everyone speeding, no gardai around

mkennedy

hi.
just an observation i'd like to make.

i was driving back home this afternoon on the N18 Ennis to Limerick road and i must have counted 25 cars passing me doing atleast 120kph, some doing up to 140kph.

not THAT unusual, you might have thought, but this on a bank holiday weekend when the guards are meant to be on the roads. wasn't this weekend meant to have the biggest presence of cops ever on our roads?
i didn't see one.

i was genuinely amazed at how many cars were doing this speed on today of all days.
admittedly the road is a good one and 120kph isn't exactly dangerous on this road but it was still technically illegal.

but what got me more than anything was the mindset that they probably would never be caught.

i travel this route regularly and oddly enough i rarely see that many cars speeding on this route: you see a few doing 120kph and maybe one doing 140kph but today of all days it just seemed like everyone was speeding. i was left wondering to myself where everyone was rushing to. it felta bit like the gumball rally tbh.

i started to wonder to myself whether this was some peculiar feature of the irish mindset to speed even more if there's a risk of getting caught.

anyone else with a similar experience? i'd like to hear your views.

ninty9er

I totally agree. posted to that effect yesterday too

Hobbes

Coming home today was a fricken nightmare.

Coming onto the M50 from blanch north bound. I'm about to join onto the left lane. There is car behind me somewhat close and nothing at all in the right lane. Thinking "hmmm, hes a bit close but he should move to the right lane". Nope instead he guns it to over take me just as I am pulling out forcing me to swerve back into the hard shoulder or risk hitting him.

I wouldn't mind but the road was more or less empty (pissing rain though).

Then further on at the Finglas exit this car swerves almost 90 degrees over the white island part and back to get onto the exit lane causing another car to hit the brakes (I was well away from this).

A bit further on I overtake two cars when this wanker in a jeep comes flying up my ass while its pissing rain and starts flashing his lights like crazy. I'm already at the speed limit and I can't go to the left lane as it wouldn't be safe to do so. I couldn't even slow down as he was so close to me he would hit me.

Soon as it was clear to move to the left lane he shot off at easily 150kph.

Had another idiot stop on the N32 roundabout for no apparant reason.

you think people would slow down with the rain but everyone was fricken mental today.

Wishbone Ash

mkennedy wrote:

i must have counted 25 cars passing me doing atleast 120kph, some doing up to 140kph.

but what got me more than anything was the mindset that they probably would never be caught.

1. They may have been fitted with radar detectors.

2. Your speedometer may be reading way too low (most under estimate anyway).

3. The chances of getting caught are still very slim even on a bank holiday weekend.

junkyard

I was out and about today too and didn't see any cops around. I'd go as far as saying I never see any cops out at a long weekend...... with all there promises.:rolleyes:

mkennedy

whatever about the actual lack of garda presence and the fact that cars were speeding per se, it was the AMOUNT of cars speeding on a bank holiday weekend compared to any other day that really shocked me.

i just got the impression none of these drivers payed any attention to those announcements about crackdowns/enforcement etc, that's all.

anyone else notice such a curious phenomenon or maybe it was a once off.

junkyard

If people don't see a Garda presence on the roads they will take a chance, human nature really. Even if they sent more Garda cars out spinning around it would be a deterrent.
It just goes to show you can't believe a word these f**kers in government tell us, they're all too busy up at the Galway races probably spending our taxes as expenses.

Stark

I saw one garda car stop a girl on the road while I was on the bus on Friday. They seemed to be talking to her for a good bit, no sign of a breathalyser but she was wearing L-plates and on her own so maybe they were giving her a bit of a telling off over that.

Didn't see any yesterday or today and I was driving around a good bit.

miju

drove from dublin to wexford on friday night (so was half expecting a random breath test LOL ) and again back to dublin today , thought i saw one garda car today but when i got closer it was one of those paramedic cars

everyone seemed to be speeding pretty badly this weekend allright , i'll admit myself to doing about 125-130kmh on the M11 / M50 on the way down & back but they're were quite a few cars bombing by me even at that speed.

weekend blitz me arse

testicle

I drove 400 miles odd over the last 2 days, number of cops seen: nil.

Mailman

There are smaller music festivals on here and there; they're probably policing them this weekend.

musiknonstop

Travelling from Dublin to Cork on Saturday I saw overtaking on continuous white line, speeding (not unusual to be honest), dangerous tailgating, at Mitchelstown some idiot in an old BMW doing a handbrake turn onto the main street, L drivers overtaking dangerously.

It was worse than usual.

The number of Gardai: 1 driving patrol car in Mitchelstown.

"If you speed, we will catch you." Yeah right.

OMcGovern

It's like the migration of the wildebeast across crocodile infested waters......
Only a few hundred get caught compared with the hundreds of thousands who don't. A bigger deterant might be if you were caught speeding twice, then they install a sort of gps black box in your car, at your cost, then you're constantly monitored.

ninty9er

OMcGovern wrote:

It's like the migration of the wildebeast across crocodile infested waters......
Only a few hundred get caught compared with the hundreds of thousands who don't. A bigger deterant might be if you were caught speeding twice, then they install a sort of gps black box in your car, at your cost, then you're constantly monitored.

