Why are so many non-nationals killed on our roads?

Villain

Big Nelly wrote:

To be honest what was left of the cars from the pics I seen you couldnt even tell the colour of them, one was an Audi and I think they said it was blue but from the wreckage it looked a purple colour. The cars where in bits! serious speed was required to make them that bad

Yea I did see the pics but couldn't tell, it's just there is quite a few Latvian's and Polish driving around Carlow in left hand drive cars, which obviously weren't designed to be driven on our roads and which can cause single occupant drivers to pull out onto the center of road before overtaking to see if anything is coming.

goodfella867

blastman wrote:

Well, if you witnessed it, that must make it true.

The purchasing of alcohol or the crash, I clearly did not witness the latter, that is just an assumption; calculated, but an assumption none the less.

Big Nelly

goodfella867 wrote:

The difference is that no innocent parties were involved, only drunk drivers.

There was innocent parties involved, but the same was in Navan where 2 lads decided to walk home instead of getting a taxi and where taken out of it on the side path because the person driving was hammered drunk. NO tax/insurance/nothing

goodfella867 wrote:

Well despite the fact that I witness many polish/latvian men walking into the local shop and buying litre bottles of vodka daily, it would be foolish to automatically assume that one of the drivers was drunk. drunk and/or incompetent perhaps.
I'm sure that they're insurance companies will straighten it all out.

not sure what you mean here?

blastman wrote:

Well, if you witnessed it, that must make it true.

Again not sure what you mean here

Big Nelly

irish1 wrote:

Yea I did see the pics but couldn't tell, it's just there is quite a few Latvian's and Polish driving around Carlow in left hand drive cars, which obviously weren't designed to be driven on our roads and which can cause single occupant drivers to pull out onto the center of road before overtaking to see if anything is coming.

From what I could make out they looked like left hand drive cars alright but couldn't be 100% sure. I have seen what you are explaining numerous time on the road, along with passing cars using the hard shoulder which I have seen a couple of times on the N3:mad: You ring the Garda and they can do fu*k all because as soon as they track them down they just move to another town or just move home for a while and then come back

goodfella867

Big Nelly wrote:

There was innocent parties involved, but the same was in Navan where 2 lads decided to walk home instead of getting a taxi and where taken out of it on the side path because the person driving was hammered drunk. NO tax/insurance/nothing.

Aye that was badly phrased on my part. By innocent party I meant a driver with insurance and road tax.

Big Nelly wrote:

not sure what you mean here?

In the shop I work that is what I see on a day to day basis.

Big Nelly wrote:

Again not sure what you mean here

I think what blastman was suggesting was that since I had not witnessed the actual accident then it makes what I say to be incorrect.

Big Nelly

goodfella867 wrote:

Aye that was badly phrased on my part. By innocent party I meant a driver with insurance and road tax.

From personal experience I would say no tax/insurance. I havent seen one non-national car with proper tax/insurance for this country. Sure my mate used to go out with a French guy, was over here for 4 years(this is over 4 years ago now) and he was driving with no tax/insurance for the 4 years he was living here. Could do it because he had one of the FR stickers on the back of the car.

goodfella867 wrote:

In the shop I work that is what I see on a day to day basis.

From what I heard from reports and Garda they all suggested the 2 lads where hammered

lostinsuperfunk

Ok, the fact that one of the drivers was fleeing the scene of an accident throws it in a different light. I don't think anyone knows for sure if both drivers were drunk or taxed or insured. At least give them a break until the facts emerge. And three people who were only passengers are now dead. Possibly foolish passengers, but passengers nonetheless.
If one French person drives around here uninsured that does not mean that every other non-Irish person does.
If some Polish-looking people are known to buy vodka in a shop that does not mean that every person from the east of Europe is incapable of driving a car without drinking a bottle of vodka first. If you worked in a pub rather than a shop you would see large numbers of Irish people drinking themselves to inebriation on beer, but that does not mean that they all drive themselves home pissed afterwards.

el tel

Big Nelly wrote:

At least this time they took out one another instead of what happened in Navan when they took out a couple of Irish lads.

