances ?

Exactly zero.

It was likely a photo OP for the day that was in it. Speed camera tech is integrated and there are very few (none) in existence in Ireland that are mobile except vans.

_Kaiser_

ironclaw wrote: »

Exactly zero.

It was likely a photo OP for the day that was in it. Speed camera tech is integrated and there are very few (none) in existence in Ireland that are mobile except vans.

Is it not the case that the tripod mounted cameras can be used to issue fines /points?

ironclaw

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

Is it not the case that the tripod mounted cameras can be used to issue fines /points?

Gardai don't have any.

There is an attached camera for the Ultralyte 20:20 (the Gardai's laser gun) but its not in use here, or at least not in wide spread use. You'd also see it a mile off, its a huge addition to the top of the gun.

nice_guy80

why am I only hearing about this a week after it happened?

mikeecho

This is what a laser gun with a camera attached looks like

It's massive.




The Garda don't have any

0868832875

The garda had a hand held speed gun and the ban garda had a camera .I got a right shock beacause I didn't see them straight away.What are the chances of me getting a letter....I cant afford more points .

uck51js9zml2yt

0868832875 wrote: »

The garda had a hand held speed gun and the ban garda had a camera .I got a right shock beacause I didn't see them straight away.What are the chances of me getting a letter....I cant afford more points .

Should have thought of that before you got in your car.

0868832875

Jacob Witty Kitty wrote: »

Should have thought of that before you got in your car.

Well I am very vigilant about speed limits usually.I do not drive in Dublin very often and there's usually lots of traffic crawling along so was unduly relaxed with the light traffic .The roads in general are 60 kmph along the routes I normally drive so so was enjoying coasting along

0868832875

Thanks for that.Was really worried and dreading waiting for 2 weeks to find out.

0868832875

What about the camera the ban garda was holding?

mikeecho

0868832875 wrote: »

What about the camera the ban garda was holding?

What did the camera look like

0868832875

It seemed to be a regular camera.....just at a glance

colm_mcm

We can all speed up again for another 363 days. Nice one!