Gardai, traffic watch. Waste of time, what else?

jjpep

I've reported bad driver behaviour in the past to gardai via traffic watch. My overall impression of the system is that getting a good result is purely down to the Garda that gets assigned to your complaint. The statement taking process is arduous, as is the whole process. If the purpose of reporting someone in the first place, what other avenues are there? What if there was a way of sharing video footage etc with insurance companies? Or even just creating a public database of incidents. If there there were blackspots where more incidents occurred than in other areas could local councils be made aware of it and more importantly, made act on it?

Inspired by the near miss mega thread.

AndrewJRenko

It's an interesting question. I've shared a few particular incidents or issues with insurance companies, and got a couple of good responses (Thanks Mr Axa). I love the idea of a public database, though you'd need to make sure at a minimum, that no person is identifiable in a public database (blurring of video, muting of sound).

There is lots of stuff happening on Twitter and YouTube, but it would be great to have a searchable database.

Cee-Jay-Cee

Without independent witnesses then 99% of complaints go no where through no ones fault really as it comes down to the cyclists word against the drivers.

To be sure a complaint sticks you need camera footage, I wouldn’t even bother reporting driver behaviour as it’s pointless and wastes my time and the Gardai’s

Kaisr Sose

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

Without independent witnesses then 99% of complaints go no where through no ones fault really as it comes down to the cyclists word against the drivers.

To be sure a complaint sticks you need camera footage, I wouldn’t even bother reporting driver behaviour as it’s pointless and wastes my time and the Gardai’s

When you have footage they are still not interested. They want an independent witness but their process puts people off as its just so archaic.

KaneToad

My understanding of how the system works is that it might alert a guard to someone misbehaving and that the guard themselves might catch them continuing the bad behaviour. I can't see how it could be of any use in doing anything about an isolated incident of bad road behaviour.

doozerie

I have used TrafficWatch several times over the years and had what I consider some very successful outcomes for isolated incidents. Yes, it seems to depend a lot on the garda that deals with the incident but this is true regardless of whether you report via TrafficWatch or directly via your local Garda station so TrafficWatch is no worse or no better in that regard. TrafficWatch is a lot more convenient though.

On those occasions where I was happy with the outcome I was not obliged to make a formal statement. I was offered the option of pursing the incident through the courts, which would have required me to make a statement, but I didn't choose that option as I was happy that the person in question was contacted by a garda to remind them that despite what they'd like to think they can actually be held accountable for their actions.

I was told by one garda that logged incidents mean that another report about the same person later on can build a useful picture for them that will feed into how the person is dealt with. In that sense it probably means it is worth reporting people even if it ultimately goes nowhere on that occasion.

I was also told that contacting a local garda station is the best course of action if you are reporting someone that poses an immediate threat to others. I used TrafficWatch when reporting a truck that drove me off the road, while I was driving, a few years ago. By the time they'd contacted the most local garda station and a car was dispatched, the lorry was long gone (and either I misremembered the license plates or the plates were false so nothing could be done after the fact). If I'd contacted the local garda station directly they might have been able to catch the truck driver - this happened somewhere not local to me and I didn't have the local garda station number, so TrafficWatch was the simplest option at the time and I'd use it again if something similar happened again.

AndrewJRenko

I've generally gone ahead and given a statement when asked. It's a PITA process, having to let the Garda handwrite the statement and it's costing me a fortune in USB sticks to hand over the videos, but there you go. I'm always a bit dubious about the 'well I'll give them a bit of a talking to' approach, as to whether the talking-to actually happens or has any impact if it does.

The annual reminder of 2 or 3 penalty points when it comes to insurance renewal time will have a much better impact at softening their cough.

AndrewJRenko

Has anyone else been getting text messages from the Gardai in response to TrafficWatch reports?

I wonder if this is relating to the new 'Mobility app' phones?

RobbieMD

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Has anyone else been getting text messages from the Gardai in response to TrafficWatch reports?

I wonder if this is relating to the new 'Mobility app' phones?

Their emails can be sent as a text and appear in that format from their Garda outlook account. It’s a handy way to send out group alerts and is the basis for the text alerts you tend to see in rural areas. And as you say, the active mobility phones are linked to the Garda’s email too and it could be from that.