That's a desperate thing to say. 'One another' includes a mother and daughter and their nationality doesn't devalue them as human beings.

ambro25

Big Nelly wrote:

From personal experience I would say no tax/insurance. I havent seen one non-national car with proper tax/insurance for this country. Sure my mate used to go out with a French guy, was over here for 4 years(this is over 4 years ago now) and he was driving with no tax/insurance for the 4 years he was living here. Could do it because he had one of the FR stickers on the back of the car.

What a total crock of BS is this?!?

Are you implying he could do so 'legally', or 'illegally'? ('illegally' as in Gardai wouldn't dare stop him for fear of language barrier or any such bollix?)

I've been driving on FR plates in the UK for 3 years, was always (FR-) taxed/insured/CT'd, was controlled many a time by UK cops (always courteous, slightly apprehensive at first allright but always reassured once they saw I could & would converse) and never a bother.

I'm driving here either on IEs or UKs, and the UK is properly taxed/insured (for driving in IE)/MOT'd (as is the IE of course).

On an FR license. As a 'non-national'.

Sweeping generalisations, as always. :mad:

Big Nelly

el tel wrote:

That's a desperate thing to say. 'One another' includes a mother and daughter and their nationality doesn't devalue them as human beings.

Edited that out, didnt come out the best but in a serious pi**ed off form with this bulls**t drivers. Was nearly taken out of it on N3 on Sat morning, came around a cornor to a large red Audi A4 on my side of the road passing out cars, he didnt stop and I had to jam on breaks and head for ditch, followed the car back up road and took down details, stopped into Virginia Garda and told them about it, tried to track car but couldn't. Said it was a joke and they said it was too but because of the laws there is nothing they can do.

Again this morning coming around roundabout and just pulls out straight in front of me. As I said already, take the cars off them as they come in untill they can prove its only a holiday or until they are paying tax/insurance. Why should I pay a small fortune on tax/insurance for our roads for people like this?

Alun

ambro25 wrote:

I'm driving here either on IEs or UKs, and the UK is properly taxed/insured (for driving in IE)/MOT'd (as is the IE of course).

You've mentioned this before Ambro. How does that work? Surely if you're resident in Ireland then both your cars should be on IE plates, and taxed and insured here?

Big Nelly

ambro25 wrote:

What a total crock of BS is this?!?

Are you implying he could do so 'legally', or 'illegally'? ('illegally' as in Gardai wouldn't dare stop him for fear of language barrier or any such bollix?)

I've been driving on FR plates in the UK for 3 years, was always (FR-) taxed/insured/CT'd, was controlled many a time by UK cops (always courteous, slightly apprehensive at first allright but always reassured once they saw I could & would converse) and never a bother.

I'm driving here either on IEs or UKs, and the UK is properly taxed/insured (for driving in IE)/MOT'd (as is the IE of course).

On an FR license. As a 'non-national'.

Sweeping generalisations, as always. :mad:

What you talking about? did I say anything about plates? no I said a sticker. Not sure what plates he had on car but had this sticker on back saying FR or something and the french flag. Seen cars in Ireland with Irish ones, seemily you get these when going on hols with your car. now I haven't a clue but this is what he told me and was never done for tax and insurance and was stopped loads of times so I am just saying what he told me

Sweeping generalisation around here are from you, read the f**king post before you start your ranting

ambro25

Alun wrote:

You've mentioned this before Ambro. How does that work? Surely if you're resident in Ireland then both your cars should be on IE plates, and taxed and insured here?

I'm resident. My car registered in my name is on IE plates, with full road tax/insurance/NCT. As is the case for my bike. All €2000 or thereabouts of it.

