Who s behind the Gardai road checks?

opinionated3 · 08-01-2019 4:23pm

Captain Obvious wrote: »

Translation : Failed the aptitude test or, more likely, the interview.

Sorry to disappoint but I never applied. The way it looks at the moment new recruits spend a lot of time as part of traffic policing i.e revenue collection. I would be more interested in taking down local druggies and those who insist on anti social behaviour. You know, actual crime fighting ðŸ˜. I do however have one relation who is serving a long time now and one friend who graduated last year. Road policing and prisoner escorts. That is pretty much what he does...

Morebypasses · 08-01-2019 4:29pm

Just obey the law and you have no worries. Simple as. To help I would suggest you don't drink and drive. Don't go over the speed limit. Don't drive alone unless you have full licence. Have a valid NCT cert. Tax and insure the car. Then a check point every 5km should not bother you. Hope this helps!!!

08-01-2019 4:34pm

They are all over Castlebar. Even saw them on Christmas day. Years ago we used to go drink driving to the beach on Christmas day. Anytime the weather is bad, like real bad I know a lot of lads will go for a few pints.
Also some advice - If you are caught between 50 and 80 mg, say nothing and go through the process. DO NOT sign the fixed penalty notice. To do so is an admission of guilt.
The new drink driving laws have not been tested in the courts yet, many thousands of them will get thrown out on new technicalities.
Never admit guilt ....(Do not sign the fixed penalty notice)

Captain Obvious · 08-01-2019 4:37pm

6541 wrote: »

They are all over Castlebar. Even saw them on Christmas day. Years ago we used to go drink driving to the beach on Christmas day. Anytime the weather is bad, like real bad I know a lot of lads will go for a few pints.
Also some advice - If you are caught between 50 and 80 mg, say nothing and go through the process. DO NOT sign the fixed penalty notice. To do so is an admission of guilt.
The new drink driving laws have not been tested in the courts yet, many thousands of them will get thrown out on new technicalities.
Never admit guilt ....(Do not sign the fixed penalty notice)

That's just pure idiocy.

Gravelly · 08-01-2019 4:37pm

Morebypasses wrote: »

Just obey the law and you have no worries. Simple as. To help I would suggest you don't drink and drive. Don't go over the speed limit. Don't drive alone unless you have full licence. Have a valid NCT cert. Tax and insure the car. Then a check point every 5km should not bother you. Hope this helps!!!

I think a check point every 5km would bother even the most pious among us.

08-01-2019 4:47pm

Captain Obvious wrote: »

That's just pure idiocy.

https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/editorial/the-irish-times-view-on-the-drink-driving-laws-gaming-the-system-1.3680718

The top legal minds in the land are advising not to sign the fixed penalty notice.

Captain Obvious · 08-01-2019 4:52pm

6541 wrote: »

https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/editorial/the-irish-times-view-on-the-drink-driving-laws-gaming-the-system-1.3680718

The top legal minds in the land are advising not to sign the fixed penalty notice.

What part of that article are you referring to?

08-01-2019 4:58pm

Captain Obvious wrote: »

What part of that article are you referring to?

The part the implies that if you have money you can game the system by going to court and looking for technicalities.
Ask anyone in the legal game, they are drooling at the potential challenges ahead.
Do not sign the fixed penalty notice.

yrreg0850 · 08-01-2019 5:10pm

Rubberchikken wrote: »

a clown of a system where speed vans are flagged up and visible so the arrogant so and sos can slow down and avoid detection. there should also be cameras at traffic lights- might cure the need for breaking red lights that is so prevalent nowadays.

The speed vans themselves are a road hazard. Usually parked on hard margins and unlit at night.
If any motorist parked this way and, was observed by a garda he could be in trouble. Even a breakdown is obliged to show a red triangle.

Morebypasses · 08-01-2019 5:21pm

Gravelly wrote: »

I think a check point every 5km would bother even the most pious among us.

Think you may have missed my point if that is all you took from the post:)

Del2005 · 08-01-2019 5:25pm

Sycamore Tree wrote: »

Yep and can you imagine the overtime payments received when faking 2,000,000 alcohol breath tests!

