Traffic Watch

edmund_f

Sure everyone has noted the garda 'Traffic Watch' signs urging you to call a number if you see illegal driving etc.

Wondering if anyone has any experiences of this?

AlisonB

no - lack of experience this end. But i have seen 18 wheelers with little plates on the door saying something similar like "Is my driving ok? Call ......."
What's that all about? Is it compulsary ? Great idea - i'm all for it..

fletch

Yeh I often wonder if I ring the traffic watch number and report a car that performed some form of dangerous act on the road, what are the police supposed to do about it, they have no proof????

AlisonB

fletch wrote:

Yeh I often wonder if I ring the traffic watch number and report a car that performed some form of dangerous act on the road, what are the police supposed to do about it, they have no proof????

i actually dont think you need proof - if you're willing to sit in court and act as a witness i think that's enough .. i could be wrong.

Turner

As long as you are willing to follow through with your complaint and act as a witness for the state in court, that is the only way a prosecution can occur.

If there are other independent witnesses who witnessed the driving and would also appear in court that would increase the chances of securing a prosecution.

Just like if the Gardai witness dangerous driving the individual Garda has to go to court and act as a witness for the state to secure a prosecution.

Also If the Gardai get a complaint from traffic watch they have to act on it.

fletch

AlisonB wrote:

i actually dont think you need proof - if you're willing to sit in court and act as a witness i think that's enough .. i could be wrong.

Kool....I'll be noting down a lot of registration plates from now on. All those outside lane hoggers on the M50, I'm comin to getya!

AlisonB

fletch wrote:

Kool....I'll be noting down a lot of registration plates from now on. All those outside lane hoggers on the M50, I'm comin to getya!

now i dont think you can bring people to court over being plain ignorant . Something you just have to accept i'm afraid.. you will probably be the one getting done driving up their arse and flashing the lights , or even undertaking . Have to admit i'm a bitch for undertaking, only in extreme circumstances though, like the end of January sales

Rew

My brother was reported via Teraffic Watch and was pulled in by 2 cop. One of them was grand and explained everything to him. Bacily he was reported for crossing a solid white line or somthin (he didnt think he had done it anyway) and if the person who reported it wanted to be a witness things may go further. They didn't and he heard nothing else.

The 2nd cop was sittting in the squad car whille the first was explaining all this and came up and started leaning in to my brothers car (as in basicly climbing in the window) and then asked him to open the boot and get out. He then proceeded to search the boot of the car (him self not asking my brother to do it). Nothing was found but my bro was fairly pissed off afterwards....

Seth Brundle

read this:-
from http://www.bmwcarclubforum.co.uk/forum_posts.asp?TID=13664

I was on my way back from Limerick today on the M7 and headin for Naas. I pulled out to vertake a few cars doin about 50.I noticed another car coming up behind me in the fast lane as I was hittin 70 and it looked like it was going to plow through me. He was waving and beeping and flashing me to get out of his way. I had to accelerate to 100MPH so I could get out of his way and pull in.

HE HAD NO TYRE ON HIS PASSENGER SIDE FRONT

Sparks everywhere and a bit of his front bumper flappin like mad.Disappeared up the motorway.

I rang 911 and got Naas Garda Station and tried to tell them but instead I got told off for being on my mobile while driving. Last time I try help!

daymobrew

When I rang TrafficWatch last year and left a message it took 3 or 4 months for the Gardai to get back to me. I think that was a 'teething' issue that has been resolved.
Best bet is to ring the local station where the offence occurs. A superintendant from my local station recommended telling the Garda you report the incident to have a word of warning (which has no legal clout) with the driver and that you'll be willing to go to court if the driver is unrepentant.
A Garda in Clontarf told me that they note generic reports (not specific to a driver) in a book and Gardai look at this when they start their shift (for Clontarf there is rampant, though not unsafe, red light breaking as people turn right from Clontarf Road onto Alfie Byrne Road; the green is for straight ahead only).

Amusing story I've relayed here before:
A friend was driving home to Louth on the M1. He was undertaken by a driver who he felt nearly took my friend's bumper off. Friend pulled over and called Balbriggan Garda station. Later he saw the driver pulled over by the Gardai.
That evening the Gardai rang him to tell him what happened - their unmarked car got onto the M1 but couldn't see the driver. Then they saw some lad on their arse tail gating and flashing his lights. They turned their blue lights on...

Paul (MN)

I know somebody who did this. There are quite a few "boy racers" in the locality (as there are everywhere now) and she was getting a bit pee-ed off with them and their driving style.

There was some news on the radio about a womand and a young kid being killed by a "young male" and then this local guy starts acting the boll1x around her while driving and she decided to report him.

The guards were great and called around to the house etc. They said they would bring it to court as they knew of this guy.

