Speeding while overtaking

BrianD3

I often break the speed limit by a fair margin while overtaking on single carriageway roads. Eg if I'm passing a truck doing 80 km/h in a 100 I could get up to 120+ before I pull back in and slow down to 100 km/h Anyone know what the attitude of the Gardai to this is? Do they give tickets for speeding while overtaking. Recently I have seen a couple of speed traps on 2 mile straights which are ideal for overtaking.

I'd say they are perfectly entitled to give tickets for this. But I would hope that they would use some discretion as AFAIC overtaking maneouvres on single lane roads should be completed as quickly as possible and if that means breaking the posted limit momentarily then so be it.

Henry Ford III

If they picture or speed check you doing 120kph you will get a ticket.

Their attitude and the law says that if you need to go over 100 kph to overtake then you shouldn't attempt the manouver.

UberNewb

I got a speeding ticket for overtaking a lorry on a long straight road coming down from Cavan. I even said to the Garda that he clocked me when I was overtaking the lorry and he just dismissed it and said I was speeding.

Al though I agree with you in the sense that you want to be out of the danger zone a quickly and safely as possible they could always argue that if you have to break the speed limit to over take safely then it is not safe to over take so they could do you for dangerous driving as well! :eek:

Anyway lucky for me this was just before the penalty points came in.

pontovic

How do those speed cameras actually work. Does the guard just stand there and point it at the road , whereby it automatically registers your number place on a computer if you are even 1km over the limit ? Can Garda discretion play a part ? Is there a window of a certain percentage over the speed limit you are allowed before you get done ?

Alun

This is clearly one of those situations where the law is an ass. Is anyone seriously suggesting that when overtaking, quite legally, a car doing 80km/h in a 100km/h limit, that I should be staring down at my speedometer to make sure I don't inadvertently go over the speed limit? I don't think so. Get round him and do it in as short a time as possible. Once safely back on the correct side of the road, then check your speed and adjust as necessary.

Peace

On a drive from Dublin to Galway (don't ask me exactly where as it was dark) I was over taking 2-3 slow moving cars (approx 75kph). During the manoeuvre I touched 115-120. After I pulled in I started to slow down and by the time I was reaching maybe 105 I spotted the garda jeep on the other side of the road. About half a second later their blue lights went on and I was past them maybe after another 2 seconds.

They turned off the lights as soon as I was passed them.

The message was clear, they had caught me speeding and were giving me a gentle reminder that the speed limit was 100kph. They didn't pull me over or send a ticket to my house. I presume they spotted me starting the manoeuvre watched me build up the speed and then let it bleed off after pulling back in.

I would imagine it depends very much on who catches you and what mood they are in on that day.

UberNewb

Peace wrote:

I would imagine it depends very much on who catches you and what mood they are in on that day.

Exactly!

Boggle

When I sat my test (years ago) there was a sentence in the ROTR stating that the speed limit is 60mph UNLESS OVERTAKING but this was discussed ages ago and it appears to have been removed from newer editions (I actually bought one to check... how sad am I??).

It was also pointed out that the laws have no exception for overtaking, whether this was always the case I don't know.

Obviously the rules were written by an idiot with no concept of the dangers of being on the wrong side of the road for too long...

ballooba

perhaps the cops were also flashing you for overtaking three cars at a a time?

Mr Magnolia

pontovic wrote:

Is there a window of a certain percentage over the speed limit you are allowed before you get done ?

AFAIK, they're supposed to allow 10%, 5% for error on your speedo and 5% for error on the hairdryer(speed-gun)

Peace

ballooba wrote:

perhaps the cops were also flashing you for overtaking three cars at a a time?

Nothing illegal about that AFAIK.

Henry Ford III

I agree. You can overtake 20 at a time as long your speed and everything else is ok.

unkel

BrianD3 wrote:

I often break the speed limit by a fair margin while overtaking on single carriageway roads. Eg if I'm passing a truck doing 80 km/h in a 100 I could get up to 120+ before I pull back in and slow down to 100 km/h

So do I - with speeds even a lot higher than that sometimes when overtaking multiple vehicles. Basically I'm trying to overtake as safely as possible, which means as quickly as possible in my opinion. Foot all the way down until I've fully pulled back in

I just hope the Gardai will use discretion...

pontovic

as far as i know its against the law to speed while overtaking, although its bound to hapen that anyone who is overtaking will have to speed

iregk

Peace wrote:

Nothing illegal about that AFAIK.

It is actually illegal to overtake any more than 1 vehical at a time. now its often that there is insufficiant gap between two cars for you to get in between them but thats the law.