Anti-speed detection equipment seized

Victor

Hmmm, they seem a little cryptic here. I wonder if these are seizure from shops or goes the Garda have some new toy for detecting bold people?

http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/0908/speeding.html

Anti-speed detection equipment seized
08 September 2004 20:57

Gardaí have seized equipment designed to help motorists evade detection for speeding.

The devices were seized at a number of locations in Dublin.

No arrests were made and investigations are continuing.

PH01

These things should be easy enough to make yourself.
Any electronics heads about?

Victor

http://home.eircom.net/content/irelandcom/topstories/3960476?view=Eircomnet

Gardai warn of anti-speed detection devices
From:ireland.com
Thursday, 9th September, 2004

Devices designed to automatically open garage doors - but which also frustrate Garda radar guns - are to go on sale at the RDS motor fair in Dublin at the weekend, The Irish Times has learned.

The sale of the automatic garage door-openers comes after gardaí seized 50 anti-speed detection devices in four separate raids in Dublin city in recent days.

Gardaí said any device designed to help motorists evade detection by gardaí were illegal under the Road Traffic (Speed Meter Detector ) Regulations, 1991. They said anyone "foolish enough" to pay between €350 and €700 to have one fitted to their vehicle would face prosecution and fines of up to €1,250, as well as a possible six-month prison term.

Supt Michael O'Sullivan, of the Garda Traffic unit based in Dublin Castle, said the units were seized from legitimate retail motor factors, and investigations were continuing.

No one has yet been charged in connection with the seizure, but files may be sent to the DPP.

The devices which automatically open garage doors or garden gates as the vehicle approaches - are being sold by a Northern Ireland-based firm Walgroup.

Walgroup is represented in Ireland by Mr Wayne Lyons, in Co Armagh, who previously sold anti-speed detection equipment to customers from the Republic. Such equipment is not illegal in Britain or the North.

Referring to the equipment he was planning to sell at the Motorshow in the RDS, Mr Lyons said it was a target laser-track product "for the purpose it was designed for - as a fully-fledged laser remote control designed for opening automatic garage doors, gates and turning your automatic lights on as you arrive home" .

Mr Lyons said some newspapers had tested the product, and "they determined, not me, that it defended against speed guns".

Mr Lyons argued: "The automotive industry has also discovered the advantages of laser technology. Nissan has already introduced an 'adaptive cruise control system' in their Primera which automatically determines the distance to the car in front of it and which adjusts the vehicle's speed accordingly if required. This operates on the same principles.

"We don't promote our product as a laser jammer, we emphasise that it is used to open automatic garage doors. Whatever purpose people use it for is up to themselves."

A spokeswoman for the RDS referred questions to Pioneer Networks Ltd, the exhibition organisers.

Spokesman Mr Nick Orton said he was aware of the products which Mr Lyons was selling which, he said, were legally sold in the UK "on the premise that you are more aware of the speed you are doing. There are two ways of looking at it.

"You could say they were doing exactly the same job as the police in slowing traffic down. However, if it was illegal here and the Garda were not happy then I would not be happy too."

Are devices that frustrate gardaí speed detection radar legal?

Use of scanners: the legalities
No, emphatically no, said Insp Eddie Murphy, of the Garda Metropolitan Traffic Division, whose message to motorists is not to use them under any circumstances.

Penalties for motorists include fines of up to €1,250 and/or six months in prison, as well as confiscation of the equipment.

Penalties for retailers are the same. Confiscation of the entire stock of devices which retail at up to €700 is an additional deterrent.

Yes, automatic laser controlled systems are legal, says Walgroup, which is represented in Ireland by Mr Wayne Lyons.

In a statement Mr Lyons claimed similar systems were increasingly being installed in cars by manufacturers to sense the distance of cars in front and assist cruise control.

