Garda Checkpoint

jamesbondings · 09-02-2018 9:34pm #1

Today on my usual commute home i came along a country road which i usually come home by.

I was flashed multiple times by multiple cars, i thought they were to let me know about a speeding van or a gaurd with speedometer.

What i drove up to was a full checkpoint. No speed check. The gaurds were obviously on the lookout for someone as they only glanced at my tax and nct etc. I know this as my tax is out and nothing was said.

What i want to know is why, in this day and age (unless for a speed camera) one would flash and warn others about a checkpoint?

Or am i just mad?

Wishbone Ash · 09-02-2018 9:49pm

jamesbondings wrote: »

...What i want to know is why, in this day and age (unless for a speed camera) one would flash and warn others about a checkpoint?...

Why 'unless for a speed camera'? If someone was speeding, I'd want them to get caught.

magicbastarder · 09-02-2018 9:57pm

Wishbone Ash is clearly mad. it's the solemn duty of any motorist to protect other motorists from the long arm of the law. honour amongst thieves, etc.

in seriousness though - any sensible motorist going through a checkpoint like that would know it's not a speed checkpoint. what public service do they think they're providing by warning other motorists of it in an ineffectual way?

_Kaiser_ · 09-02-2018 10:09pm

Checkpoints - nope. As above, they're usually looking for something/someone specific.

Speed traps - absolutely! Every time!

SEPT 23 1989 · 09-02-2018 10:11pm

You must be all young

magicbastarder · 09-02-2018 10:27pm

depends - is that your birth date?

SEPT 23 1989 · 09-02-2018 10:33pm

magicbastarder wrote: »

depends - is that your birth date?

Unfortunately not

Ben D Bus · 09-02-2018 10:45pm

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

Speed traps - absolutely! Every time!

Why? People die because of speeding.

One_Of_Shanks · 09-02-2018 11:18pm

Well, I have to drive through Athy to get to and from work. And there's always speed cameras on the road leading up to the town and yeah you'll get flashed pretty much all the time if they're around.

However, I've been stopped 3 times in the village at check points and no, people didnt flash.
One was drink, other 2 were insurance.

So, from that wee sample, people are more likely to flash for vans and not likely to flash for actual check-points.

Only a tiny sample though...

With the camera van thingys always being there I'm usually doing 90 at most and they still flash. They're trying to be nice I suppose, who cares.
Jesus, let each to their own, for the people moaning about the ones who flash, just look after your own business.

Wishbone Ash · 10-02-2018 12:45am

One_Of_Shanks wrote: »

... for the people moaning about the ones who flash, just look after your own business.

You've a warped sense of logic there. Wouldn't those who flash their lights be better off minding their own business?

....and I don't think anyone was 'moaning' about it.

One_Of_Shanks · 10-02-2018 9:02am

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

You've a warped sense of logic there. Wouldn't those who flash their lights be better off minding their own business?

What I mean is just let them at it, who cares. They're just trying to be helpful in their own way.
Don't tend to bother doing it myself either tbh but sure each to their own.

Jawgap · 10-02-2018 9:21am

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Why 'unless for a speed camera'? If someone was speeding, I'd want them to get caught.

I flash for speed check vans that I feel have been unfairly placed.......where they site them just to raise revenue then I'll flash to warn others, where they place them on stretches of where speed needs controlling I won't. For example, when they stick one on the R132 at the Huntsman, I'd flash for it, if they moved it north to Julianstown near the school I wouldn't.

I wouldn't flash for a checkpoint, but might give the hazards a squirt if I thought people needed to be warned about an obstruction on the road.

magicbastarder · 10-02-2018 11:40am

not often i'm given to quoting eddie cunningham:

https://www.independent.ie/life/motoring/car-news/why-flashing-your-lights-to-warn-of-garda-check-points-may-actually-help-criminals-35822079.html

magicbastarder · 10-02-2018 11:44am

i've heard people claiming that gardai encourage flashing other drivers, as the objective is to get people to slow down, rather than to catch them. i'll believe it when i see a solid source on it.