My wife is not (resident). My car registered in her mother's name is on UK plates, with full road tax/insurance/NCT, insurer is appraised (every year at renewal) that the car spends a significant amount of time in IE (about 180 days a year). All £250 of it. There ya go.

Kersh

They are dangerous/risky drivers.
A lt of the lv/p registered cars I see speed/weave and have a reckless disregard for lane discipline, esp approaching roundabouts.
These cars are usually big Audi A8/A6 Bmw 5 series, with blacked out windows etc.
Otoh, the African community drive quite slowly in Nissan sunny/100nx/old shape micras. You will find very few from the african community on the Dead list, as they do not speed, I do agree that some of them are crap drivers, but so are many Irish drivers.
And before anyone comes on to lambast me, go check it out. See what cars the Eastern Europeans drive and in what manner, then go see what cars the African community drive and in what way - the differences are stark, and explain why so many latvian/polish/lithuanian people are dead on our roads.

ambro25

Big Nelly wrote:

What you talking about? did I say anything about plates? no I said a sticker.

Allright then, smarty pants

Any car is not road legal without any form of registration displayed, and supporting documentation (which is why you have a V5 and UK plates, a Carte Grise and FR plates, an Irish Vehicle Cert and IE plates, etc, etc.). That's because a car has to belong to someone before it can circulate on public roads, so that ownership and responsibility for it are traceable.

In that context therefore, having a 'sticker' on the back of a car means absolutely sweet FA in official terms, e.g. when controlled by any police officer anywhere in Europe wanting to ascertain that this car belongs to someone (driver or otherwise). I would have thaught that this most elementary principle would apply in Ireland, am I mistaken?

So then, explain this to me: was he driving on IE plates with an FR sticker? Or was he driving here on FR plates with an FR sticker? or on NI, UK, Venezuelan plates with this 'FR' sticker?

If Gardai controlled him on IE plates (or even FR, for that matter), explain also to me how was he able to not produce any documentation (or as little as a valid insurance cert) for years on end with no repercussions? Especially since FR insurers always issue the international green insurance card (in 12 languages) as the insurance cert. Are you telling me Gardai would be so retarded that they can't tell a valid insurance cert (with reg and start and end date of policy) from the daily page 3 of the Sun? :rolleyes: Are you also telling me the first Gardai wouldn't make some sort of log entry that they'd controlled a FR driver with no documentation,with some specifics, that wouldn't show up the next time he was so controlled?

I call BS as I see it.

Big Nelly wrote:

Now I haven't a clue but this is what he told me and was never done for tax and insurance and was stopped loads of times so I am just saying what he told me.

You're either very naive (too much so to be true, tbh), or deliberately misrepresentaing facts to suit your argument/point. In either cases you shouldn't portray that as facts.

Big Nelly wrote:

Sweeping generalisation around here are from you, read the f**king post before you start your ranting

I did read you post. It states (in full, to be sure):

Big Nelly wrote:

From personal experience I would say no tax/insurance. I havent seen one non-national car with proper tax/insurance for this country. Sure my mate used to go out with a French guy, was over here for 4 years(this is over 4 years ago now) and he was driving with no tax/insurance for the 4 years he was living here. Could do it because he had one of the FR stickers on the back of the car.

Not ranting - putting the finger on your misinterpretation of some rather basic facts of motoring life, and your spreading same in your post.

el tel

Kersh wrote:

A lt of the lv/p registered cars I see speed/weave and have a reckless disregard for lane discipline, esp approaching roundabouts.

Just like us, only faster!

Big Nelly

ambro25 wrote:

Allright then, smarty pants

Any car is not road legal without any form of registration displayed, and supporting documentation (which is why you have a V5 and UK plates, a Carte Grise and FR plates, an Irish Vehicel Cert and IE plates, etc, etc.). That's because a car has to belong to someone before it can circulate on public roads, so that ownership and responsibility for it are traceable.