Smells unconstitutional to me. It's an idea, but I'd be against it.

miju

ah it's ok 99er chances of you or anyone getting caught slim and absolutely none

Hobbes

ninty9er wrote:

Smells unconstitutional to me. It's an idea, but I'd be against it.

Thought they were trying to do this years ago on all new cars. Never heard what came of it.

jayok

Hobbes wrote:

Then further on at the Finglas exit this car swerves almost 90 degrees over the white island part and back to get onto the exit lane causing another car to hit the brakes (I was well away from this).

Would you believe that I was the guy in the car that had to hit the brakes. I too was doing that route yesterday. On board the car was my wife and son - muppet could have taken out three other lives. Unfortunately this type of driving is all too visible IMO.

overdriver

Coming home from town last night, there was a bike cop sitting in a turn off off the Firhouse road with the speed gun clipped to his windscreen. He was sitting the calm as you like, hands crossed in his lap waiting on some muppet to speed. It's a 60 kph zone as it is, WELL fast enough. I hope he caught a dozen of them. That road is insane at night.

TempestSabre

To be honest its the same everywhere. Hardly anyone sticks to the limits.

Redrocket

i saw one garda car coming into mullingar on friday evening, they were thinking about stopping cars, but it appeared as if there were too many speeding and they couldnd stop any, the back log of traffic from even stopping one car would have been crazy

bazz26

Drove from Limerick to Tralee and back yesterday which is a 120 mile round trip. Noticed one or two cop cars but not one speed trap or check point. I did notice however that most drivers were keeping within the speed limits.

Drax

Drove from Dublin to Cork on Friday afternoon. Saw one speed trap and another pulling over. I thought it was good that here was some sort of presence but was annoyed at their locations - the first one was a bike cop hiding just over the crest of a hill on the Cashel bypass. A dual-carraigeway. The second was a garda car that had pulled some guy over on the dual-carraigeway at Watergrasshill. Why do they insist on doing people on the safest sections of roads?? There are so many dangerous sections of road on the cork road (although they are getting fewer) but they still seem to want to do people in the the easiest sections. I just dont get it. :mad:

Cantab.

Drax wrote:

Drove from Dublin to Cork on Friday afternoon. Saw one speed trap and another pulling over. I thought it was good that here was some sort of presence but was annoyed at their locations - the first one was a bike cop hiding just over the crest of a hill on the Cashel bypass. A dual-carraigeway. The second was a garda car that had pulled some guy over on the dual-carraigeway at Watergrasshill. Why do they insist on doing people on the safest sections of roads?? There are so many dangerous sections of road on the cork road (although they are getting fewer) but they still seem to want to do people in the the easiest sections. I just dont get it. :mad:

Was coming from Naas to Dublin last night (via Kingswood), got stopped three times and breathalysed twice.

Big Balls

I drove from Dublin to just outside Ennis on Friday and back again today and saw plenty of guards and two seperate incidents where people were getting points.

I also pressed on when I could, made good time, stuck to the limits in towns and villages and did nobody any harm! :eek:

Jumpy

jayok wrote:

Would you believe that I was the guy in the car that had to hit the brakes. I too was doing that route yesterday. On board the car was my wife and son - muppet could have taken out three other lives. Unfortunately this type of driving is all too visible IMO.

If either of you got the license plate number, you can report this guy in.
It is an offense with multiple witnesses.

kaizersoze1

Speed trap on the M1 today Northbound. First time Ive ever seen one on it.

Stark

Saw two gardaí in a car parked on the M50 just a few miles past the N4 exit going southbound. The traffic was backed up for about a mile coming towards them, barely moving at 20km/h, then once past them, the traffic returned to full speed. Seemingly the retarded drivers couldn't read the 1 on the 120km/h speed limit signs.

I saw another speed trap then driving up the N11 towards Dublin. Luckily I was going at the speed limit, but it would have been very easy to go over, especially as it near the bottom of a hill. I really hope they caught the prick in a Golf who had been driving nose to bumper behind me flashing his lights before finally overtaking me and shooting off at about 140km/h.

Anan1

Given a clear road and the right conditions, I'd often drive at well over 140km/h. I've been doing it for years, and still have no points and a 19 year NCB. Sure it's illegal, but it's not dangerous IMO.

Wishbone Ash

Anan1 wrote:

I'd often drive at well over 140km/h.

As my father would say "you'll only have one accident".

TempestSabre

Anan1 wrote:

Given a clear road and the right conditions, I'd often drive at well over 140km/h. I've been doing it for years, and still have no points and a 19 year NCB. Sure it's illegal, but it's not dangerous IMO.

Which insurance companies gives a 19yr NCB?

Wishbone Ash

TempestSabre wrote:

Which insurance companies gives a 19yr NCB?

I presume he means that he has not had a claim in 19 years.