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Do penalty points work?

davet82

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?

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dmcronin

Does anyone get caught 'speeding' where dumb-ass roadmen leave behind their 60kph signs after them on a finished road?

DarkJager

Orinoco wrote: »

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.

Traffic on a motorway is 120kph. There are seriously dangerous drivers out there who do sub 100. I see them every evening on the M20 here in Limerick. Add to that rush hour traffic, and you get a number of cars travelling at the limit suddenly jamming on the breaks because some dozy prick is crawling along at 80kph. Motorways are there to reduce travel time, hence the speed which vehicles travel on them. They are not for Sunday driver ***** or people who get nervous going to 100kph.

Krispie

PCPhoto wrote: »

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.

Sure that will only cover the additional compensation due to the civil service worker who had to "learn" a new computer programe to implement the charges...... This is the civil service we talk of.......:rolleyes:

I got caught just under 3 years ago. Not since:p. Not holier than thou but has made me take more notice of limits. Add to that older and allegedly wiser:D F*&K the flashing driver. They only make me slow down even more tbh. I never flash oncoming traffic either. fcuking hate that:mad:

Not where did I leave me halo..............

CruelCoin

I'm not sure if i think they are effective, or fair.

Example:

Person a: Drives a new BMW at 20kmph over the limit, is young with fast reflexes.

Person b: Drives a rickety auld corrola at 20kmph under the limit, is old, can barely see over the steering wheel and when in an accident will clamp up, screech, and do nothing to try avoid it.

In my opinion, person a is safer than person b.

Yet the general public lambast person a as a monstrous baby eater, and person b as a paragon of the community.

I would rather a much more qualitative assessment of speed limits. Possibly one which takes age, reflexes, eyesight and vehicle condition into account.

davet82

CruelCoin wrote: »

I'm not sure if i think they are effective, or fair.

Example:

Person a: Drives a new BMW at 20kmph over the limit, is young with fast reflexes.

Person b: Drives a rickety auld corrola at 20kmph under the limit, is old, can barely see over the steering wheel and when in an accident will clamp up, screech, and do nothing to try avoid it.

In my opinion, person a is safer than person b.

Yet the general public lambast person a as a monstrous baby eater, and person b as a paragon of the community.

I would rather a much more qualitative assessment of speed limits. Possibly one which takes age, reflexes, eyesight and vehicle condition into account.

do you want a can opener for them worms?

Shenshen

I think that speed limits on many roads in Ireland are simply based on a dare, nothing else.
"Sure, go 100 if you think you'll survive it"

On the other hand, there are a lot of places with speed limits that are just impossible, such as 25km/h or even 15 km/h. I've yet to see a speedometer that will even register such speeds.
And observance of limits isn't helped by temporary signs (put up during road works) being left stuck at the side of the road till they rot away.

That said, many if not most limits are sensible, so I stick to them.

Anyone who feels they need to go over 120 km/h should probably get in contact with RyanAir and get off the road.

corkcity

having those points for 3 years really sucks .got points in 2008 myself and i made sure i kept to the speed limits from then on ,i do agree its hard to do with other driver practically scrapping the paint off the ass of your car trying to get passed you.when im all i care about is whats in front and to the sides of me ,f**k whos behind you

[Deleted User]

Shenshen wrote: »

Anyone who feels they need to go over 120 km/h should probably get in contact with RyanAir and get off the road.

nothing wrong with 140 on a wide straight motorway
it's not exactly some insane speed

COYW

Deleted User wrote: »

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.

This is pure crazy. If you have to brake suddenly, they haven't got a chance in hell of avoiding smashing into the back of you. The impact at 100+kph would be horrific. Learner or nervous drivers on the motor doing 70-80kph is madness too. I tend to cross them now and again on the M4. Scares the bloody life out of me at times, particularly when they are masked by a car in front of you.

Roundabouts, use of indicators and road position are 3 other areas that are extremely poor in my experience.

On penalty points, I have none thankfully and I always try my best to observe the limits. Naturally, there are times when I might exceed it by 5 kph, by accident or so but I think we are all guilty of that. No amount of pressure from other drivers would force me to speed.

jack presley

I don't agree with having minimum speeds on motorways. Obviously if there's a tool doing 50 on a clear day he needs a slap around the head but if you set a minimum speed at 80 or 100, what happens when the motorway is crowded and it's pissing rain? Regardless of speed limits you're supposed to drive based on the conditions and in bad weather what happens if you have to brake and go under the minimum speed to avoid something in the lane ahead of you?

Shenshen

bluewolf wrote: »

nothing wrong with 140 on a wide straight motorway
it's not exactly some insane speed

As a German, I have to disagree.
It is insane considering what and who drives on motorways in Ireland...

