How many penalty points have you got?

BrianD3

I was going to post this as a poll but I'm interested to hear how many points your friends, relations etc. have as well as yourself. Approx 200,000 Irish drivers have gotten points, there have to be a few of them on this forum. If you have points, please describe what you got them for.

As for myself - I have a big fat boring 0. Have driven approx 90,000 miles since the introduction of the points system. None of my friends or workmates have any points, they may have some but they're not admitting it. No close relations have any points. A couple of my dads friends have 2 points each for speeding. They are the sort of drivers go at 45 mph everywhere they go no matter what the posted speed limit :rolleyes:

Rabies

Don't have any points and like you I drive a couple of thousand miles a month. Usually try to stay within 5-10miles of the speed limit.

My father has 4points. Caught twice and on the stretch around Newland Cross within a few weeks. That was in the first few months of the points system. Still drives the same way just hasn't been caught again

Seth Brundle

I have none! I thought I got done recently heading into Dublin at the start of the Chapelizod bypass but I reckon that I OK now!

My driving style has not changed much since they cam in. I still speed but Im probably more aware of what is around me also!

mike65

Zero, nada, zilch, etc. Hav'nt changed my driving style at all.

Mike.

BrianD3

Oh yeah one other thing - roughly how many garda checkpoints have you driven past since the introduction of points. If you are adept at spotting Gatso vans include them too.

In 2.5 years/90k miles I would estimate I've driven past 30 speed traps and 10 Gatso vans. The vast majority of these have been on dual carriageways. 40 speed checks is not really a whole lot when you think about it. I do most of my driving in Leinster and Dublin.

Rabies

I do most of my driving in the munster area to dublin. Probably twice a month I will pass a garda speed trap and last week a saw the gatso van twice for the first time in my 5 years of driving.
The introduction of the points system hasn't made me slow my drving down but it has made me watch out more for speed traps and you get to learn where the guards usually park

John2002

0 points so far and very few garda check points.

I'd say I've seen manned garda check points on average around once every 2 months. I haven't been outside Limerick much in the last few months though.

Redshift

Like other here I drive alot of miles due to the nature of my work, but I have two points for my sins :rolleyes: I think i'm about half way through my sentence now. I was caught speeding on the dodder park road on a friday evening in september 03; was over by a few miles an hour nothing mad, but theres no point in making excuses and I was caught fair and square by a gatso van parked in that layby on the big curved section.
The only thing that pissed me off was not getting the penaly notice untill mid december of the same year and the point not being applied untill March the following year

WellyJ

Got 2 points for speeding, coming from Gorey to Dublin couple of months back,
Cop with a gun parked on the side of the road got me. 133km/h in a 100km/h zone.

Also got flashd by a camera 2 weeks ago but have heard nothing back, heres hoping it doesnt work.

WellyJ

Seth Brundle

Redshift wrote:

... I think i'm about half way through my sentence now...
...the point not being applied untill March the following year

If the points went on in March 04 then you are only a 14 months into the sentence!

unkel

No points yet. The system HAS changed my driving. I do 60km/h now on the N4 outbound between the M50 roundabout and the Texaco petrol station - most of the time it's just me and a few learners doing this kinda speed. My family and friends mock me. I've no proof, but I can just feel it: my car hates me for it

It's quite likely that I'll cause an accident on that stretch soon enough because I'd have fallen asleep / played a game with the baby on the backseat / fiddled with the controls / played a game on my mobile / read the paper / put the cruise control on, climbed out of the moon roof and started polishing the bonnet etc

The gatsos are out there quite a lot. Shooting + fish + barrel. They'll do you for doing 62km/h in a 60km/h 6 lane highway :rolleyes:

Sad, sad system :mad:

the evil belly

no points at all thankfully. the mothers got 2 for speeding alright. must admit that the points system ain't changed the way i drive though

Robbo

When I decide I want an Irish license again, I have 2 points to begin with.