JustJoe7240 · 10-02-2018 11:50am

I don't understand the logic of "I want people to get caught speeding, I won't flash them", Yet flashing is probably more effective than the speed traps anyways?

bk · 10-02-2018 12:00pm

magicbastarder wrote: »

i've heard people claiming that gardai encourage flashing other drivers, as the objective is to get people to slow down, rather than to catch them. i'll believe it when i see a solid source on it.

I don't know if that is true, but you do see something like that in Eastern Europe. Police cars will drive around with their flashers on and slow way down, causing all the cars behind them to slow down and build up behind them.

Cars passing the other direction normally slow down too.

BTW try and overtake while doing this and you are fecked! They'll chase you, pull you over and big fine.

Wishbone Ash · 10-02-2018 12:01pm

joecass123 wrote: »

... Yet flashing is probably more effective than the speed traps anyways?

In the short term perhaps but fines and penalty points have a more long term effect.

AVFC.Stephen · 10-02-2018 12:26pm

I guess I'm in the bad books here. I always flash the lights for speed cameras. I also have a tendency to be a little annoyed in the car with people driving slower than the limit. I can't stand been behind a truck and old people drivers driving 50 when the speed limit is 80 or more.

Even people pulling off from a green light checking neutral then putting it into gear then releasing the hand break can put me in bad form if I'm stuck at a light and it turns red twice.

I understand that this habit of mine is not great and may even be a little reckless but it boils down to been in traffic for atleast 2.5 hrs a day plus do my job on top of it.

I hate been in the passenger seat too lol. In fact I hate driving altogether lol

XPS_Zero · 11-02-2018 11:35pm

One_Of_Shanks wrote: »

With the camera van thingys always being there I'm usually doing 90 at most and they still flash. They're trying to be nice I suppose, who cares.
Jesus, let each to their own, for the people moaning about the ones who flash, just look after your own business.

This is not like gossiping weither your neighbours have an open relationship, we live in a society and some things are everyones business because we are interdependent.

I would not want idiots flashing to warn of a speed trap because they might warn someone inclined to speed a lot, who might thus speed more with impunity, and one day this clown might kill me in a head on RTC

I know those speed vans are half a scam, but anything that encourages people to slow down is a good thing. Every muppet in this country thinks they're an amazing driver, and a friend of mine who works in the a&e says in RTCs they always have this stupid dumbfounded look on thier face like they can't understand "im a good driver...how did I crash duh duh duh duh"

One_Of_Shanks · 12-02-2018 10:00am

XPS_Zero wrote: »

I would not want idiots flashing to warn of a speed trap

anything that encourages people to slow down is a good thing

You do realise that people flashing will get the other driver to slow down right?
And you just stated that anything that encourages people to slow down is a good thing.

If you see a speed van in the distance you slow down. If a driver coming the other way flashes you, you slow down.

Anyway, call them "idiots" all you want, it's one of those things where some will do it because they think it's helpful to others.... And others think it's quite the opposite, perhaps even dangerous.
That's part of living in a society too, people don't all act the same. But sure of they don't agree with you then they're idiots apparently.

For what it's worth I don't go doing it myself either but I think my Dad does for the speed vans, not that I'd go calling him an idiot.
Different strokes for different folks.

TheFarrier · 12-02-2018 10:06am

The only time I've ever been glad I was flashed was last year. Was flashed by 2 or 3 drivers on the approach to the local village. The tax on my van was out quite a while so I stopped and turned around to go the other road.

Turns out a large checkpoint had lay ahead checking tax insurance eye, and had seized more than one car.

So yeah I'd flash for a checkpoint not for a speed trap

jcd5971 · 12-02-2018 10:22am

Flash for everything, I've no interest in seeing poor sod done for doing 60kph in, a 50kph zone etc.

highdef · 12-02-2018 8:20pm

jcd5971 wrote: »

Flash for everything, I've no interest in seeing poor sod done for doing 60kph in, a 50kph zone etc.

If someone is driving at 60kph in an urban/built up area (where almost all 50kph exist), they deserve to be caught and should be caught and disciplined in order to teach them the error of their ways so that in future they might abide by the rules of the rules that they agreed to abide by when they acquired their drivers licence.

