Garda asking for car insurance in shop

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121857217#Comment_121857217

They most certainly should NOT have prevented you from driving away, if you were certain that your insurance cover was in place and covered those driving.

Personally, I would have driven off anyway and put it up the Garda to make a thing of it, or not. I suspect he would not have.

Thats rubbish. Assuming the OP is not trolling and had arranged insurance, they they would have had it with them, even a simple email confirming the policy which is standard nowadays. Secondly, the onus is not the gardai to prove that the OP was not covered by an insurance policy; that is for the OP to prove and the simplest form is the disk. However, given it was a new car, they'd have had to revert back to the email or whatever confirmation from the insurer.

Also bear in mind that the OP finished off with this nonsense...

By the way unfortunately the insurance company gave us false information on our policy and that's why we drove the car. Now they say that my boyfriend can't drive it because it is on his name.

😏

As for the OP driving off after AGS told them not to drive it, are you really that stupid to think that AGS would not follow up on an action that is deliberately designed to escalate the situation?

8valve

Nothing to add, bar a memory this thread triggered.

I bought a brand new car back in 2000. The day after I collected it, we headed away on a family holiday (how celtic tiger is that?!!!! lol) and parked it in Dublin longstay. It was insured but I had no discs whatsoever in the window, as I hadn't yet received the logbook/vlc.

As we arrived home into Waterford, we met a checkpoint on the bridge in to the city, a common spot for night time Garda checkpoints.

Guard looks at the kids in the back seat and says to me 'No discs in your window?'

'No, sorry Guard, it's only new, I got it last week and haven't got any discs yet'.

'Where are ye coming from?' he asked.

'We're just coming from Dublin airport, we were on holidays for the last week in Turkey.'

He laughed and replied, 'jaysus, new car, foreign holidays...tis well for ye...goodnight and safe home!'

Just an example of a garda using a common sense, proportionate approach to law enforcement and accepting my replies at face value.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121857400#Comment_121857400

Do you think they hang out together in uniform when they're off duty?

They could have been buying groceries for official business. They do have to feed prisoners in the cells.

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121857437#Comment_121857437

Common sense is long gone- sher aren’t they themselves subjected to a suspension and 3 year investigation if they hand over an unwanted bicycle to an elderly man for transport throughout a global pandemic crisis

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121856032#Comment_121856032

What attitude is that? The one where I don’t see a harm in driving a car without TAX while awaiting a log book?

There’s nothing stopping you insuring a car before you even buy it so those are completely separate examples to use and my attitude on driving uninsured has been and always will be it’s unacceptable behaviour.

Trying to pull some stupid gotcha by dragging up a ridiculous aside from a thread that has no relevance here is pathetic attempt at trolling imo so just go away to be honest. 🤣

Dav010

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121858638#Comment_121858638

It kinda does have relevance, you started a thread about how you were caught driving without car tax, and also thought your insurer would not cover you if you had an accident, but you still drove it untaxed, so I’d lay off moralising.

Just saying, it does seem to have relevance to your opinion on people who drive uninsured.

kazamo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121858511#Comment_121858511

If they were on duty, they had no need to be both there in Lidl unless a call was made to visit the premises.

The OP mentioned the other Garda purchasing one item so the prisoners unlikely to be eating like kings 😂

nachouser

The op is a "one and done" account.

Dav010

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121858709#Comment_121858709

I can’t be the only one who has seen Gardai in supermarkets getting something to eat, am I?

ohnonotgmail

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121857217#Comment_121857217

They should really do that. The local super could probably do with a laugh.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121858706#Comment_121858706

look dav I am not messing around if you don’t leave me alone I’m reporting you to the admins. At this stage you are just harassing me for your own personal enjoyment and I’m not going to put up with it.

I’ve told you to leave me alone, so leave me alone.

and also yes I thought MY car wouldn’t be covered because I drove without tax, you’re such n annoyingly ignorant individual I don’t know why I even bother to reply. But I was comfortable knowing if God forbid I caused damage to someone else’s car they’d be fixed up without hassle.