No, the points haven't changed me at all.

crazymonkey

got 2 points in sep 03, doing 45mph in a 30 zone, no argument there, ironie is, was the last driving my bike, in a hurry to get to a garage 2 pick up a jeep i had just bought, took til dec until were put onto lienice, (Does anyone how long they last for), drive 130 miles to work dayly now and no more thank god,,,,,,,,

PhoenixRising

2 for me. Got done by a GATSO van for 34mph in a 30 Zone. What a joke, they should be out catching the people who actually are causing a danger on the roads. :mad:

Got the notice 5 weeks after the date I was caught.

LegacyUser

Zilch. Drive by a fair few speed traps on the N4 aswell, I'd say I see 1 poor week.

kilasser

IM Living in England and if you haven’t received your notice from police within 20 days of being caught your fine, anything after this means nothing. They have to get them out within 20 days anything after this is void.

bazz26

Zero so far thank God!

But there are no camaras down this side of the country that I am aware of anyway. Usually do around 105/110 in a 100kph zone. If anything I would more than likely be caught in the 50 or 60 kph zone rather than the 100/120 kph zones. I was never one for mad speeding anyway but since the points system came in I do tend to watch the speedo a bit more.

I have had a few close calls though

unkel

kilasser wrote:

IM Living in England and if you haven’t received your notice from police within 20 days of being caught your fine, anything after this means nothing. They have to get them out within 20 days anything after this is void.

At least that doesn't add insult to injury!

I've heard of cases here that there can be a huge time delay and then the points only kick in after the delay :rolleyes:

I have to vent my frustration, gonna jump into the car right now and do 200km/h on any twisty single carriageway I can find. Hell, I'll switch off the traction control too for a bit of craic

Here I come :mad: :mad:

crazymonkey

Spogpean wrote:

Zilch. Drive by a fair few speed traps on the N4 aswell, I'd say I see 1 poor week.

drive the n4 at 6-7 am, those speed cameras dont seem to work, thank god

ando

Got 2 points a few days into the points system, november 02 I think it was. City centre Dublin, just off Leeson St, gatso

impr0v

Two. I picked them up in Delvin, a small co. Westmeath backwater on the N52. Was on the way to Navan for a meeting and was late, and the road between Delvin and Athboy has only one overtaking opportunity, so when i was behind a mini bus turning onto the road i overtook him straight away, in an extended 30mph zone leading out of the village. As i pulled back in i noticed a garda car in one of the gateways, invisible on approach. I didn't think there was anyway he would have got me because of the small area of road he could view from where he was camped, but i didn't realise that a laser gun doesn't need much.

I watched him pull out behind the bus in my rearview mirror, and drove for 3 miles before he caught up with me, not because i was speeding, but because of the afore-mentioned lack of overtaking opportunities, even with flashing blue beacons. The thought of making for a sideroad and disappearing did occur to me, but i thought i was only in for a talking to. He showed me the gun, on request, with 53mph displayed on it and took my details. The points took from March to September '03 to get confirmed.

Lord Nikon

Eh 2 points, but it wasn't my fault Garda.

wideband

None todate...... hope this post doesn't jinx me

prospect

None for me, but as stated earlier by someone else, the only change to my driving is that i am constantly scanning the horizon for gatso's and squads.
I am pretty good at picking out the gatso vans, and there is frequently one parked on the N7 between the Citywest bridge, and the new Bridge.

Just look for an ominously parked van with no side markings (micks plumbers, etc). Also one back window will be completely blacked out, the othe will be blacked out with a clear 'strip' across the middle, (where the camera peeks out).

On the N7 i have seen a dirty white, a lurid dark green and a rusty red one, all transits with the high 'dome; roofs.

One frien got two points for 40mph in a 30mph zone.
One colleague got done for 50pmh ish, between RCR and Newlands.

bop1977

i got 2pp for speeding 82 in a 50 zone on the N4 just before enfield. got the notice of the points on chrismas eve the b'stards.

edmund_f

any cops on here with points?

the jew

does anyone know how near a gard has to be from your car to pick up your speed? does anyone have one of them radar detector things or anything like that that works for you? saw you can get something that's meant to absorb the ray thats sent at your car so the speed gun shows up that your driving slower than you are, sounds like bs though.

the jew

PhoenixRising wrote:

2 for me. Got done by a GATSO van for 34mph in a 30 Zone.

that's such a load cráp, typical of the gards to check for speeding in a 30 zone, when generally the quickest car is probably only doin about 40, easy way for them to pick up fines. i wonder how many cars caused fatal crashes by doing 34 in a 30 zone??

edmund_f

something like http://www.speedzones.com/

had the 'escort' an excellent peice of kit, totally illegal here so dont use it

jhegarty

a big 0.... but due to a sharp eye not driving slowly.....