It went to court. All I can say is that her eyes were opened to the justice system! She was hanging around for a while beforehand and couldn't believe the way the judge was talking to the various accussed. OK so they might have been in a fight outside a pub or whatever but instead of just sentencing them they were given lectures on this that and the other and given out to for not standing straight! anyway I digress...

This guy had gotten a sollysitter to represent him. He basically overtook at high speed, with gestures, on a contiinuous line on a hill on a bend! It all boiled down to the following:

"Did he overtake you?"
"yes"
"Did you see him overtake you?"
"yes"
"Did you see him on the other side of the white line?"
"well, I didn't look out my window and down at the white line but you can't overtake somebody without crossing the line!"
"so you didn't actually physically see him on the other side of the line?"
"I did! he overtook me so he was across the line!"
"but did you actually see him on the other side of the line, did you see the line and him?"
"no"
Judge: "case dismissed as we couldn't get evidence out of the witness"



what a load of hooooeeeyyy!

a_ominous

About a month ago, some fecker in a WX reg was flying up behind near end of M50, Sandyford. I was overtaking and this guy came up about 10 feet behind me. I had to wind it up to 70mph (pre-metrification ) and just get back into left lane. The twat did the same thing to another car.
Anyhow, remembered the reg and called the TRaffic watch 10 minutes later when I got to work. Got prompted for county, etc. After 2 minutes got disconnected. Yeah, great service.

I believe the idea behind it is that a patrol car in the area can keep a watch out for the car. It's not intended that the cops take your word and a court case will happen. As daymo said, they can observe the miscreant and react appropriately.

fletch

AlisonB wrote:

now i dont think you can bring people to court over being plain ignorant . Something you just have to accept i'm afraid.. you will probably be the one getting done driving up their arse and flashing the lights ,

Well I don't do that but I will move slightly off their driving line so they can see me in their rear view mirror

AlisonB wrote:

or even undertaking . Have to admit i'm a bitch for undertaking, only in extreme circumstances though, like the end of January sales

Have to admit I will undertake but only if I've been followin some twat down the motorway for miles and he never moves into the inside lane. Had a scary encounter though with a Mercedes once....followed him for about 5 miles down the M50, he was doing 100kph all the way so eventually I go to undertake him and he slaps on his indicator & starts moving over on top of me. He knew exactly what he was doing and so did I so I moved over slightly but completed the manouevre. For the remainder of the motorway, he proceeded to tailgate me to within about 2 feet of my bumper with his full beams on! Scary

AlisonB

yeh hmm well i had a bit of an experience too - was driving behind an astra... take note we were fairly moving (don't slate me - it was for a important cause) and he slams on the brakes... :eek: Bastid!

Rew

Could have been worse he could have whiped the hand brake...

JB123

Was on the n11 last week and a starlet turbo tailgated me at 120kph (100kph zone).Any way put the boot down and said bye bye. Next thing i see him coming up again so i indicate to move in check my blind spot and he has gone on the inside,scared the sh#t out of me.Anyway my car comes with an anti starlet turbo device known as VTEC and i soon had him wedged in the slow lane and on the brakes.I should have reported his ass saw him over taking in the face of on coming traffic the week before.
I think report them for this kind of stuff and they might think twice before doing it again.

edmund_f

so does anyone have a positive experience, or would everyone agree that the traffic watch is a complete failure, more to placiate drivers to try to reduce road rage. i.e. vent to a garda rather than react aggressivly on the road?

Rew

I reckon if a few dodgy drivers get pulled over and told they were reported they may think twice about it. I havn't seen anything that would make me ring the number yet... I donth have the number in the phone though...

edmund_f

1890 205 805

AlisonB

Rew wrote:

Could have been worse he could have whiped the hand brake...

and that's where i'd mirror... mirror indicate pull into the hard shoulder and make that call 1890 205 805 .. ok how many of you can text without looking at the phone..

Crossley

Paul (MN) wrote:

This guy had gotten a sollysitter to represent him. He basically overtook at high speed, with gestures, on a contiinuous line on a hill on a bend! It all boiled down to the following:

"Did he overtake you?"
"yes"
"Did you see him overtake you?"
"yes"
"Did you see him on the other side of the white line?"
"well, I didn't look out my window and down at the white line but you can't overtake somebody without crossing the line!"
"so you didn't actually physically see him on the other side of the line?"
"I did! he overtook me so he was across the line!"
"but did you actually see him on the other side of the line, did you see the line and him?"
"no"
Judge: "case dismissed as we couldn't get evidence out of the witness"



what a load of hooooeeeyyy!

This story explains what a nonsense the scheme is. Any competent solicitor will tear a non-professional witness' evidence to shred in minutes.