So just go away now and bug someone else.

ohnonotgmail

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121858798#Comment_121858798

I can't see how having no tax would have an affect on any insurance in place. No NCT, certainly, but not no tax. Even if it did, somehow, negate your insurance it would not negate the third-party element of the insurance.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121858828#Comment_121858828

Yeah I got the two mixed up momentarily a few months(?) ago and that’s why I’ve no time for that posters BS tbh.

They are just trying to get a reaction out of me so they can report my post.

Oscar_Madison

Good job OP- first post, in the wrong forum and you got laughs tears and tantrums by page 3- what’s your next trick? 🤪

kazamo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121858764#Comment_121858764

Do you see Gardai in supermarkets getting something to eat while at the same time carrying out their duties ?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121860165#Comment_121860165

wait wait wait wait wait hold on now wait

Are you saying that garda are human beings or something?

kazamo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121860192#Comment_121860192

🤔🤔🤔

Here is my view on all this.

Following someone into a shop to intercept and quiz about insurance details is inappropriate imo.

Motor Insurance is very important and must be displayed at all times.

If the Garda was that concerned about it, he should have issued a Fixed Penalty Notice for non display and I would fully support that. The vagueness of do we have insurance or not from OP is unacceptable.

Instead we had Garda who followed someone into a shop and questioned them there, but ultimately did nothing. It has the bang of virtue signalling and look at me I’m great about it. Issue the notice or have chat in private outside.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121860250#Comment_121860250

Well firstly i misunderstood your post originally so sorry!

Also for everyone giving the Gardai hardship for their approach does no one realise how fair they were actually?

The OP explains the garda just insisted the car was left in the carpark right? They had the power at their leisure to have the car seized and towed to a salvage yard.

Then the OP is paying release fees (about €150 at minimum + extra fees per day it’s held) which won’t be released without proving you have insurance anyway and if you don’t it’s only stamped for release by tow truck.

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121860250#Comment_121860250

Motor Insurance is very important and must be displayed at all times.

The OP wasn't displaying a disk!

If the Garda was that concerned about it, he should have issued a Fixed Penalty Notice for non display and I would fully support that. The vagueness of do we have insurance or not from OP is unacceptable.

Firstly, the OP wasn't really vague about their cover - they said:

By the way unfortunately the insurance company gave us false information on our policy and that's why we drove the car. Now they say that my boyfriend can't drive it because it is on his name.

To me, this is bullcrap and my interpretation is that they weren't covered and the garda was correct in asking them on it.

Now, driving without a disk and driving without insurance are completely different offences.

When driving witout insurance, the car may be impounded so in the OP's case, they were told to leave it in the car par until cover was in place - sounds like the garda was sound.

Had the garda just given then a FPN for non-display when they believed that there was no cover, would have been negligent especially if the OP or her boyfriend were involved in a subsequent collision.

Instead we had Garda who followed someone into a shop and questioned them there, but ultimately did nothing. It has the bang of virtue signalling and look at me I’m great about it. Issue the notice or have chat in private outside.

What do you mean the garda did nothing? The OP couldn't prove that they had insurance cover and the garda asked them to bring their info to the station.

As for virtue signalling, etc. this is just more of "the garda bullies crap" people come out with online. I'm taking for granted that the garda wasn't standing there in the supermarket shouting out loud about the OP's predicament.

kazamo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121860277#Comment_121860277

Ok, I agree with the Garda being fair minded but not to the aspect of stopping someone in a shop to ask questions.

I believe that this was a step too far, but we all have different views on all matters and that’s what makes life so interesting and diverse 😊

Dav010

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121860165#Comment_121860165

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121860250#Comment_121860250

Take a day off will ya, you think Gardai should stand outside public buildings all day waiting for people who have broke the law to come out?

kazamo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121860303#Comment_121860303

If the insurance disc wasn’t displayed and OP couldn’t prove cover, the Garda had a choice to make…….and did nothing.

