Gardai operating 'gotcha' speed traps.

Iwannahurl · 07-08-2013 07:20PM

Aineoil wrote: »

General driving chat when I am not driving goes like this (to poor husband).....

Slow down
You're going to fast
...

Feeling groovy?

freshpopcorn · 07-08-2013 07:20PM

Obey the speed limit op and you won't get caught plain and simple!

Aineoil · 07-08-2013 07:24PM

Nemeses wrote: »

Ok Hyacinth..... You also forgot Mind the cows dear...

Only if you accept my terms of shoving a sock in your mouth during my erm, Driving experience

I don't mind cows.......oops I do actually. They can turn on you....not me...it's the cows that can turn on you.

A sock in the mouth.....never tried that before. But for sure I'd try anything once. Maybe.

wil · 07-08-2013 07:24PM

Iwannahurl wrote: »

So you don't know what speed you were driving at, but you do know that the unknown speed was safe?

Any experienced safe driver will have a better idea of what a safe speed is than an arbitrary sign that doesn't know if traffic is heavy/light, if it is raining, dark, snowing.
Remember those signs were put up by the same people who may/may not even have a driving licence and know rules of the road as well/badly as the next person.

Staring at your speedometer is for those with a death wish.

The safest speed for a car is stopped, but stopped on a motorway or hard shoulder is far more dangerous to life than doing 10kph above the limit.

Catching people for "speeding" because they are slightly over an arbitrary limit on a 2 or 3 lane carriageway without any other regard for road/traffic conditions is primarily a tax and little to do with safety.
If they were weaving or driving poorly or erratically, tailgating, dangerously overtaking, then throw the book at them. But no, that doesn't happen.:(

Aineoil · 07-08-2013 07:25PM

Iwannahurl wrote: »

Feeling groovy?

This is not a drive by, I assure you:D

Jimoslimos · 07-08-2013 07:26PM

Roger_007 wrote: »

I was leaving Dublin airport today driving on the link road from the roundabout on the old N1 towards the roundabout on the M1. I noticed the Gardaí had set up a speed check near the latter roundabout. I am not sure what speed I was driving at but it was not very fast. I don't know if I will get a ticket for this but if I do, there should be dozens of others because everyone seemed to be driving at the same speed as me, i.e. a safe speed.
I mentioned this incident to a friend and he told me that there is a speed trap there every other day. If this is true, then I would consider this to be a very cynical exercise on the part of the Gardaí. They are supposed to concentrate their resources on known black spots. I don't think this road would be an accident black spot.
Have the Gardaí gone back to 'shooting fish in a barrel' again? It is difficult to have respect for them when they operate a 'gotcha' policy.

The_Valeyard wrote: »

Yeah I know exactly what your on about, they operate on both sides of the road there, just where there is a sudden speed limit change.

Money making racket, plain and simple.

Yeah I know the spot, drivers from the airport and N1 are busy trying to cross each other to get in lane for North/Southbound M1 (without having to monitor speed as well). Absolute stupid place to have speedtraps.

Nemeses · 07-08-2013 07:26PM

Aineoil wrote: »

I don't mind cows.......oops I do actually. They can turn on you....not me...it's the cows that can turn on you.

A sock in the mouth.....never tried that before. But for sure I'd try anything once. Maybe.

Deal done then so.

I charge X amount of cents for mileage and an extra levy for the privilege

When do I start?

Banjo String · 07-08-2013 07:27PM

Iwannahurl wrote: »

Will they get a clap on the back from the Troika for raising €25,680 on National Slow Down Day this year?*

At that rate "our lads" will have the national debt paid off in 20,483 years. Way to go guys!

*Assuming that a speeding fine is €80. And stays at that level for 20,483 years, now that I think of it...

Green diesel and welfare fraud too.

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/chasing-the-cheats-my-day-with-the-welfare-fraud-police-29211815.html

Jester252 · 07-08-2013 07:28PM

Man up
You where not driving at a "safe" speed for two reason
1. You didn't know your speed
2. You don't seem to know the speed limit on that road
You can't pass the theory test by saying you don't know the answers but you know they where right. So how can be a safe driver if you don't know what speed you where at? If you get a ticket you deserved it. There is more to driving than just watching the road ahead.

Henlars67 · 07-08-2013 07:29PM

The most effective speed trap/camera is one which doesn't catch anybody

Mattyy · 07-08-2013 07:30PM

Just wondering what type of speed traps do they have

1. Mobile safety camera (automatic fine)

2. Laser/radar
(pulled over by them and fined)

3. Fixed location safety camera
(Automatic fine)

4. Traffic car
(must pull you over to issue fine)

Someone told me that a traffic car
Parked on the side of the road can
Issue you a fixed fine and penalty like the gatso van ... The info on various
Sites says they must pull you

Any views on this ?