In that context therefore, having a 'sticker' on the back of a car means absolutely sweet FA in official terms, e.g. when controlled by any police officer anywhere in Europe wanting to ascertain that this car belongs to someone (driver or otherwise). I would have this most elementary principle would apply in Ireland, am I mistaken?

So then, explain this to me: was he driving on IE plates with an FR sticker? Or was he driving here on FR plates with an FR sticker? or on NI, UK, Venezuelan plates with this 'FR' sticker?

If Gardai controlled him on IE plates (or even FR, for that matter), explain also to me how was he able to not produce any documentation (or as little as a valid insurance cert) for years on end with no repercussions? Especially since FR insurers always issue the international green insurance card (in 12 languages) as the insurance cert. Are you telling me Gardai would be so retarded that they can't tell a valid insurance cert (with reg and start and end date of policy) from the daily page 3 of the Sun? :rolleyes:

I call BS as I see it.



You're either very naive (too much so to be true, tbh), or deliberately misrepresentaing facts to suit your argument/point. In either cases you shouldn't portray that as facts.



I did read you post. It states (in full, to be sure):



Not ranting - putting the finger on your misinterpretation of some rather basic facts of motoring life, and your spreading same in your post.

Blah balh blah to be honest, didnt even read it, just telling you what he told me. Didnt say it was fact or not, his information and he drove around for 4 years on this so if you know every law and so on how is it possible?

Also are you trying to tell me that all the non-national cars over here are legit? give me a break. I work in a business park and every few months the customs are here stopping cars from all around europe. There is usual a long line of cars, French/German etc included. Wages isn't a problem either that they can't afford the tax/insurance.

I am calling for better laws so the Garda can take the cars off these people. You have a problem with this? see what you say when some of these cars crashs into yours and your left high and dry because they have no insurance.

Kersh

Exactly -
But have you seen latvias road fatality count.
Iirc 520 odd for a population of 2 miilion or so per annum.
Scandalous, and no wonder.

ambro25

Big Nelly wrote:

Blah balh blah to be honest, didnt even read it, just telling you what he told me. Didnt say it was fact or not, his information and he drove around for 4 years on this so if you know every law and so on how is it possible?

How mature :rolleyes:

It's not possible, is my point.

Big Nelly wrote:

Also are you trying to tell me that all the non-national cars over here are legit?

Not at all. I'm trying to get you to stop painting everyone that is not 100% purebred Paddy with the same brush. Fair enough?

Big Nelly wrote:

give me a break. I work in a business park and every few months the customs are here stopping cars from all around europe. There is usual a long line of cars, French/German etc included. Wages isn't a problem either that they can't afford the tax/insurance.

Not dissenting and not my point.

Big Nelly wrote:

I am calling for better laws so the Garda can take the cars off these people. You have a problem with this?

No. Although I am a bit uncomfortable with replacing the notion of "innocent until proven guilty" with "guilty until proven innocent". But that's just me, mind. I think you'll also find that EU laws will have something to say about the matter.

Big Nelly wrote:

see what you say when some of these cars crashs into yours and your left high and dry because they have no insurance.

Hopefully I'm a good and experimented enough driver that I'll be able to take appropriate action to avoid that. (I've grown some extra pairs of eyes since moving to Dublin, after some years spent driving in Paris and London - and not on account of LV/LT drivers either, mind ). And if unfortunately enough it comes to that, I suppose I'll have a bit of a rant, as expected, but if I can have that rant, it means I'll be thankfull I've still got my health.

There's a bit of perspective Irish (well, those of the 'Big Nelly' type ) seem to lack, and I put that down to insularism. It's not a criticism, just the fact that there is no real transborder traffic to the extent that there is on the Continent, because this is an Island after all. So in that context, read insularism as 'lack of experience of foreign drivers/driving'.

