Just got pulled over by the Guards, please help

Tipsy Mac

Clunk click every trip, it's so simple....:D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5cjGcTHQZE

digweed

where do i begin, you do NOT get a ticket at the side of the road anymore!!! Gardai do NOT need to be wearing their caps while on duty, what happens when they are chasing someone and it falls off??? do they have to go back and get it first??? (methinks you know the answer to that one, could you imagine the posts on here "i saw a guard chasing a guy and his cap fell off and he went back to get it!!!). the op was supposed to be wearing his seatbelt and he wasn't, doesn't matter if he was travelling 10 yards or 10 miles. i've seen firsthand the after effect of not wearing a seatbelt, lady got into her car and didn't put it on, less than 1/4 mile up the road there was the imprint of her head in the windscreen, and i'm not talking a little bump in the window i'm talking about a 6-8 inch deep hole. seatbelts are there for a reason!!!

Sp@rtucus wrote

"edit: Incidentally, you get notification of such things in 2-3 weeks, you then have 56 days from the date of notification to remit any fines levied lest they be doubled and once the fine is paid in full, the points attributable are added to your licence 3 months (it could be 2 months - not certain on this) later. The delay is to allow for appeal processes etc as once points are allotted its hard to remove them. A little loophole worht bearing in mind is, if you send a cheque for the cost of the fine plus €1, ie; €81, they must naturally refund you the €1 in due process. As long as you dont cash that €1 cheque, the financial transaction cannot be finalised and the poitns therefore cant be allotted."

its up to you to cash the cheque, they have completed their obligation to you by refunding you the difference, as far as they are concerned you can wipe your ar$e with it. what they could also do is send you back the cheque and tell you to send on the correct amount and once it goes over the 28 days you are liable for a 50% extra increase. if you keep it up you could be prosecuted for frustration of a prosecution.

D.

ballooba

jetsonx wrote:

Funny how you rarely see them on country roads at 3 am on a Sunday morning.

Why would a guard be on a country road at 3am?

12,000 Gardai. 4,000,000 Citizens.

1 Garda for every 333 people.

How many people will be travelling on this country road you speak of?

Stephen

ballooba wrote:

Why would a guard be on a country road at 3am?

Perhaps because most of the people being killed on our roads are being killed on country roads in the wee hours? There's many well known black spots where people are getting killed again and again. You can even download a spreadsheet of them from the Garda website.

ballooba

Stephen wrote:

Perhaps because most of the people being killed on our roads are being killed on country roads in the wee hours? There's many well known black spots where people are getting killed again and again. You can even download a spreadsheet of them from the Garda website.

I would think that the attitudes of the passengers in cars with drunk drivers and the people who see the drivers doing it are more to blame than a lack of a garda presence.

The Gardai can't be expected to babysit us completely.
a) there isn't enough of them.
b) they shouldn't have to.

A certain Fine Gael Councillor was thrown out of the party for voicing certain views last week. I hear those same views from my uncle every time I am out having a drink with him. I openly disagree with him, but most of the people in his local seem to share his views.

2981-awny

Thanks for all the help. Btw I never once blamed the guards or had a victim mentality as some ppl have suggested. It was my own fault but we all make mistakes. I am a second provisional so i dont need a driver with me and Id regard myself as a good and safe driver . I know the rules of the road (as i say i simply forgot to put the belt on) but i wasnt sure about the procedure for the punishments. so cheers

Savman

2981-awny wrote:

i wasnt sure about the procedure for the punishments. so cheers

In this case, the punishment will save your life.

Wishbone Ash

2981-awny wrote:

went to the back of my car for a while(im guessing to take my reg)

He may have been doing a routine 'reg check' via his radio to the PULSE system at control.

2981-awny wrote:

What happens now? Will I get penalty points and/or pay a fine?

