Do penalty points work?

davet82 · 06-06-2012 12:33PM #1

I got my first 2 points in the door (driving 12 years) and an 80 euro fine for going 57km in a 50km zone (4mph over the limit) at 2 o'clock in the morning.

I think its really hard to keep the speed limit, i tried after i got the points but all i got was abuse, beeps, flashing lights and being overtaken by other drivers and even pulled in by the guards who thought i may have been drunk/or something wrong as he put it cause i was going so slow??

Now I find myself slowing down anytime i see a white van parked at the side of the road but putting the boot down as usual.

Do the points work? Do you find yourself constantly watching your speed and speed signs (if you are lucky to see one btw) for the fear of being caught? Do you vigoursly keep the speed limits on the various roads?

andrewg82 · 06-06-2012 12:36PM

surely watching your speed and road signs is a good thing? though 80 euro for doing 57km in a 50km zone is fairly harsh. not really speeding!

FatherLen · 06-06-2012 12:36PM

the idea behind the points certainly is a good one.
like communism.

My name is URL · 06-06-2012 12:37PM

Think I might have been caught speeding myself the other day. I was doing about the same speed as yourself in a 50 zone. The van was parked outside of a Garda station though so I'm hoping they weren't actually operating the speed cameras at the time. I agree with you, it can be very hard to stick to the speed limit on some roads, especially when those behind you are speeding too.

Sykk · 06-06-2012 12:37PM

50km doesn't mean "Something around 50km and sher a few k over will be grand".

Yes they do work.

Kolido · 06-06-2012 12:37PM

Speed limits are one of the few laws I agree with. Obey them.

DarkJager · 06-06-2012 12:37PM

If there's one thing we badly need, it's a full review of speed limits across the island. There are some ridiculous roads that are way slower than they should be, and others like country roads that are too fast. Motorways as well should be 140-160kph, with a minimum speed of 110kph enforced on them. Too many slow ***** nearly causing pile ups by crawling along the motorways.

Micky Dolenz · 06-06-2012 12:38PM

Speed kills, so too does coke.

drunkmonkey · 06-06-2012 12:39PM

They've made a few guys driving behind me **** themselves when I leave rubber on the road, besides that they've achieved nothing, quality of driving is abysmal on the road especially the slow drivers in the outside lane of the motorway. Should be shot the lot of them.

06-06-2012 12:40PM

i generally obey the 50 ones
i generally obey the ones where people keep saying there's guards around - usually the 80 ones
m4 never seen them so don't mind breaking the limit there
definitely don't obey that ridiculous 30 one on the round turnoff onto the m50

some of them need to be revised though, seriously

Jester252 · 06-06-2012 12:41PM

I normal stuck within +/- 5% of the speed limit.

summerskin · 06-06-2012 12:43PM

UK license FTW

hondasam · 06-06-2012 12:57PM

That's harsh OP, though they were set a bit higher than 7km over.
I got done speeding twice in the one day recently.

Nothingbetter2d · 06-06-2012 12:59PM

davet82 wrote: »

I got my first 2 points in the door (driving 12 years) and an 80 euro fine for going 57km in a 50km zone (4mph over the limit) at 2 o'clock in the morning.

I think its really hard to keep the speed limit, i tried after i got the points but all i got was abuse, beeps, flashing lights and being overtaken by other drivers and even pulled in by the guards who thought i may have been drunk/or something wrong as he put it cause i was going so slow??

Now I find myself slowing down anytime i see a white van parked at the side of the road but putting the boot down as usual.

Do the points work? Do you find yourself constantly watching your speed and speed signs (if you are lucky to see one btw) for the fear of being caught? Do you vigoursly keep the speed limits on the various roads?

its nothing more than a money making scam.... they dont make people drive slower in general. and some roads have silly speed restrictions that are not necessary.

davet82 · 06-06-2012 01:10PM

hondasam wrote: »

I got done speeding twice in the one day recently.

ouch!