They are also increasingly being fitted as legal forms of switching on garden lights, and opening gates or garage doors, which he insisted was not illegal. Comparing the system to a knife, Mr Lyons said it would not be illegal to buy one to peel potatoes, while buying one to attack somebody would be illegal.

The laser systems are not illegal in the UK and Northern Ireland.

Boggle

I heard this on the radio this morning and it sounded to me as though the gard's were blufing when they said they would be seizing the equipment. It's a garage door opener - just make sure you have a matching garage door!!!! Whats involved in fitting these? How much for the unit? (I think total inst and unit comes to about 3-700 euro)

ando

http://www.beldirect.co.uk/lrc-100.htm

They tested this unit out on the Discovery channel a few days ago on 'driven' or a program like it with great success. You can even hide the sensor behind the grill so its very difficult for the garda to see it

daveirl

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Seth Brundle

radars in lifts?

Tommy Vercetti

Unless they seized this evil, killer equipment from a car, then the Gardai are the ones acting unlawfully.

Blitzkrieger

It's not only legal to own them, it's legal to have them fitted to your car. You're just not allowed to use them on public roads.

So nobody does

Seth Brundle

Blitzkrieger wrote:

It's not only legal to own them, it's legal to have them fitted to your car. You're just not allowed to use them on public roads.

So nobody does

according to an article on breakingnews.ie
"It is an offence for anyone to use a speed meter detector in any vehicle, or import, fit or supply the devices, under the Road Traffic Regulations, 1991."
I think it was also in the irish Times recently

Borderfox

Another smokescreen from the Garda press office. Its so typical of this country to divert attention away from the real causes of road deaths with a bull**** story on speed detectors. :mad:

MrPudding

This is quite funny. I heard the Lyons guy on newstalk106 a few months ago. At this time he was pimping devices specifically designed to evade laser detectors. It would seem that when they detect a speed detection device they send a laser to jam it. The presenter thought that this might cause the operator to be suspicious and pull the car over to check it. Mr Lyons then pointed out that the jamming laser was only fired for a few seconds, the driver would receive a warning and should be able to break sufficiently so that when the jamming stopped and the gun got a lock he would be below the limit. During this interview he was very clear that this devices sole purpose was to detect, jam and evade laser speed detectors.

MrP

vibe666

but it's just a garage door opener. nothing illegal about that.

i'd be suing the garda for interfering with my garage door opener and see how they like it.

also apparently the thing to get (in conjunction with the above) is a road angel. they have gps and a database (that you update via the interweb as and when needed) with lists of all the cameras there are as well as laser and radar detection.

with all that on board you'd never get caught. not that you'd get caught anyway because you wouldn't be speeding, would you.

Victor

vibe666 wrote:

also apparently the thing to get (in conjunction with the above) is a road angel. they have gps and a database (that you update via the interweb as and when needed) with lists of all the cameras there are as well as laser and radar detection.

There are 6,000 fixed speed cameras in the UK. The are 13 fixed locations in Ireland.

Seth Brundle

Victor - I thought it was that there were 22 but only three live any any one time.
Actually just thinking about it, you may be correct:-
N1 / M1: 5+
N2: don't know
N3: 3 (one @ Dalgan Pk burnt out so I guess two now! )
N4: 2 (incl. one @ Kilmainham to monitor red light)
M50: 2

On a slightly different note, given the importance many of the forces in the Uk are placing on having speed traps as a deterrent to speeding rather than as a means of catching people (by making them more visible) I was disgusted to see the gardai holding a speed check on the N4 outbound between Liffey Valley & the Foxhunter (commoon location). The garda holding the camera had the initiative to break branches off a nearby tree and place them against his tripod to conceal himself.

On yet another note, after some dozy woman was caught 6 times by the Spa Hotel Gatso she complained that she should have been informed as per the Govt info site www.oasis.gov.ie within one week of the offence. That was proved wrong (one motorist was informed 14 months after offence) and they removed the line. However, they still have it online:-
http://www.oasis.gov.ie/transport/motoring/road_traffic_speed_limits_in_ireland.html (under Rates)
If you have been caught speeding on a police traffic camera, you will receive notice of your fine and penalty points within 1 week of the offence by post. You have 28 days in which to pay your fine.