PaddyFagan

I have 2, done on the portlaoise by-pass doing 80ish mph in Aug 03, 100% my fault, running late getting to a friends wedding with my girlfriend (now wife) going spare about how late we where running and put the boot down on the motorway. Points didn't show up until March 04. :mad:

My sister-in-law has 6, all speeding - including one where her husband rang her to tell her where the speed trap was (he was a few miles ahead on the road) and she still got done :eek:

Paddy

the jew

edmund_f wrote:

something like http://www.speedzones.com/

had the 'escort' an excellent peice of kit, totally illegal here so dont use it

anyone know if the radar sends out some signal that the gards can pick up on? whats stopping everyone from having one, i mean you can just hide it somewhere in your car if the gards can't detect them (which i'm guessing they can)?

John2002

the jew wrote:

does anyone know how near a gard has to be from your car to pick up your speed?

I believe it's around 300 metres, can't remember where I heard that though.

John.

ambro25

Distance for Gardai to read speed depends if laser- or radar-based.

I believe the hairdryers and Gatsos are radar, so say 300 to 400 meters for those. Readings affected by all sorts (bends, power lines or lots of metallic objects close by, etc.).

Laser - depends on atmospherics but in a straight and level line-of-sight, a good couple of miles, potentially lots more...

EDIT: Oh... and 0 points 'cause my license has got a big 'F' on it and my dad said he didn't know who was driving his car last Xmas in France

babaduck

John2002 wrote:

I believe it's around 300 metres, can't remember where I heard that though.

John.

The garda who stopped me in Baltinglass told me the range is 1/4 of a mile. I was heading northbound out of Baltinglass & he was at the entrance to the Golf Club a good bit up the road. Got those 2 points in May 03

In March I was driving southbound on the Merrion Road on a Sunday morning & a cowboy on a bike was standing behind a tree with a hairdryer laughing his head off as I went past (too late for me to slow right down.. I was doing about 50mph) & scanned his hairdryer across my numberplate

Haven't heard anything since tho'

Bogger77

Big Fat Zero points, not from lack of trying. Everytime I head to Midleton from Birr, I pass at least 2 or 3 checkpoints each way. I do the trip bout once a month. Averaging about 1800miles a month.

edmund_f

the jew wrote:

anyone know if the radar sends out some signal that the gards can pick up on? whats stopping everyone from having one, i mean you can just hide it somewhere in your car if the gards can't detect them (which i'm guessing they can)?

depends if you have a jamme.. sorry 'garage door opener' or not. There have been a few attempts, such as driving behind drivers lighting up the gun and seeing if there is any reaction (will take our cops a while to figure this one out)

another is using micro pulses, i.e. the laser is not on all the time only just short bursts that are designed to be too short for the dector to detect

the main problem is the cost, but having said that, a loss of 10%+ on your insurance cost will encourage a lot of people to buy them (expect to pay 300-500 for a decent one). Nice to know the cops here are 5-10 years behind everyone else so any detection equipment you buy will be ahead of them.

but remember they are illegal - dont use them

Tobias Greeshman

ambro25 wrote:

Laser - depends on atmospherics but in a straight and level line-of-sight, a good couple of miles, potentially lots more...

I was talking to a traffic-core guard before and he was telling me that the laser one that they have can easily work efficently at ranges around 2-3 miles, and have regularly caught people speeding on the road between carlow-kilkenny (very straight road).

As for myself, I haven't got any points yet, but Im sure its only a matter of time really! hard to keep it under 60mph on a good straight.