It's not a problem on a fairly empty road, but the behaviour I've seen since coming over here has me convinced that it's just not a good idea here.
I've seen people plodding along in the right-hand lane at 80... what would you do if you came up to one of those too fast?
I've seen tractors on motorways.
I've seen people driving off onto the slip road, then changing their mind and reversing back on to the motorway.

To tell you the truth, driving at 120 km/h here is far more nerve-wracking than driving at 160 km/h in Germany. And anybody who thinks he/she can safely do so is deluding themselves.

CruelCoin

davet82 wrote: »

do you want a can opener for them worms?

Have you got one?

Gee thanks mister!

[Deleted User]

Shenshen wrote: »

As a German, I have to disagree.
It is insane considering what and who drives on motorways in Ireland...

It's not a problem on a fairly empty road, but the behaviour I've seen since coming over here has me convinced that it's just not a good idea here.
I've seen people plodding along in the right-hand lane at 80... what would you do if you came up to one of those too fast?
I've seen tractors on motorways.
I've seen people driving off onto the slip road, then changing their mind and reversing back on to the motorway.

To tell you the truth, driving at 120 km/h here is far more nerve-wracking than driving at 160 km/h in Germany. And anybody who thinks he/she can safely do so is deluding themselves.

The people doing 80 don't appear out of nowhere - you'll see them from well behind and adjust speed/move lane accordingly
just as you'll note that oh, there's a giant truck up ahead and cars stuck behind, they'll want to pull into my lane, i'll keep an eye on them too

lane discipline and general behaviour here is bad, but on the section of m4 i tend to drive, they get out of the way if they see you coming
never seen any reversing or tractors or whathaveyou

the worst i've ever had was when doing 120 and everyone ahead jammed on their brakes... not to slow down, right to a stop. and i had some moron crawling up my backside so i couldn't brake as hard without causing a pile up :rolleyes:
happily i had enough safety distance to tap then jam on
and why did they all stop?
to gawk at a feckin accident and ambulances on the other side of the motorway :rolleyes:

CruelCoin

Deleted User wrote: »

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.

And I take it you're the kind of ****wit who will "overtake" someone at 120kmph who is also traveling at 120kmph.

5 minute "overtaking" maneuver later, followed by the obligatory half-mile gap before you pull back in.....

Shenshen

bluewolf wrote: »

The people doing 80 don't appear out of nowhere - you'll see them from well behind and adjust speed/move lane accordingly
just as you'll note that oh, there's a giant truck up ahead and cars stuck behind, they'll want to pull into my lane, i'll keep an eye on them too

lane discipline and general behaviour here is bad, but on the section of m4 i tend to drive, they get out of the way if they see you coming
never seen any reversing or tractors or whathaveyou

On the N25, they're not always visible. There are some bends that will leave you guessing until you're near enough on top of them.

I was a big advocate of having motorways without speed limit... until I moved to Ireland. Sorry.

[Deleted User]

Shenshen wrote: »

On the N25, they're not always visible. There are some bends that will leave you guessing until you're near enough on top of them.

I was a big advocate of having motorways without speed limit... until I moved to Ireland. Sorry.

fair enough, i just haven't seen the bad ones so

Shenshen

bluewolf wrote: »

fair enough, i just haven't seen the bad ones so

I have to say though that I don't really think speed limits or points work all that well here, either, for that matter.
I think they would if the enforcement was actually there. A few cameras here and there is not going to teach people very much, it's not much of a threat.
You'd need dedicated traffic police, and a good few more of them than there are now.
Germans behave primarily because there is no telling if the car behind you is a civil police car with dashboard-mounted speed camera.. they know they can get caught at any moment. And if they do, they might be forced to pay a lot more than €80. 3 points automatically mean handing over your license for a month...

ScumLord

Shenshen wrote: »

I think that speed limits on many roads in Ireland are simply based on a dare, nothing else.
"Sure, go 100 if you think you'll survive it"

There's no problem doing 100klm on the majority of Irish roads, that's why I want to see proper education brought in so it'll put a stop to the nervous nellies doing 70klm for no other reason other than they don't know how to drive any faster. It's not that they're observing speed limits either because they'll continue to do 70klm right through a town. They're driving for their own comfort level and not driving as they should be.

Anyone who feels they need to go over 120 km/h should probably get in contact with RyanAir and get off the road.

This isn't the 1950s modern cars have no problem doing that speed and more.

Shenshen

ScumLord wrote: »

There's no problem doing 100klm on the majority of Irish roads, that's why I want to see proper education brought in so it'll put a stop to the nervous nellies doing 70klm for no other reason other than they don't know how to drive any faster. It's not that they're observing speed limits either because they'll continue to do 70klm right through a town. They're driving for their own comfort level and not driving as they should be.

This isn't the 1950s modern cars have no problem doing that speed and more.

I have to ask, have you ever been to Cork or Kerry?
Or are you assuming that Dublin = all of Ireland?

Kev_2012

Try the Condell Road in Limerick. 50Kph on quite a good road. Should be 80Kph.

