Car seized by garda for no tax...

Wailin

Not mine! Would like your thoughts on this.

A family member was getting a lift to the airport from his mate, Waterford to Dublin a week or 2 ago. On the M9 they came upon a garda checkpoint on the motorway, usual big operation checking for tax, insurance and breathalysing.

Turns out his mate had no tax so they seized the car and left them stranded on the motorway, miles from any slip road. The family member had a flight to catch, which he explained to the gardai, who only laughed and pointed up the motorway in the general direction to Dublin. He proceeded up the hard shoulder with his suitcase, hoping to catch a passing taxi, only for the cops to roar at him to get off the hard shoulder. To go where?

Surely the gardai cannot just abandon someone in a very dangerous location such as a motorway? If it was a family with kids would they do the same? Your man had no tax, fair enough they can seize the car. Should they transport someone in this situation to the nearest town or somewhere safe?

Personally, I found it despicable they did this and could have done it to a family with kids.

Dakotabigone

You can’t go around with no tax.

VeryTerry

Dakotabigone wrote: »

You can’t go around with no tax.

That's not really the point is it?

Pkiernan

I thought they were required to bring you off the motorway.

James Bond Junior

Dakotabigone wrote: »

You can’t go around with no tax.

That's not what he was asking.

I think they have a duty of care if seizing a car especially like that on a motorway. A spin to the nearest services would have sufficed and not been unreasonable. If it had happened in the middle or the outskirts of a town, tough luck.

punisher5112

I would expect as it's illegal to be on a motorway as a pedestrian that they would at least leave you to somewhere safe or make you get a taxi.

You weren't there and neither were we so they may have said sort a lift which is fine as the car wasn't legal on the road.

Dakotabigone

VeryTerry wrote: »

That's not really the point is it?

Well the rest of the op story didn’t happen. No guard would put you walking on a motorway.

ebbsy

I would be getting a solicitor.

If that story is true of course.

deadanonymau5

Maybe your "family member's" "friend" should pay his taxes.

Yes, the Gardai should stop doing their job at the checkpoint and personally escort the people who don't pay their tax (or insurance) to where they want to go even though it was their own fault for their vehicle being seized....

Amirani

deadanonymau5 wrote: »

Yes, the Gardai should stop doing their job at the checkpoint and personally escort the people who don't pay their tax (or insurance) to where they want to go even though it was their own fault for their vehicle being seized....

If the alternative is leaving people walk along a motorway, then yes they should. Incredibly unsafe for all road users to do otherwise.

ELM327

Pay the tax, Simples.

Voodoomelon

Woman and kids get a lift no problem. Or better still a caution. Lads are left in the hard shoulder to become the best a man can get.

poppers

Wailin wrote: »

Not mine! Would like your thoughts on this.

A family member was getting a lift to the airport from his mate, Waterford to Dublin a week or 2 ago. On the M9 they came upon a garda checkpoint on the motorway, usual big operation checking for tax, insurance and breathalysing.

Turns out his mate had no tax so they seized the car and left them stranded on the motorway, miles from any slip road. The family member had a flight to catch, which he explained to the gardai, who only laughed and pointed up the motorway in the general direction to Dublin. He proceeded up the hard shoulder with his suitcase, hoping to catch a passing taxi, only for the cops to roar at him to get off the hard shoulder. To go where?

Surely the gardai cannot just abandon someone in a very dangerous location such as a motorway? If it was a family with kids would they do the same? Your man had no tax, fair enough they can seize the car. Should they transport someone in this situation to the nearest town or somewhere safe?

Personally, I found it despicable they did this and could have done it to a family with kids.

Would the guards be stopping traffic on the motorway. I travel on them every day for work and have only ever seen them doing speed checks.

emeldc

poppers wrote: »

Would the guards be stopping traffic on the motorway. I travel on them every day for work and have only ever seen them doing speed checks.

Saw it once before on the M9 alright.

wonski

ELM327 wrote: »

Pay the tax, Simples.

Nobody is questioning seizing the car.

But it isn't wise to leave people walking along the motorway. Sure Gardai is not a taxi service, but getting them to the next exit sounds like an option. If they organise a checkpoint on a motorway, they should expect this scenario.

amcalester

Had the removal truck been and gone by the time your friend starting walking?

Plumbthedepths

I don't believe for one second the Guards would tell anyone to start walking on the motorway. Although I do believe the car was seized for having no tax.

elperello

OP
How long was tax out?
Where exactly did it happen?
How did they get out of their predicament?
Did he make the flight?

Walking on the hard shoulder of a motorway is dangerous and anyone stopping to pick you up would be putting themselves in danger too. For this reason it would be wrong for Gardai to leave someone on a motorway.

tayto lover

Apparently unless you are arrested you are not covered by insurance in a Garda car. I was told this by a Garda years ago.

bigroad

They should have the facilities in place if they want to conduct checkpoints on the motorway.

wonski

tayto lover wrote: »

Apparently unless you are arrested you are not covered by insurance in a Garda car. I was told this by a Garda years ago.