Very few ordinary Gardai have those phones at present, they mostly went to Roads policing, Dundrum wouldn’t have a Roads policing unit, they were in Blackrock but have been moved to Stepaside in that District.

AndrewJRenko

RobbieMD wrote: »

Their emails can be sent as a text and appear in that format from their Garda outlook account. It’s a handy way to send out group alerts and is the basis for the text alerts you tend to see in rural areas. And as you say, the active mobility phones are linked to the Garda’s email too and it could be from that.

Very few ordinary Gardai have those phones at present, they mostly went to Roads policing, Dundrum wouldn’t have a Roads policing unit, they were in Blackrock but have been moved to Stepaside in that District.

Thanks, do you know if reply text messages get back to the Garda concerned?



Strange to put the Roads folks in Stepaside rather than Dundrum though!

RobbieMD

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Thanks, do you know if reply text messages get back to the Garda concerned?



Strange to put the Roads folks in Stepaside rather than Dundrum though!

No, a reply via text message won’t go into their email account. You’d have to email from your email to theirs.

I’d say they’re going to Stepaside as it’s got a decent car park out the back. Dundrum is very tight on parking.

buffalo

I reported two cases last August to Trafficwatch. One I went into Pearse St Station and while I didn't officially give a statement I at least had a long chat with a Garda, he reviewed the video footage and gave his opinion that any charge would be unlikely to stick, and a warning would be the best option. I went with his professional judgement, never heard anything again.

The other I got a call from Lucan, and never heard anything again. After six months had passed I complained to GSOC that nothing had happened. After some dealings with GSOC, yesterday I got a call from the original Lucan Garda. Turned out he'd been to speak to the driver, and based on the driver's lacklustre response and my brief account of what had happened, decided to issue an FCPN. So that was good news! Driver may dispute the FCPN and refuse to pay, in which case it'll go to court and a statement from me will be required.

I'm a bit more heartened with Trafficwatch now, though of about five reports over the last 8 years maybe, this is the only one that I know of that's ended with an actual punishment for the driver. One out of five ain't bad?

ED E

About 1 in 5 would be my experience too. One Gard from Terenure was very good. Many are poor.

pablo128

Not a cyclist issue, but I had someone report me after they almost caused a collision and then made rude gestures out the window, to which I reacted by getting out of my car to confront them. (Which I know was wrong of me.) However they hadn't given the Garda the full story. Luckily I had the whole incident on my dash cam.

So I wouldn't be too harsh on investigating Gardai if they take every incident with a pinch of salt.

Hurrache

I have one in which the garda involved is seeking a charge of dangerous driving, awaiting to hear what comes of that. I've another from more recently that I haven't reported yet, partially to the fact the gardai will be up to their ears with the madness of the world at the moment and I don't want to go to a garda station to give a statement. And it happened in on the border of 2 different districts, one being the busiest in the country, so I don't want to have a bit of ping pong quite yet.

buffalo

pablo128 wrote: »

Not a cyclist issue, but I had someone report me after they almost caused a collision and then made rude gestures out the window, to which I reacted by getting out of my car to confront them. (Which I know was wrong of me.) However they hadn't given the Garda the full story. Luckily I had the whole incident on my dash cam.

So I wouldn't be too harsh on investigating Gardai if they take every incident with a pinch of salt.

I'd never be too harsh on an investigating Garda. It's the impression that they're not investigating that leads me to be harsh.

RobbieMD

Hurrache wrote: »

I have one in which the garda involved is seeking a charge of dangerous driving, awaiting to hear what comes of that. I've another from more recently that I haven't reported yet, partially to the fact the gardai will be up to their ears with the madness of the world at the moment and I don't want to go to a garda station to give a statement. And it happened in on the border of 2 different districts, one being the busiest in the country, so I don't want to have a bit of ping pong quite yet.

Just be mindful for your yet to be reported incident that there are time limits that Gardai have regarding making demands of the owner/user of vehicles.

AndrewJRenko

I reported one phone user in January, and sent the Garda a link to the video by email.

He called tonight to say he caught up with the registered owner, who identified it was her son who was driving the Golf.

He cautioned both of them, and I was happy enough with that, to avoid the effort of making a formal statement. Hopefully Mammy will think twice before handing over the keys next time.