Sit tight - you may hear nothing more. I was stopped last year for unknowingly making an illegal right turn and not wearing a seatbelt . I'ved heard nothing since. The Garda may have ran a reg check which may have turned out to be all above board and he may therefore have given you a chance.;)

Duckjob wrote:

In the UK, the traffic police always give you the courtesy of explaining why you were pulled over and whats going to happen next.

True but they are much more likely to apply the law without exception. I find many Gardai are happy to let one off with a warning in certain situations.

silas wrote:

Yeah you definitely got penalty points.

How do you know? Are you the Garda in question? Do you administer the Penalty Point system?

ninty9er

Wishbone Ash wrote:

Sit tight - you may hear nothing more. I was stopped last year for unknowingly making an illegal right turn and not wearing a seatbelt . I'ved heard nothing since. The Garda may have ran a reg check which may have turned out to be all above board and he may therefore have given you a chance.;)

what if you had unknowingly had twice the legal limit and were driving unbeknownst to yourself at 15k over the limit. should he still have let you off because the reg check came back okay

Wishbone Ash wrote:

True but they are much more likely to apply the law without exception. I find many Gardai are happy to let one off with a warning in certain situations.

How do you know? Are you the Garda in question? Do you administer the Penalty Point system?

Pity people think like that. That's the cultutre that's had a councillor thrown out of Fine Gael. whether 10 time the legal limit or driving without a seatbelt, you are commiting a violation of the Act and the law should apply to all.

We all whinge when it happens to us, but if it were me I'd be more pissed off with myself for being so stupid.

The law being applied uniformly is what makes it equitable and the above statements show just how some people think they are "different" to other offenders

BarryM3

My god will some of you people get down off your bloody moral high ground, the guy is hardly on the most wanted list.

To the OP - There is a good chance you will be ok. He should have officially cautioned you that he may prosecute you. And worst case scenario if the Guard decides to crack down on our high crime levels etc and prosecute ya it won't affect your insurance.

Without opening a whole new can of worms the Gardai in generally should really be careful as to how they as a force as operating, as far as I can see they are doing a very good job on loosing the publics respect.... and thats a dangerous game for them to play.

overdriver

I would have to wade in in support of the oP and the wise words of BarryM3. I would say that the OP did not come on here for a spot of " I told you so's". He was just asking a question. Some of the posts om here have been high horse material to say the least.

The fact is that NONE of us know what's going to happen. I hope he doesn't hear any more about it, as he seems to have taken the lesson on board.


Best of luck, mate. I hope the Garda just decided to give you a second chance. They're not total ba5tard5, and I have had the benefit of the doubt on an occasion or two, thank God.

We are NONE of us perfect, and that goes for some of the holier-than-thou posters here.

ninty9er

I presume I'm one of the being branded holier-than-thou for asking the Garda to IMPLEMENT THE FU<KING LAW.

I'm not saying I'm perfect, far from it, but get caught, pay the price, get over it, move on, don't do it again.

I was responding to other posters not the OP

overdriver

Presumption is the mother of all f*ck ups.
I was referring to some of the mor, shall we say, vocal protagonists here, who were attacking the guy for whinging when he just asked a question.

dubstub

Sp@rtacus wrote:

A little loophole worht bearing in mind is, if you send a cheque for the cost of the fine plus €1, ie; €81, they must naturally refund you the €1 in due process. As long as you dont cash that €1 cheque, the financial transaction cannot be finalised and the poitns therefore cant be allotted. Shh

Have you actually tried this? AFAIK this is just an urban legend, while it may have been true somewhere at some time, it will *not* work now.

overdriver

Probably not. I saw it a few years ago on a US website. It might have been true for that State, at that time, as you say.

Fey!

ninty9er wrote:

what if you had unknowingly had twice the legal limit and were driving unbeknownst to yourself at 15k over the limit. should he still have let you off because the reg check came back okay

That sounds like trolling. It has absolutely SFA to do with what Overdriver said.

ninty9er wrote:

Pity people think like that. That's the cultutre that's had a councillor thrown out of Fine Gael. whether 10 time the legal limit or driving without a seatbelt, you are commiting a violation of the Act and the law should apply to all.