Actually I wonder how much it cost the taxpayer to waste 2,000,000 alcohol breath tests...

It cost the taxpayer nothing to fake the tests. They were caught out when the OPW, or whichever department supplies them, said that the Gardai can't have done so many tests are we only supplied a tiny fraction of the straws There was no overtime either to fake the tests, all they did was add a few zeros to the checkpoint report.

Gravelly · 08-01-2019 5:25pm

Morebypasses wrote: »

Think you may have missed my point if that is all you took from the post:)

If the point was you telling us the bleedin' obvious, I didn't miss it.
Nice horse btw.

Feisar · 08-01-2019 5:30pm

Why isn't there static speed checks that calculate average speed. I left Paris one time, exited a toll booth with a ticket got to point B about five hours later, popped in my ticket to pay the toll and along with the toll a €50 fine

Can the tolled roads along with the M50 not be linked?

oceanman · 08-01-2019 5:36pm

Del2005 wrote: »

There was no overtime either to fake the tests, all they did was add a few zeros to the checkpoint report.

is that all they really did?....jeeze you wonder what all the ho ha was about!

Spook_ie · 10-01-2019 11:16pm

Sycamore Tree wrote: »

No you misunderstood. Deliberately methinks. I posted above that the force was 14,000 strong at the time.

In the 4 years of FCN cancellations, 442 Gardaí were found to have cancelled them.

The force at the time has 14,000 people. I took 4000 as a guesstimate of the number who were eligible to cancel FCNs (Inspector or above)

442/4000 = 11%. The issue is whether 4000 is close to the actual number of Gardaí of rank Inspector or above. It's probably a lot more like 1000 which makes the figure even more shocking (44.2%)

I am wondering whether you are just trying to throw a smokescreen on this. Any comment on the 2,000,000 fake breath tests?

In 2009 it was something like 15000 Garda and sergants and 650 inspector and above

JupiterKid · 11-01-2019 1:25am

The Gardai are really out in force the past week, mainly for drink driving. Ive been stopped - and waved through - at 3 checkpoints the past few days.

Kevin Finnerty · 11-01-2019 1:31am

I've had 2 speed guns and 2 checkpoints since Monday. There's a good change happening, a lot less speeding going on. Myself included.

cournioni · 11-01-2019 4:14am

Question should be, what have they been doing up until this point?

[Deleted User] · 17-01-2019 1:37am

Jim Bob Scratcher wrote: »

Shane Ross

He's getting the blame alright. Even cabinet ministers (including the justice minister himself) are taking a lash now at the gardai for all these extra checkpoints. The morning after ones seem to be taking particular criticism. Wouldn't be surprised to see them reduced in the months to come.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/ministers-criticise-increased-drink-driving-checkpoints-1.3760385

Discodog · 17-01-2019 9:10am

Gravelly wrote: »

If the point was you telling us the bleedin' obvious, I didn't miss it.
Nice horse btw.

Meanwhile the Guards will do nothing about, yet another, horse being hit & killed by a vehicle on the Headford Road in Galway. A certain group can do as they please whilst the Guards will be pulling motorists on the same stretch of road.

Nermal · 17-01-2019 10:11am

Del2005 wrote: »

There was no overtime either to fake the tests, all they did was add a few zeros to the checkpoint report.

They pretend to enforce the law, we pretend to obey.

Shred · 17-01-2019 11:58am

It's great to hear there's been an increase in checkpoints, I'm driving almost 20 years and reckon I've only passed through 10 at most in that time with only one of those being a breathalyzer test (at 2pm on a Sunday afternoon)!
They were talking about this on Newstalk this morning (specifically early morning checkpoints) and the usual bullshít was being trotted out from some listeners in rural areas of "we don't have buses to our pubs like all you spoiled jackeens and have to drive" - fúck off with that, you drive and you don't drink end of, I don't care where you're from. Then, if you're drinking late in the evening/night you're very likely not going to be sober enough to drive early the next morning - it's really very simple and there's absolutely no excuse - this isn't virtue signaling or any of that shíte, it's simply a fact.