V1llianous

unkel wrote:

No points yet. The system HAS changed my driving. I do 60km/h now on the N4 outbound between the M50 roundabout and the Texaco petrol station - most of the time it's just me and a few learners doing this kinda speed. My family and friends mock me. I've no proof, but I can just feel it: my car hates me for it

It's quite likely that I'll cause an accident on that stretch soon enough because I'd have fallen asleep / played a game with the baby on the backseat / fiddled with the controls / played a game on my mobile / read the paper / put the cruise control on, climbed out of the moon roof and started polishing the bonnet etc

The gatsos are out there quite a lot. Shooting + fish + barrel. They'll do you for doing 62km/h in a 60km/h 6 lane highway :rolleyes:

Sad, sad system :mad:

My wife got caught there before Christmas - pulled into traffic that was moving swiftly - kept up with it and 3 months later letter in the post 2 points for 51 mph in 40 mph zone - they must have got lots of people that day.

The Clown Man

I got caught doing 70kmph in Wolfe Tone quay which is a 50kmph zone.

However, I won't be getting the points as the gun they caught me with was one of those ones that they weren't giving tickets for and were ruled useless by the High Court!

Having said that, since then I have changed my driving style on 50kmph roads to being much slower. (Even though that place I was caught is a ridiculous place to put a trap or 4 - 5 other people were caught in the time it took the garda to write his info in his little book. :mad: Way to have 4 garda spend their time dealing with criminals :rolleyes:)

Funxy

A nice 0! Although im sure its just luck, its so hard to stick to silly 80kmph on massive roads, thas why ive turned to a speed detector. That being said though i havnt seen any speed traps in soooo long :cool:

Nuttzz

may have two after this morning I was going ~35mph when i noticed the gatso on the 3 lane n7 which has a 50km/h limit, wtf?

talking to a chap who helped implement the points system and says that the links between the court system and the DOE just is not there, what he says is if you go to court and lose and pay the fine but dont give your licence details on the day then they cant do anything as the court matter has been settled (i.e. the fine) and they cant compell you to provide the licence details. Dont know if its true or not but he has no reason to lie to me.

unkel

Nuttzz wrote:

the links between the court system and the DOE just is not there, what he says is if you go to court and lose and pay the fine but dont give your licence details on the day then they cant do anything as the court matter has been settled (i.e. the fine) and they cant compell you to provide the licence details

Very interesting. This suggests there is no link between the driving license database and the vehicle registration database. So I you are caught by a machine, you'll get a fine. I presume that in order to pay the fine you have to give your license details? If you don't pay the fine, you get a court summons. In court if you show up and pay the fine upon being convicted there and then they can't make you provide your license details, so there is no way to get penalty points?

We should get to the bottom of this!

Our man in Havana

Bollocks! Section 22 Road traffic act 2002

22.—(1) A person charged with a penalty point offence or an offence committed after the commencement of this section on conviction of which the court is required to make a consequential disqualification order shall, not later than the day on which the hearing by a court of the proceedings in relation to the charge commences, give or send his or her driving licence to such officer of the Courts Service as may be designated by that Service and an officer of that Service may inspect and make a copy of the licence or of extracts from it and shall then return it to the person.

(2) Subsection (1) does not apply to a person charged with an offence if the person produces, on or after the date of its commission, and before the hearing by a court of the proceedings in relation to the charge, his or her licence to a member of the Garda Síochána who is or was acting in connection with the alleged offence or the court proceedings concerned.

(3) A person who contravenes subsection (1) shall be guilty of an offence.

An officer of the court can demand to see your licence upon conviction.

Nuttzz

thats fair enough, he worked on the technical end rather than the legal end, the officer of the court must have to manually send the details to the DOE rather than automatically applying the points in the court

unkel

Bond-007 wrote:

An officer of the court can demand to see your licence upon conviction.

Thanks for clearing that up

stratos

no points yet but i got gatso,d, going to court next week.
It is an offence not to give your licence to the court officer on or before the day of your hearing.... Section 22 rd traffic act (amended).

stratos

still no points case struck out !

Our man in Havana

stratos wrote:

still no points case struck out !

oh do tell why? No show Garda?

Loco

stratos wrote:

still no points case struck out !

explain!

i got 2 for doing 42 in a 30

i will be getting 2 for a cruel seatbelt fine(i just pulled off, (not even left 1st gear/side of foot path)
got summons for it unless it gets struck out or something?