Iwannahurl · 07-08-2013 07:30PM

Roger_007 wrote: »

I challenge the notion that when driving you always know exactly what your speed is. You can drive perfectly safely without constantly looking at your speedo. In fact anyone who is constantly looking at their speedo is a danger on the road. It means they are not watching the road.

wil wrote: »

Staring at your speedometer is for those with a death wish.

I love this one. It keeps showing up on Boards like a bad penny, and it might help to explain why speeding is so common.

Firstly, the words "exactly", "constantly" and "staring" are red herrings.

Secondly, speed is the main source of risk.

On a 50 km/h road, which type of behaviour do you think poses the bigger risk in relative terms: (a) driving at 50 km/h or slower and occasionally checking the speedometer; (b) driving at, say, 65 km/h or faster and not checking the speedometer?

And which type of driver should be prosecuted?

Aineoil · 07-08-2013 07:33PM

wil wrote: »

Staring at your speedometer is for those with a death wish.

(

My posts here have been in jest, some of them anyway.
Being serious I agree with you. Most people know when they are driving at a safe limit. Most drivers aren't fixated on the speedometer because they are looking at the road and anticipating various senarios - some mad driver on your tail, the slow tractors, someone overtaking coming towards you, etc

irish bloke · 07-08-2013 07:35PM

Lux23 wrote: »

I find it worrying that the OP freely admits that they weren't aware of what speed they were driving at. Surely, while in charge of a vehicle you should be aware of how fast it's going. This is why Garda checkpoints are vital, if people aren't able to keep an eye on his fast they are driving in what can be a deadly piece of equipment.

Great to see so many perfect people out there

Roger_007 · 07-08-2013 07:37PM

Jester252 wrote: »

Man up
You where not driving at a "safe" speed for two reason
1. You didn't know your speed
2. You don't seem to know the speed limit on that road
..............

How can you possible know that I was not driving at a safe speed. You do not have to know exactly what your speed is to know that you are driving safely and carefully.

Aineoil · 07-08-2013 07:39PM

Nemeses wrote: »

Deal done then so.

I charge X amount of cents for mileage and an extra levy for the privilege

When do I start?

Something got lost in translation here, I charge you for my wealth of driving experience.

And as a co-driver, I will be in a position to remind you of the aforesaid cows and pedestrians.
Now, wait, I never mentioned the cyclists....

I can't believe I forgot cyclists

endacl · 07-08-2013 07:39PM

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

Wait until they use the existing M50 cameras as average speed cameras

Or hook up the toll cameras to motortax.ie / insurance

It'll never happen, on a serious note. That'd be joined up thinking. We don't do that here...

Iwannahurl · 07-08-2013 07:39PM

Roger_007 wrote: »

How can you possible know that I was not driving at a safe speed. You do not have to know exactly what your speed is to know that you are driving safely and carefully.

By your own admission you don't know what speed you were driving at.

How can you know that your unknown speed was a "safe" speed?

Aineoil · 07-08-2013 07:41PM

irish bloke wrote: »

Great to see so many perfect people out there

I know! I had the very same problem. I used to be conceited. But you know now I am perfect.

HurtLocker · 07-08-2013 07:42PM

freshpopcorn wrote: »

Obey the speed limit op and you won't get caught plain and simple!

Ah come on now. Last week you were telling a 16 year old how to get away with damaging a car and now your touting the RSA line on speeding. Motor heads must love you

Jester252 · 07-08-2013 07:43PM

Roger_007 wrote: »

How can you possible know that I was not driving at a safe speed. You do not have to know exactly what your speed is to know that you are driving safely and carefully.

You where not driving at a safe speed because you don't know what speed you where driving at. You claim that you where going at a safe speed but how do you know it was safe seen as you don't know the speed?
Like I said did you pass your theory test by claiming that you didn't know the answer but knew it was right?

Roger_007 · 07-08-2013 07:46PM

Iwannahurl wrote: »

By your own admission you don't know what speed you were driving at.

How can you know that your unknown speed was a "safe" speed?

Many years of accident-free, (not even a prang), driving experience. To follow your logic, if your speedometer stopped working for some reason, you would have to stop and abandon your car because you could not drive safely without it. Your point is getting a bit silly here.

Aineoil · 07-08-2013 07:46PM

Who came up with the speed limits?

There's method in my madness here.

wil · 07-08-2013 07:47PM

Iwannahurl wrote: »

I love this one. It keeps showing up on Boards like a bad penny, and it might help to explain why speeding is so common.