Victor

kbannon wrote:

Victor - I thought it was that there were 22 but only three live any any one time.
Actually just thinking about it, you may be correct:-
N1 / M1: 5+
N2: don't know
N3: 3 (one @ Dalgan Pk burnt out so I guess two now! )
N4: 2 (incl. one @ Kilmainham to monitor red light)
M50: 2[/I]

Hmmm, I'd heard 11 as the figure for speeding. Theres another red light camera on the Stillorgan Road.

Seth Brundle

Just thinking - it is 6 (or possibly more) on the N1 & M1.
Where on the Stillorgan Rd is it? Don't recall seeing one.

Ro-76

kbannon wrote:

Just thinking - it is 6 (or possibly more) on the N1 & M1.
Where on the Stillorgan Rd is it? Don't recall seeing one.

Where are the six on the M1?

Ro

Seth Brundle

I am aware of only one on the M1 but there are 6 on the M1 *and* N1.

M1 - heading southbound after ardee exit IIRC (just after the newer section of motorway ends and you enter the original section of motorway that used to be referred to as the Dunleer By Pass) (70mph).

N1 Northbound:- on section of road after the old Balbriggan by pass ended (60mph)
- After Drogheda - before that long stretch uphill before the old Dunleer Bypass began (60mph)

N1 Southbound:- North of Dundalk, just before you cross the estuary bridge (60mph).
- one after Balbriggan, near crossroads for Lusk (60mph)
- one after Statoil at Lissenhall (60?mph)

There may be mnore - I just can't remember and since the opening of the new sections of the M1 I have not visited their parallel N1 sections. These are only fixed camera locations. it must be remembered that there are numerous mobile (unmarked) patrols and also the garda laybys on the M1 where they can sup tea whilst earning cash for the state!

woosaysdan

i always thought having these jammers things were not illegal to have just illegal to use!!!

sceptre

kbannon wrote:

On a slightly different note, given the importance many of the forces in the Uk are placing on having speed traps as a deterrent to speeding rather than as a means of catching people (by making them more visible) I was disgusted to see the gardai holding a speed check on the N4 outbound between Liffey Valley & the Foxhunter (commoon location). The garda holding the camera had the initiative to break branches off a nearby tree and place them against his tripod to conceal himself.[/I]

Last night there was a guy on the median of the Limerick by-pass towards Cork in pitch-black (only noticed him because I wasn't driving when I caught a glimpse of the car before noticing the attached pleeseman with his tripod) with (presumably) one of those laser things. I suspect over 90% of motorists on that stretch didn't even notice they'd been checked last night. I'd run with "nobody but me" but someone else probably noticed in the darkness. Anne was driving at 59 (just as well).

unkel

kbannon wrote:

N1 Southbound:- North of Dundalk, just before you cross the estuary bridge

That fecker is responsible for half the speeding fines I've ever got

Seth Brundle

unkel wrote:

That fecker is responsible for half the speeding fines I've ever got

did you not slow down going past it the 2nd time or did you still not know about it then?

gurramok

kbannon wrote:

N2: don't know
[/I]

It's on southbound lane about halfway between Slane and Ashbourne.

I know because it flashed twice at me last night while I was travelling at an anonymous speed southwards towards dublin, guess I have 1 week wait for the points to arrive then !

Funny thing is, I don't think there are any fixed cams once you past slane heading northwards, its a free for all then

John R

kbannon wrote:

Just thinking - it is 6 (or possibly more) on the N1 & M1.
Where on the Stillorgan Rd is it? Don't recall seeing one.

At the Junction of Nutley Lane (RTE) for northbound traffic, it's not operational, they are just using it for statistical purposes apparently.

daveirl

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