As for the “Garda bullies crap” ……interviewing people in shops on a matter unrelated to that shop, is inappropriate imo.

kazamo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121860334#Comment_121860334

Thanks for your valuable input

Dav010

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121860371#Comment_121860371

Welcome.

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121860368#Comment_121860368

If the insurance disc wasn’t displayed and OP couldn’t prove cover, the Garda had a choice to make…….and did nothing.

They did - they asked the OP to leave the car there until they could prove insurance cover. Proper use of discretion whilst not permittion a potential insurance evader to drive away

As for the “Garda bullies crap” ……interviewing people in shops on a matter unrelated to that shop, is inappropriate imo.

It's isn't inappropriate. What would have been inappropriate would be either the gardai waiting outside like eejits for the OP to finish their weeks shopping or else the gardai asking the OP to come outside with them (which would have looked worse as to other customers it would have looked more like an arrest).

Anyhow, as I said, I presue the garda approached the OP and asked them about insurance. The garda didn't chase them around the shop so there's nothing inappropriate except to those who wish to see fault in AGS doing their job in a public place.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121860368#Comment_121860368

What do you mean they did nothing? Again it’s been explained to you twice how they did something.

They made a legal demand for production of documents to a nominated garda station and the car was to be left where it was until insurance was sorted out.

They could have seized it and had it impounded but perhaps they felt the benefit of doubt was in order to some extent so they didn’t take that approach.

All in all the garda was more than fair enough about it. The OP’s claims the insurance company lied to them is just a hape of bollocks of course.

kazamo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121860404#Comment_121860404

Garda could have waited if it was that important.

it is interesting that a Gardai buying one item in a shop is an appropriate use of time but in the same incident, waiting for someone to leave the shop to ask questions is inappropriate use of time…….does the number of items decide the appropriate/inappropriate conundrum ?

The Garda could of course, have asked the questions before the driver entered the shop, as he knew exactly who to ask when he entered the shop ?.

kazamo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121860408#Comment_121860408

FPN should have been the minimum action.

Either we are serious about insurance cover or we are not and the extreme vagueness of cover in this instance should not be rewarded with “ah sure , get it sorted out in the next 10 days and pinky swear that you won’t drive before cover is sorted”.

If the matter is serious enough to follow someone into a shop, and asking questions in a shopping aisle, is a FPN not the proper enforcement of a road infringement as serious as this ?

If the matter was deemed not so serious, the shop interrogation could have been downgraded to a car park interrogation.

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121860477#Comment_121860477

Garda could have waited if it was that important.

You're encouraging gardai to wait outside a shop for an unknown length of time rather than go into it and (as it is a public place) do their job?

it is interesting that a Gardai buying one item in a shop is an appropriate use of time but in the same incident, waiting for someone to leave the shop to ask questions is inappropriate use of time…….does the number of items decide the appropriate/inappropriate conundrum ?

It is not interesting except to those who choose to be offended by AGS doing their job.

Given that you don't know what the garda ewas buying, its a pretty daft comment. They could have been buying toilet paper and hand sanitiser for the station. The garda could have bene on a break and getting their lunch. The gardai could have been on their way home! The reality is thar you have no idea but are choosing to view them as being bullies against a potential lawbreaker.

The Garda could of course, have asked the questions before the driver entered the shop, as he knew exactly who to ask when he entered the shop ?.

You are assuming that the garda hed time and opportunity to stop them before they went in rather than just seeing them go in and then following them in.

Anyhow, this is a waste of my time so I'm done with your nonsense!

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121860555#Comment_121860555

I think you seem to either not be reading what’s said to you or choosing to be wilfully ignorant but to repeat for the third time

the Gardai did not allow the car to be driven away until evidence of insurance is provided. If that’s not done they will follow up with FCN’s and court summons etc as required.