A lady i work with got done 3 days on the trot going to work, luckily she got the first fine in the post on day 4 going to work, she didnt know it was a 30 zone because there were no signs (cannot verify just her word for it). 6 points, 240 euro in fines and a higher premium on her insurance

PogMoThoin · 06-06-2012 01:11PM

Sykk wrote: »

50km doesn't mean "Something around 50km and sher a few k over will be grand".

Yes they do work.

Do work as in make dangerous roads safer, or do work as in generate some income? Some of the places these cameras operate is ridiculous. Shooting fish in a barrel doesn't make the roads any safer

davet82 · 06-06-2012 01:14PM

hondasam wrote: »

That's harsh OP, though they were set a bit higher than 7km over.

a guy my mother was talking to in the post office paying his fine said he was 5km over the limit for the one he was paying but like that you can only take somebodies word for it.

just hit the brakes hard when ya see a trap!

hondasam · 06-06-2012 01:20PM

davet82 wrote: »

a guy my mother was talking to in the post office paying his fine said he was 5km over the limit for the one he was paying but like that you can only take somebodies word for it.

just hit the brakes hard when ya see a trap!

I was not caught by the go safe van.

I know where they are located, just put the car on cruise control until you pass the signs. You have to be really near them to get caught.

stovelid · 06-06-2012 01:21PM

Driving at twice the speed limit blah blah stupid system blah blah driver skill blah blah poxy car with tractor exhaust blah blah

06-06-2012 01:21PM

They make some drivers think, who don't normally.
So yes they work in so many ways.
But certain roads and speed limits you can just tell are PURELY for income generation.

ScumLord · 06-06-2012 01:24PM

It doesn't really matter what the speed limit is the guards don't really enforce them. What Ireland really needs is a proper driving education something along the lines of Sweden's. Everything else is just a band aid.

christmas2012 · 06-06-2012 01:28PM

they should fix uneven road surfaces imagine some tool hitting that at 100 mph or even 60 mph as i have often seen and almost recoil at seeing that,as it is the one thing that can make a car somersault on a dual carrageway..

even out the roads,if they want to make roads safer make them more even for a start.all this talk of getting tough on drivers doesnt work,its not enforced properly,anytime you see a garda check point you can do a u turn no questions asked.and the speed traps?hardly traps you can see them a mile off with their lumionous jackets,and they always pick the same spot,i find it very static by nature,if they on the other hand were driving around actively seeing drivers create problems for other road users,then it would be different.

PCPhoto · 06-06-2012 01:32PM

ScumLord wrote: »

It doesn't really matter what the speed limit is the guards don't really enforce them. What Ireland really needs is a proper driving education something along the lines of Sweden's. Everything else is just a band aid.

totally agree ... and proper enforcement of the laws ... not this sh1te ... lets go out and get a bunch of overtime because its a bank holiday and say we're cracking down on speed and other related driving offences.

if the gardai/minister were really interested in saving lives they would make the roads safer and forget about the cost .... and if they were really interested in a revenue exercise - why not get gardai out constantly on the roads - every day people go through red/amber lights, or take an illegal right/left turn...or the illegal U-Turn......not to mention the mobile phone users.

put another 20,000 gardai on the streets and enforce the laws that are there - not on a part-time basis 24/7 ...365 days a year....the income from the fines would easily pay for the costs involved and within 5yrs drivers attitudes would be changed and the numbers enforcing the traffic laws could be reduced

PCPhoto · 06-06-2012 01:34PM

christmas2012 wrote: »

they should fix uneven road surfaces imagine some tool hitting that at 100 mph or even 60 mph as i have often seen and almost recoil at seeing that,as it is the one thing that can make a car somersault on a dual carrageway..

even out the roads,if they want to make roads safer make them more even for a start.all this talk of getting tough on drivers doesnt work,its not enforced properly,anytime you see a garda check point you can do a u turn no questions asked.and the speed traps?hardly traps you can see them a mile off with their lumionous jackets,and they always pick the same spot,i find it very static by nature,if they on the other hand were driving around actively seeing drivers create problems for other road users,then it would be different.

they have to be visible so they can say its not a revenue exercise !!

Micky Dolenz · 06-06-2012 01:35PM

They should ban cars.