Something tells me it is this way because the alternative to this road is the Limerick Tunnel which is tolled. :rolleyes:

Also, I rarely speed, but having speed vans/cameras all over the place will cause accidents by people slamming the brakes when they see them. Used to happen on the M50 northbound camera the whole time when heading home to limerick on a friday evening.

Ray Palmer

I say the work as people who get them suddenly behave for a while.
I doubt it actually generates money enough for the cost of the system. I know in the UK it doesn't make money and they have a better economy of scale.
It is really simple people who speed and caught on main roads will do so elsewhere. Just easier to catch at certain points. People speed all the time. It amazes me the way people speed in housing estates in the morning where there is a lot of obstacles and unknowns

cocoshovel

davet82 wrote: »

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??

Jesus what crappy part of the country do you live in where everyone is so angry all the time? Ive never seen or heard this happen and I usually stick to the speed limit. Secondly, why would you let that bother you. Thats their own problem if they want to throw a tantrum at you for doing that speed. Heck, Id slow down even more if someone did that to me followed by a swift nonchalant middle finger tossed behind my back.

Unless of course, you're going ridiculously slower than the limit

seamus

Shenshen wrote: »

I have to ask, have you ever been to Cork or Kerry?
Or are you assuming that Dublin = all of Ireland?

Actually of all places, the M50 is probably the one road where traffic volumes make anything above 120km/h a bit unrealistic.

Massive sections of the M7, 8 & 9 can easily handle traffic at upwards of 140km/h.

Shenshen

seamus wrote: »

Actually of all places, the M50 is probably the one road where traffic volumes make anything above 120km/h a bit unrealistic.

Massive sections of the M7, 8 & 9 can easily handle traffic at upwards of 140km/h.

So are we talking about motorways, or general roads?

Tolled motorways I would agree with you, nobody uses them so speed limits are a little redundant.
Regular roads however are a different kettle of fish... most of them tend to be windy, hedges on either side limiting visibility, and only some of them will be wide enough to easily accomodate two cars passing each other safely at any speed.
Add to that agricultual traffic, cyclists and pedestrians, and I would be very worried indeed going down any of them at 100 km/h.

ScumLord

Shenshen wrote: »

I have to ask, have you ever been to Cork or Kerry?
Or are you assuming that Dublin = all of Ireland?

I'm from the west of Ireland, I've been all over this country and I stand by what I said. There's plenty of people who have no clue how wide or long their car is and stop dead on roads even though they have a couple of feet either side of them, there's people who break for the slightest of corners or worse yet in the middle of a corner, if it wasn't for ABS more people would be in ditches because they have no understanding of how to break for a corner.

GavRedKing

I picked up 2 points a 2 years ago for answering my mobile while stuck in traffic, there was an unmarked Garda car that pulled up next to me at the lights, fined and penalty points.

I make sure I dont txt or answer calls now until I've reached my destination so lesson learned the hard way.

boredatwork82

When I reached 6 points, I decided to cop on and drive slowly, as I would not be able to afford any increase on my insurance. As a result I will drive carefully and obey all the rules of the road whilst I have my 6 penalty points.
When they are cleared I will probably drive recklessly until I get up to 6 again.
Some of the speed limits in this country are ridiculous.

davet82

:pac:

cocoshovel wrote: »

Jesus what crappy part of the country do you live in where everyone is so angry all the time? Ive never seen or heard this happen and I usually stick to the speed limit. Secondly, why would you let that bother you. Thats their own problem if they want to throw a tantrum at you for doing that speed. Heck, Id slow down even more if someone did that to me followed by a swift nonchalant middle finger tossed behind my back.

Unless of course, you're going ridiculously slower than the limit

Dublin is an angry place, what can i say...

trying to keep it under 5km of what the speed limit is

i'm not exagerating about the amount of people pissed off, it gets to you after awhile especially when you have some granny in a nissan micra over take you waving her fist out the window :pac:

DarkJager

gavredking wrote: »

I picked up 2 points a 2 years ago for answering my mobile while stuck in traffic, there was an unmarked Garda car that pulled up next to me at the lights, fined and penalty points.

I make sure I dont txt or answer calls now until I've reached my destination so lesson learned the hard way.

What a load of bollix. Fair enough about using a phone while the car is in motion, but getting fined for answering a call while stopped at lights? That's bull****. Let's not even get in to those hypocrites using their own mobiles while driving, but I suppose those lights on the roof make them exempt from the law.

davet82

gavredking wrote: »

I picked up 2 points a 2 years ago for answering my mobile while stuck in traffic, there was an unmarked Garda car that pulled up next to me at the lights, fined and penalty points.

I make sure I dont txt or answer calls now until I've reached my destination so lesson learned the hard way.

harsh particularly if the handbrake was on and you were not in gear but i guess sometimes the points do work if you have learned a lesson... idk