The Tetrarch · 17-01-2019 12:13pm

I'm guessing the new Garda boss has switched the squad cars from the takeaways to road checks.

tayto lover · 17-01-2019 12:16pm

Shred wrote: »

It's great to hear there's been an increase in checkpoints, I'm driving almost 20 years and reckon I've only passed through 10 at most in that time with only one of those being a breathalyzer test (at 2pm on a Sunday afternoon)!
They were talking about this on Newstalk this morning (specifically early morning checkpoints) and the usual bullshít was being trotted out from some listeners in rural areas of "we don't have buses to our pubs like all you spoiled jackeens and have to drive" - fúck off with that, you drive and you don't drink end of, I don't care where you're from. Then, if you're drinking late in the evening/night you're very likely not going to be sober enough to drive early the next morning - it's really very simple and there's absolutely no excuse - this isn't virtue signaling or any of that shíte, it's simply a fact.

If you lived in N. Louth you'd be well used to checkpoints.
I went through 5 in less than a week.
No harm either imo. Drink driving kills even if we chanced it with a few drinks when younger. We won't get away now and it's looked down on a lot more these days.

Captain Obvious · 17-01-2019 12:23pm

Discodog wrote: »

Meanwhile the Guards will do nothing about, yet another, horse being hit & killed by a vehicle on the Headford Road in Galway. A certain group can do as they please whilst the Guards will be pulling motorists on the same stretch of road.

I've often seen checkpoints outside of Labre park on the Kylemore road. One of the worst sources of crime in Dublin. And if Gardaí are not doing anything about travellers how do so many of them have so many previous convictions and why do they take up so much of the prison population?

Amirani · 17-01-2019 1:20pm

Really don't understand the criticism of stronger enforcement of motor offences by some TDs - if you're over the alcohol limit or significantly speeding, then you can have no complaint about being penalised. So what if it's the morning after a heavy session and you're driving to mass; you're still a liability on the road and safe road-users and pedestrians should not have to put themselves in unnecessary danger just because you wanted to have a few extra pints.

gandalf · 17-01-2019 1:27pm

Amirani wrote: »

Really don't understand the criticism of stronger enforcement of motor offences by some TDs - if you're over the alcohol limit or significantly speeding, then you can have no complaint about being penalised. So what if it's the morning after a heavy session and you're driving to mass; you're still a liability on the road and safe road-users and pedestrians should not have to put themselves in unnecessary danger just because you wanted to have a few extra pints.

Absolutely I'm delighted to hear they are starting to crack down. The average motorist who doesn't chance drink driving should be delighted to see the increased activity as it makes the road far safer for all of us. I also have a particular bug with people using their phones and this will obviously help with that as well.

The TD's and Ministers should hang their heads in shame for complaining about this. Hopefully this is the influence of the new man in charge of the Gardai and we'll see more visible enforcement going forward.

Dravokivich · 17-01-2019 1:37pm

Feisar wrote: »

Why isn't there static speed checks that calculate average speed. I left Paris one time, exited a toll booth with a ticket got to point B about five hours later, popped in my ticket to pay the toll and along with the toll a €50 fine

Can the tolled roads along with the M50 not be linked?

Set GPS to avoid tolls.

Leave it 2 exits early, enter 2 exits after. Not really going to help much.

And it's only M8, M4 and M1 with a toll operating at present?

tayto lover · 17-01-2019 2:16pm

Dravokivich wrote: »

Set GPS to avoid tolls.

Leave it 2 exits early, enter 2 exits after. Not really going to help much.

And it's only M8, M4 and M1 with a toll operating at present?

M3 has two between Dublin and Virginia.

oceanman · 17-01-2019 2:22pm

gandalf wrote: »

Absolutely I'm delighted to hear they are starting to crack down. The average motorist who doesn't chance drink driving should be delighted to see the increased activity as it makes the road far safer for all of us. I also have a particular bug with people using their phones and this will obviously help with that as well.

The TD's and Ministers should hang their heads in shame for complaining about this. Hopefully this is the influence of the new man in charge of the Gardai and we'll see more visible enforcement going forward.

shake up will probably only last a few weeks and the things will be back to normal. new broom and all that..

Who s behind the Gardai road checks?

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