06-06-2012 01:38PM

DarkJager wrote: »

If there's one thing we badly need, it's a full review of speed limits across the island. There are some ridiculous roads that are way slower than they should be, and others like country roads that are too fast. Motorways as well should be 140-160kph, with a minimum speed of 110kph enforced on them. Too many slow ***** nearly causing pile ups by crawling along the motorways.

Yeah, that's right, it's careful drivers doing 110 on the motorway (only 10kph below the limit) who cause accidents.

What is ISN'T is tail-gating morons in Range Rovers who seem to believe they have a right to drive as fast as they like and intimidate anyone they like out of the way.

I drive on the motorways a lot and whilst it's a bit annoying to come across someone driving in the wrong lane, they don't kill anyone.

It's a lot more annoying to have some f**kwit driving 2 foot behind me at 120kph flashing his lights because I am over-taking at the speed limit. And I'm guessing those drivers cause a lot more accidents.

hondasam · 06-06-2012 01:39PM

PCPhoto wrote: »

totally agree ... and proper enforcement of the laws ... not this sh1te ... lets go out and get a bunch of overtime because its a bank holiday and say we're cracking down on speed and other related driving offences.

if the gardai/minister were really interested in saving lives they would make the roads safer and forget about the cost .... and if they were really interested in a revenue exercise - why not get gardai out constantly on the roads - every day people go through red/amber lights, or take an illegal right/left turn...or the illegal U-Turn......not to mention the mobile phone users.

put another 20,000 gardai on the streets and enforce the laws that are there - not on a part-time basis 24/7 ...365 days a year....the income from the fines would easily pay for the costs involved and within 5yrs drivers attitudes would be changed and the numbers enforcing the traffic laws could be reduced

Who is going to pay for all the extra guards. There is enough penalty points as it is we don't need any more.

starbelgrade · 06-06-2012 01:42PM

Speed limits, me hole.

PCPhoto · 06-06-2012 01:42PM

@Hondasam I dare say if they do their job and enforce the laws they would pay for themselves - simple maths:

driving in bus lane (80euro fine) - catch approx 10 per hour thats €800 per hour ... take out approx costs involved in processing and I doubt very much that you would loose money.

EDIT: if I had my way each vehicle would have to have a tachograph fitted ...this is taken in the event of an accident and actual speeds at time of crash will be known - it would also prove/disprove speed cameras with actual speeds done at date/time of alleged offence.

seamus · 06-06-2012 01:44PM

DarkJager wrote: »

Motorways as well should be 140-160kph, with a minimum speed of 110kph enforced on them. Too many slow ***** nearly causing pile ups by crawling along the motorways.

Minimum of 110 is probably a bit much, 80km/h would be more reasonable.

I did a lot of Autobahn driving last weekend and it was bliss. Averaged about 140km/h. There were two things which made it work:

- People generally obeyed the lanes. The right lane was for driving normally, the center and outside lanes were for overtaking.

- People generally drove fast anyway. As I say, I was doing 140km/h, but I wasn't blasting by anybody. I was only doing 20km/h more than those in the right-hand lane. I didn't once encounter anyone pootling along at 60km/h or even 80km/h in any lane. Trucks were probably the worst offenders, overtaking eachother at barely 100-odd km/h, but I had the pleasure of doing a return journey on a Sunday where there were no trucks.

And no, the Autobahn isn't significantly better surfaced or laid out. Plenty of times it changed from 3 lanes to 2 and back again, plenty of bumpy slippery bits and twists and turns. It just works because people follow common sense.

hondasam · 06-06-2012 01:45PM

PCPhoto wrote: »

I dare say if they do their job and enforce the laws they would pay for themselves - simple maths:

driving in bus lane (80euro fine) - catch approx 10 per hour thats €800 per hour ... take out approx costs involved in processing and I doubt very much that you would loose money.

You think people join the guards to collect revenue.
Great on the way to work everyday lets see how we can screw people for more revenue. Thankfully most of them don't think like you.

Edit, Do you obey every rule of the road at all times?

Do penalty points work?

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