Bear in mind that if you are done for doing 60kph in a 50, chances are that your speedo was reading about 65kph, give or take a kph or 2. This would mean that in your own head, you'd be doing about 30% over the limit. There's no disagreeing that 30% over the limit is huge and is difficult to do unless you are either not paying attention or else you are just ignoring the law.

ebbsy · 12-02-2018 10:09pm

jcd5971 wrote: »

Flash for everything, I've no interest in seeing poor sod done for doing 60kph in, a 50kph zone etc.

Me too.

Dravokivich · 12-02-2018 11:09pm

jcd5971 wrote: »

Flash for everything, I've no interest in seeing poor sod done for doing 60kph in, a 50kph zone etc.

One should learn to own their decisions. If they are speeding and get caught for it, its their own fault. If tax, insurance or nct has lapsed. It's their own fault.

jcd5971 · 13-02-2018 4:30am

highdef wrote:

If someone is driving at 60kph in an urban/built up area (where almost all 50kph exist), they deserve to be caught and should be caught and disciplined in order to teach them the error of their ways so that in future they might abide by the rules of the rules that they agreed to abide by when they acquired their drivers licence.

I disagree with this statement, and therefore will continue to warn fellow drivers.
You are free to do as you please.

highdef wrote:

Bear in mind that if you are done for doing 60kph in a 50, chances are that your speedo was reading about 65kph, give or take a kph or 2. This would mean that in your own head, you'd be doing about 30% over the limit. There's no disagreeing that 30% over the limit is huge and is difficult to do unless you are either not paying attention or else you are just ignoring the law.

Your just making up figures mow and trying to pass them of as fact.

If your speedometer says 60kph that's the likely speed you were at, if anything it's less as general rule of thumb is they read ~10% higher.

shar01 · 13-02-2018 6:38am

I live in a rural area. No way would I flash to warn of a garda checkpoint. Operation Thor anyone?

highdef · 13-02-2018 6:56am

jcd5971 wrote: »

If your speedometer says 60kph that's the likely speed you were at, if anything it's less as general rule of thumb is they read ~10% higher.

Yes, but I was referring to was your post: "Flash for everything, I've no interest in seeing poor sod done for doing 60kph in, a 50kph zone etc. "

If someone is done for doing 60kph in a 50kph, that means they were done for 60 real kph, not what the drivers speedo said, which was almost certainly more. Almost all speedos over read, with about 10% being a fairly regular amount. So using 10% as fairly reasonable figure, that would mean a real speed (as issued on a speeding ticket stating 60kph on it) would probably have been a speedometer reading of 65/66kph. That's what the driver would see on their speedometer as they travel along through the 50 zone......not something a driver will easily do without knowing about it.

Let's not forget that 50 zones are almost always built up and/or urban areas which means that there are more obstacles, hazards and pedestrians to be expected to be around you and therefore keeping near the actual 50kph mark (if not lower) really is essential, most especially to ensure that pedestrians are safer. On the off-chance that a pedestrian is hit by a car at 50kph, their chances of survival are wayyyyyyyy higher than being hit at 60-65 kph.

Anyway, morale of my story is let the selfish and arrogant people who have no respect for the rules get caught and more importantly get punished for it. There's nothing better than being hit in the pocket and by penalty points to teach someone to drive as they are supposed to.

tedpan · 13-02-2018 7:52am

magicbastarder wrote:

depends - is that your birth date?

SEPT 23 1989 wrote:

Unfortunately not

It gets asked in every thread. A trend is occurring

tabbey · 13-02-2018 12:13pm

tedpan wrote: »

It gets asked in every thread. A trend is occurring

The solution then is to explain the significance of the date. Nothing to do with the rusting of the iron curtain?

Dravokivich · 13-02-2018 12:42pm

tabbey wrote: »

The solution then is to explain the significance of the date. Nothing to do with the rusting of the iron curtain?

It was my sisters 4th birthday!

Garda Checkpoint

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