I come from the tri-border area of FR, with LUX, BE and DE borders all intersecting within miles of one another, where "foreign" drivers are the rule, not the exception, with just as much reasons to rant against BE drivers (undoubtedly the worst) and NL drivers (undoubtedly the second worst, especially during holdiday seasons, the great Dutch exile to IT and ES, with nearly every other car towing). So a few LT/LV/PL cars, and antics of those, are hardly likely to raise my temperature/temper to the extent that it will 'natives' here. Accidents will still happen anyhow - I just don't see the need to fingerpoint with such vehemence (and I'd imagine there's just as many uninsured IE drivers, if not probably a lot more, driving around anyhow).

You want to change the world? Start a petition for Gardai to get better equipment, both in-car ('puters, databases and air network) and at-base (again, 'puters and databases and whatnot). That way everyone benefits.

fjon

An article from last month. I'm not 100% convinced, but read for yourself...

A DISTURBING feature of our road accident deaths recently is the number of non-nationals involved.

Polish, Latvian, Chinese and Romanian surnames are appearing in the papers alongside Irish ones in the daily reports of our ongoing road safety disaster.

The population of non-nationals living and working here is growing all the time. According to the Central Statistics Office, since 2000 there have been in excess of 50,000 non nationals arriving in Ireland per year; over 70,000 arrived in 2005.

While a lot of that population will move on after a few years, it is estimated that there are as many as 200,000 living in Ireland at the present time.

While that figure includes people of all ages, it is reasonable to assume that a fair proportion of them are visiting workers. This in turn is likely to mean that a disproportionate number are young and male.

We know in an Irish context that when it comes to death on the roads, it is the young males who are by far the largest group at risk.

This is not a uniquely Irish experience and in fact it holds true everywhere across the world, irrespective of cultural differences.

With this in mind, it is hardly surprising that they are starting to turn up in our road death figures. Road death is indiscriminate as to nationality. The physics of a car in collision is blind to the culture of the occupants inside.

There is no evidence of any sort to suggest that non-nationals present a higher risk on the roads than Irish people. It is difficult to drive in a foreign country, and particularly so in Ireland because we drive on the left.

It seems logical that this might make for increased accident risk among visiting workers, but as yet there is not sufficient data to draw clear conclusions.

What is abundantly clear is that our own road safety record when compared to our European neighbours is shameful. When it comes to learning how to drive and respecting road traffic law, our record is appalling.

Foreigners may be taken aback by the fact that one of Europe's most prosperous and modern countries is so backward on the roads, but it's true.

This is a country where drink driving is a scourge.

It is a country where over 20pc of all drivers are operating on provisional licenses. It is a country where the national police force has no centralised computer system to monitor drivers, nor does it have anything like the resources necessary to police the roads to modern standards.

The queue to do the driving test is more than a year long in some parts of the country; something that Eastern Europeans must feel belongs to their communist past.

In a landscape like this, it seems apparent that the new population are joining in and becoming equal victims of a mess which is very much made in Ireland.

One concern is that non-nationals as a group are likely to be missing out on the road safety messages and educational work being carried out by bodies like the National Safety Council. The Health & Safety Authority recently took the initiative in producing radio ads and material in Polish and other languages.

That most basic of documents - the Rules of the Road - has not been updated in 11 years. A current version cannot even be obtained in English, let alone Polish.

Which means that the current government has a great deal of work to do . . . in any language.


Conor Faughnan is public affairs manager for the AA

ballooba

The mention of Chinese in the above article reminded me of something that shocked me at the time but now I can only laugh. Natural selection etc.

I was cruising down the M1 yesterday at a steady ~74mph in the fast lane.

All of a sudden I come across a Chinese couple walking up the central median.

I don't know if this is a chinese thing but that is just bloody stupid. Let's say your a little bit reckless and decide to leave your car. Why would you choose to walk smack bang between the two fastest lanes???

Fey!

Having read through this thread (having a quiet day at work), a lot of people here seem to believe that if you're a foreigner living in Ireland with a car registered to your native land, then a) you can't drive and b) you're not paying any insurance, and c) always drink and drive.