Sounds unbelievable. And what insurance? Are they actually insured? Or is it state guarantee of some sort?

Effects

tayto lover wrote: »

Apparently unless you are arrested you are not covered by insurance in a Garda car. I was told this by a Garda years ago.

Even if that was true, do you really think they still wouldn't let you in a Garda car to get you off the motorway?
I've been a passenger in a Garda car on multiple occasions and it was never mentioned that there was an issue with insurance, and I've never been arrested.

2Mad2BeMad

tayto lover wrote: »

Apparently unless you are arrested you are not covered by insurance in a Garda car. I was told this by a Garda years ago.

Doesn't stop them picking up girls after clubs to drop them home haha all depends on the guard of course but been left of the hard shoulder sounds ridiculous if true.

Xcellor

A more appropriate title for this thread is Garda abandons civilian on side of motorway.

The car being confiscated is fine but they had a duty of care in this scenario since there was no other way of getting off motorway other than breaking the law by walking on it.

Dakotabigone

Did he make his flight I wonder?

Effects

Xcellor wrote: »

A more appropriate title for this thread is Garda abandons civilian on side of motorway.

Except that didn't happen. It's a fabricated story.

CrankyHaus

tayto lover wrote: »

Apparently unless you are arrested you are not covered by insurance in a Garda car. I was told this by a Garda years ago.

Sounds dubious. Lots of reasons Gardai may need to give non criminals a lift. Anyway aren't they covered by the State Claims Agency rather than an Insurance Company?
Are you sure he wasn't pulling your leg to avoid having you in his car?

peaceboi

I was stopped @ Newcastle west back in Oct by garda check point. Our whole family was in the car. And our nct and road tax were expired 3 months ago. When he pointed that they were expired, I apologised and told him it was a mistake forgot to renew and told him I can take the road tax online now itself. He said, ok but mentioned that he will have to charge me for no nct. Took my details and let us go. Few weeks later, I got letter to pay fine & 3 points on my driving licence for driving without nct.
I think it depends on the garda personnel.

Henry Ford III

Dakotabigone wrote:

Did he make his flight I wonder?

The plane was also seized for no tax/nct. Stopped by Gardai (wearing their hats incidentally) on the runway.

Effects

Henry Ford III wrote: »

The plane was also seized for no tax/nct. Stopped by Gardai (wearing their hats incidentally) on the runway.

Only one Garda was wearing a hat actually. The other Garda had to give his to a pregnant lady to wee in, as is required by law.

Melodeon

That last couple of these multi-agency checkpoints I've come across here in the midlands have, along with the Garda & Customs/Excise vehicles, also had a flatbed tow truck and a minibus on hand.
I'd be utterly amazed if similar provisions weren't made for a checkpoint on a motorway.

TallGlass

There must be a regulation to escort people off the motorway. There shouldn't be any peds on a motorway, standing or walking. It's distracting to drivers and a fatality waiting to happen.

I'd hope Garda have more sense than you mention. I think the smile and smart arse attitude of the Garda, if true would be wiped quickly of there faces if said person got a smack of a car. They be on the hook, line and sinker for that one.

I don't condone drink driving, no tax or insurance. However I wouldn't wish it on some poor inocent driver to kill someone cause of some Garda poor judgement skills and lack of common sense.

As for no insurance in a Garda car. That's utter non sense. Your insured.

_Kaiser_

Effects wrote: »

Except that didn't happen. It's a fabricated story.

Ah you were there yourself were you? I'm guessing so, seeing as you're so sure the OP is lying.... what really happened then?

You'd think after all the coverage of scandals and incompetence, people would be a little more questioning of AGS behaviour these days.

But I suppose this blind faith is why AGS continue to get away with it.

Sleeper12

Dakotabigone wrote:

Well the rest of the op story didn’t happen. No guard would put you walking on a motorway.

100 percent agree. If anything you can be arrested for walking on a motorway.

This is like a cop stopping a driver, seeing that he's over the drink limit and letting him drive on. The Gardai & the state can be sued for any damage /loss of life caused by the drink driver.

Wailin

Wailin wrote: »

Not mine! Would like your thoughts on this.

A family member was getting a lift to the airport from his mate, Waterford to Dublin a week or 2 ago. On the M9 they came upon a garda checkpoint on the motorway, usual big operation checking for tax, insurance and breathalysing.

Turns out his mate had no tax so they seized the car and left them stranded on the motorway, miles from any slip road. The family member had a flight to catch, which he explained to the gardai, who only laughed and pointed up the motorway in the general direction to Dublin. He proceeded up the hard shoulder with his suitcase, hoping to catch a passing taxi, only for the cops to roar at him to get off the hard shoulder. To go where?