Firstly, the words "exactly", "constantly" and "staring" are red herrings.

Secondly, speed is the main source of risk.

On a 50 km/h road, which type of behaviour do you think poses the bigger risk in relative terms: (a) driving at 50 km/h or slower and occasionally checking the speedometer; (b) driving at, say, 65 km/h or faster and not checking the speedometer?

And which type of driver should be prosecuted?

Good intentions but a little misguided and misinformed. At 50kph, which would mostly be in streets/built, you should be keeping your eyes on the road to watch out for kids, bikes, cars, busses, pedestrian crossings, signs etc. etc. That moment you choose to check your speedo could be far more costly than €80. Estimated cost to put it in such horrific terms, to the state of a life is between one and 2 million euro.

And to continue the stark reality, speed cited as the cause of accidents resulting in death is between 10 and 20% over the last few decades, whereas being on the wrong side of the road is between 40 and 50%
Drink accounts for a good portion of the remaining.

Being on the wrong side of the road is a behaviour I see every day and endemic in Irish driving, so no surprise in the real statistics.

Turtwig · 07-08-2013 07:49PM

I never quite understand this whole idea of hidden speed traps. Great, you've caught the person for speeding but usually a lot of drivers never ever see the speed trap to begin with. A more effective way to slow people down would be to have the speed check highly visible. Yeah, you'd probably catch a lot less people because they'd be tipped off but you'd slow them down - not have them speeding, possibly dangerously, then catch them and drop them a fine.

I think it'd be worth our while implicating the Russian Inflatable tank manouevre. Place several inflatable speed camera vans on each road in the country. People wouldn't really be able to tell which is the real van and so they'd have a very strong compulsion to slow down. No guarantee that they would as the thing about folks who break the laws is that they don't anticipate they'll ever get caught.

I'm all for improving road safety but the way road deaths from year to year are used and compared to say to speed traps and the like are working is farcical. One year? There's tonnes of other reasons why deaths on the road may vary.

_Kaiser_ · 07-08-2013 07:49PM

This obsession with numbers on a speedo (which over-reads by as much as 10% anyway) is exactly what it wrong with Irish motorists really.

It's the same type that dawdle along on the N/M roads holding up a line of traffic because "it's a limit, not a target"

Like poor persecuted Mr 007 here I too don't worry too much about the speed limits. Most of them are nonsensical anyway and completely inappropriate for the stretch of roads they apply too (eg; country laneways with 80 km/h limits)

That's not to say that I tear around the place everywhere at 150 km/h, but I pay far more attention to things like...

- How busy the road is (other cars, cyclists, pedestrians)
- Where I am (in town, passing a school)
- Time of day/visibility (is it raining, dark, dusk or otherwise hard to see)
- Road surface/condition (is it pot-holed, temporary surfaced, slick from the rain showers)

All of these mean I'll be generally under the posted limit regardless of what it says I can do!

But equally.. if I'm on one of our new-ish and deserted motorways (M3, M7 after Kildare etc) I will have no problem doing the limit either

I also check my mirrors constantly, look before I change lanes, have my dip lights/DRLs on regardless and know how to indicate and use roundabouts!

I'm not saying I'm the perfect driver either though, but awareness and cop-on is far more important as a driver than a blind obedience of "the rules" IMO

Aineoil · 07-08-2013 07:51PM

Roger_007 wrote: »

Many years of accident-free, (not even a prang), driving experience. To follow your logic, if your speedometer stopped working for some reason, you would have to stop and abandon your car because you could not drive safely without it. Your point is getting a bit silly here.

Actually that's a great point. I have been driving for a long time - over two decades. Husband says I drive badly, but I have never had an accident. Maybe others drive better than me, thus no accident.

Aineoil · 07-08-2013 07:54PM

wil wrote: »

Being on the wrong side of the road is a behaviour I see every day and endemic in Irish driving, so no surprise in the real statistics.

Yep, I see that too and the failure to understand how roundabouts work. It's not rocket science.

Roger_007 · 07-08-2013 07:55PM

Jester252 wrote: »

You where not driving at a safe speed because you don't know what speed you where driving at. You claim that you where going at a safe speed but how do you know it was safe seen as you don't know the speed?
Like I said did you pass your theory test by claiming that you didn't know the answer but knew it was right?

I don't know if you are a driver or not, but if you are and you cannot drive safely without looking at your speedometer all the time, then you should not be on the road. Good driving is about good judgement and awareness of what's going on around you.

HurtLocker · 07-08-2013 07:58PM

Surprise surprise the usual high horses are arriving.

Gardai operating 'gotcha' speed traps.

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