WTF???

I know plenty of foreigners who make my driving look disgraceful (and I'm not the worst - or best - driver around). I also know that these people keep their insurance premiums paid, to the extent that a few of them switched to RHD Irish reg cars to make their insurance easier (and to stop themselves getting abused by ignorant Irish drivers, which is VERY common). They also keep to the same drink driving rule as I adhere to (zero tolerance).

Someone made a biblical reference earlier, so here's a responding one - "let he without sin cast the first stone".

Kersh - I drive a tinted BMW - does that mean I'm a menace on the roads, too? Or am I less of a menace because I'm Irish???

I could make this very long, but I'd just be rehashing things that have been said umpteen times earlier.

fjon

I've also re-read through the thread recently (what have I started?), and would like to point one thing out. How shall I put this...
It's not all foreigners driving in Ireland, it is people from a certain part of Europe driving here which seem to get most peoples' goat.

Kersh

@ Fey - nah it doesnt mean you, cos its the earlier 5 series Beemer than yours. Sure I drive a 300zx Twin turbo but I know im not a boy racer. Fact of the matter is, the Lv and P registered Audis and beemers are usually being driven at speed in and out of traffic , they usually have tinted windows, they usually have big alloys, and there is usually more than one occupant - go check for yourself. - i see it almost everyday. Look at the pic of the wrecked maroon Audi in Inishowen - 5 dead, your stereotypical eastern european car.....or the Lv reg car that ran over some people in navan a while back... im not making this up. Head in the sand doesnt work with road deaths.

mike65

According to Pat Kennys programme this morning 30% of non nationals who crash DO NOT HAVE insurance, the general uninsured population is 6% (which is a flipping scandal in itself with the disk system in place).

Mike.

ambro25

mike65 wrote:

According to Pat Kennys programme this morning 30% of non nationals who crash DO NOT HAVE insurance, the general uninsured population is 6%.

Hey Mike - before the flaming start, a clear and pointed precision: I do not, never have and never will (i) condone bad (irresponsible/disrespectful) driving by any one or (ii) condone/make excuses for any one failing to adhere to the 'Law of the Land'... but:

Do you mind applying these percentages to the respective, relevant figures?

i.e. 30% of the portion of the 200,000 or so non-nationals quoted in the earlier article vs 6% of the "general uninsured population" (whatever that may be - based on 3 (or is it 4) million nationals? or the portion of that which drives?)

Just for a bit of context...

And again, to be sure: I'm not saying there isn't a problem with some non-nationals taking the p1ss. What I'm saying is that this thread does not echo the article posted earlier, which actually happens to be very much on target (i.e. "sort the system out, before looking at the exceptions that confirm the rule, because it's currently FUBAR"). And non-nationals (be they 'particularly' PL/LT/LV) shouldn't all be rolled up in the same boat - I'm sure statistics can be had that will show just as representative a split among any given nationality residing in Ireland :rolleyes:

mike65 wrote:

(which is a flipping scandal in itself with the disk system in place)

And I very, very much agree with that - but then, see my point above

eth0_

ambro25 wrote:

I've been driving on FR plates in the UK for 3 years, was always (FR-) taxed/insured/CT'd,

No, you were NOT taxed and insured. You're only allowed drive outside France for 180 days per year and it's pretty likely you were in the UK for most of every year! Your French insurance doesn't cover you in this case, and your tax isn't worth a jot because you should be paying UK tax!!

ambro25 wrote:

I'm driving here either on IEs or UKs, and the UK is properly taxed/insured (for driving in IE)/MOT'd (as is the IE of course).
Sweeping generalisations, as always. :mad:

Again, i'm sure you're spending more than 180 days in Ireland with your UK plates. You are driving illegally.