Surely the gardai cannot just abandon someone in a very dangerous location such as a motorway? If it was a family with kids would they do the same? Your man had no tax, fair enough they can seize the car. Should they transport someone in this situation to the nearest town or somewhere safe?

Personally, I found it despicable they did this and could have done it to a family with kids.

A checkpoint on a motorway? Yea. Right.

Sleeper12

tayto lover wrote:

Apparently unless you are arrested you are not covered by insurance in a Garda car. I was told this by a Garda years ago.

This isn't true either. Well a Garda might have told you this but it is not true. He obviously didn't want to give you a lift

wonski

[Deleted User] wrote: »

A checkpoint on a motorway? Yea. Right.

Of course they do them on motorways. Not every day, but they do.

elperello

Deleted User wrote: »

A checkpoint on a motorway? Yea. Right.

They do have them.
They are pretty big and well organised affairs ie. not just a couple of Garda waving you down.

sdanseo

If the Gardaí concerned did do this, a complaint needs to be raised immediately with the local superintendent. It's dangerous, reckless, and most likely criminal.

IF it happened exactly as described, of course. Which I doubt.

In any event, rightly or wrongly, all avoidable by paying your car tax like the rest of us mere mortals have to do.

Effects

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

Ah you were there yourself were you? I'm guessing so, seeing as you're so sure the OP is lying.... what really happened then?

Yeah, I was there alright. I saw the OPs family member get on the bus that was provided, as well as the friend, carrying a suitcase. We were then dropped to the nearest motorway exit.

Dakotabigone

Effects wrote: »

Yeah, I was there alright. I saw the OPs family member get on the bus that was provided, as well as the friend, carrying a suitcase. We were then dropped to the nearest motorway exit.

Some say he tried to use his Ryanair priority boarding to get onto the bus first.

Truckermal

Jaysus Wailin I thought they were after seizing the indicators of the Beemer....:p:p

punisher5112

tayto lover wrote: »

Apparently unless you are arrested you are not covered by insurance in a Garda car. I was told this by a Garda years ago.

That's bull.

They don't have insurance.

It's covered by the state

James Bond Junior

Well this thread has descended into some shítshow. To be fair the OP is a regular poster in here and not to one I'd associate with trolling.

Wailin, is there more to this than you've initially said? How did it fair out in the end for your relative?

sdanseo

James Bond Junior wrote: »

To be fair the OP is a regular poster in here and not to one I'd associate with trolling.

Just to be fair, I at least am not questioning the OP's account, just working on the fact they admitted themselves that it was second hand information.

Chinese whispers start very easily purple monkey dishwasher.

Markcheese

Lucky they didn't arrest them for walking on the motorway....
If they were abandoned on the side if the motorway thats dangerous, and not on.. But other than getting them to the nearest exit I don't suppose the Gards have much obligation... Legal or moral... But for a big checkpoint, the Gardaí may not have been in any hurry to bring them anywhere...

Reminds me the tax is out on my van.. Eeekk

q85dw7osi4lebg

Garda only ever have checkpoints on the motorway when they make it public in advance via media, operation slow down etc. Reason being it’s a lethal place to have a checkpoint.

So either this chap didn’t hear of that, or he’s telling porkies.

sk8board

Did I miss it, or is this story missing the ending? How did they get off the motorway? Seems like a bit of an omission.

“... and the the gards said, oh yeh soz lads and brought us to the nearest town”

mirrorwall14

I feel dejavu reading this story like I’ve read it before on boards.... maybe I’m imagining it but genuinely read the OP and was like ‘oh that’s an older thread than I thought’ Then looked at the date and saw it was from a few hours ago

Wailin

elperello wrote: »

OP
How long was tax out?
Where exactly did it happen?
How did they get out of their predicament?
Did he make the flight?

Walking on the hard shoulder of a motorway is dangerous and anyone stopping to pick you up would be putting themselves in danger too. For this reason it would be wrong for Gardai to leave someone on a motorway.

Lads, lots of people questioning the truth of this story. It happened and the guards were very ignorant and no help at all.

I don't know how long the tax was out, I reckon if it was a few weeks they might have let them go. Probably out by months.

Checkpoint was a few miles from Kilcullen I believe. He managed to get a taxi and made the flight, but only just! I think the car owner had to wait for someone to drive up from Waterford which was about an hour and a half.

Wailin

[Deleted User] wrote: »

A checkpoint on a motorway? Yea. Right.

I've been through 2 of them myself. Huge operation with cones for a few km bringing the motorway to 1 lane.

And if you still don't believe me, here ya go:

https://www.kildarenow.com/news/large-garda-checkpoint-mounted-m9-southbound-kilcullen-morning-check-tax-insurance/242391