I worked for Xerox in Blanchardstown a few years ago and every few months the customs and guards would show up early in the morning and catch all the people like you, the non-nationals who are resident in Ireland driving illegally on our roads in their foreign registered cars with invalid insurance. It gave me a great sense of satisfaction to see them receive huge fines, and the repeat offenders having their cars taken off them.

If you want to live in this country, abide by the fscking law.

eth0_

IMO the worst foreign drivers in this country are the Latvians and the Lithuanians. They seem to think they're in Grand Theft Auto when they're driving - overtaking at the top of a hill, at a junction, into oncoming traffic etc. Their cars are usually heaps of sh*t and are putting other drivers (yeah not just Irish drivers) at risk if their rustbucket has a mechanical failure and crashes.

I never really notice any dangerous driving from people with plates from other countries, it seems to be just the Eastern Europeans who have no idea about road safety or even the rules of the road in this country!

Surely the rules of the road should be brought into line throughout Europe?
Cars coming into Ireland should be registered on a database and if they're caught in the country after 60 days should be impounded (as the Guards now have the power to do) until its owner pays to change the plates and get tax and insurance. What about a test on the rules of the road for foreign nationals? It's quite obvious these people, although they might have a full driving licence in their own country, are mostly unfit to drive in this country. I would love to see what the driving tests are like in these Eastern European countries!

Big Nelly

eth0_ wrote:

I worked for Xerox in Blanchardstown a few years ago and every few months the customs and guards would show up early in the morning and catch all the people like you, the non-nationals who are resident in Ireland driving illegally on our roads in their foreign registered cars with invalid insurance. It gave me a great sense of satisfaction to see them receive huge fines, and the repeat offenders having their cars taken off them.

If you want to live in this country, abide by the fscking law.

Haha mate that was the business park I was refering to earlier. Not in Xerox Thank God thou!

ambro25

eth0_ wrote:

No, you were NOT taxed and insured. You're only allowed drive outside France for 180 days per year and it's pretty likely you were in the UK for most of every year! Your French insurance doesn't cover you in this case,

12 months as UK law applied ('93 to '96), renewable provided I went back to FR at least once in any 12 months period. Check you facts. This was confirmed to me both by UK CAB (Citizen's Advice Bureau) and by UK Traffic Police at the time. Not that I hadn't done my homework before about the subject, mind.

eth0_ wrote:

Your French insurance doesn't cover you in this case,

Yes it did, my FR insurer issued me with green cards with policy registered at my UK domicile. I paid extra, don't get me wrong, compared to what I would have paid if I'd been domiciled in FR (about 30% on top of premium).

eth0_ wrote:

and your tax isn't worth a jot because you should be paying UK tax!!

That is an opinion, not a fact.

eth0_ wrote:

Again, i'm sure you're spending more than 180 days in Ireland with your UK plates. You are driving illegally.

I'm not (with my UK plates), neither is my wife. Again, that's your opinion, unsubstantiated by any evidence, knowledge, or otherwise remotest clue about my personal life. Cop on.

eth0_ wrote:

I worked for Xerox in Blanchardstown a few years ago and every few months the customs and guards would show up early in the morning and catch all the people like you, the non-nationals who are resident in Ireland driving illegally on our roads in their foreign registered cars with invalid insurance.

Would you kindly read my posts before ranting, and note that my 'permanent' car in Ireland was legally imported via the Tallaght Bureau, issued with an RF100 and exempted from VRT (:p @ ya), then promptly NCT'd (for just a year - great scam btw, nicely done :mad: ), taxed (€500+) and insured (€1100+). It even starts with '98-D' is white with balck lettering, and has funny small writing on it that reads "Baile Atha Cliath" or somesuch

eth0_ wrote:

It gave me a great sense of satisfaction to see them receive huge fines, and the repeat offenders having their cars taken off them.

Some great Christian you make, taking delight in others' plight.

eth0_ wrote:

If you want to live in this country, abide by the fscking law.

Erm... (i) given the choice, I wouldn't actually live here, and (ii) see above & cop on some