I agree that the laws should be adhered to, but this thread was about a guy who forgot his seatbelt, not another drunk driver.

And wasn't there a Fianna Fail councillor recently reprimanded for making similar comments to those of the Fine Gael councillor, and for agreeing with his FG colleague?

ninty9er wrote:

We all whinge when it happens to us, but if it were me I'd be more pissed off with myself for being so stupid.

I think the OP is more pissed off at himself than at the Garda.

ninty9er wrote:

The law being applied uniformly is what makes it equitable and the above statements show just how some people think they are "different" to other offenders

Did you read the OP? However, there are other boards contributors who believe themselves to be above the law (primarily the "60kph limit on the M50, WTF" threads). And then there are the self-confessed Gaurdians of the People such as yourself (remember admitting doing laps around Limerick to find either drink drivers or speeders???)

Savman

BarryM3 wrote:

My god will some of you people get down off your bloody moral high ground, the guy is hardly on the most wanted list.

What are you on about? There is no "moral high ground" where seatbelts are concerned, it's fairly black and white I would've thought - unlike other offences which may have valid arguments.

If you tell people on a public motors forum that you were pulled for not wearing a seatbelt, you have to expect some kind of questions raised about what kind of driver you are and rightly so. In this case the OP seems to have responded maturely so no harm done.

What bugs me more are the uneducated folks who posted wrong information about how you get tickets. That's far more damaging than anything else :rolleyes:

ninty9er

dubstub wrote:

Have you actually tried this? AFAIK this is just an urban legend, while it may have been true somewhere at some time, it will *not* work now.

My aunt did it a few years back. She's out a few quid, but no points....

And Fey! - I do remember the particular experiment I carried out when that operation was on. I was looking for the Gardaí not drink drivers

gyppo

ninty9er wrote:

Pity people think like that. That's the cultutre that's had a councillor thrown out of Fine Gael. whether 10 time the legal limit or driving without a seatbelt, you are commiting a violation of the Act and the law should apply to all.

I don't remember Jim McDaid being thrown out of FF for actual dring driving and going down the wrong side of a dual carraigeway.

Zambia

gyppo wrote:

I don't remember Jim McDaid being thrown out of FF for actual dring driving and going down the wrong side of a dual carraigeway.

Thats cause the Garda that got him didnt wear a hat and his left shoe lace was loose ...

I agree with an earlier comment the OP should be told what had happened. Courtesy is not a lot to ask from the Gardai.

There is the possiblity that while he was at the back of the car he got called to another more serious incident.

Savman

2981-awny wrote:

I was just driving home from college there and I forgot to put my seatbelt on. A garda told me to pull over. Took my licence(provisional) went to the back of my car for a while(im guessing to take my reg) than gave me back my licence told me his name and told me to go.

What happens now? Will I get penalty points and/or pay a fine? Will i be notified? I read online that if you dont pay an fee of €90 within a month you are summoned to court. Im very confused. Suggestions would be very helpful.

Ok I'm gonna just say this, chances are you were let off. We've all been pulled and shown licence etc. and driven off in uncertainty as to whether or not we'll hear of it again. For such a minor charge, it would be surprising if you heard about it again.

Sometimes I think the whole idea is to leave you in limbo for a while to make you go over the incident endlessly in your head. Certainly seems to work!

ninty9er

gyppo wrote:

I don't remember Jim McDaid being thrown out of FF for actual dring driving and going down the wrong side of a dual carraigeway.

But he is off the road...rightly so..eejit

Wishbone Ash

ninty9er wrote:

what if you had unknowingly had twice the legal limit and were driving unbeknownst to yourself at 15k over the limit. should he still have let you off because the reg check came back okay

I think that there is a big difference between unknowingly making an illegal right turn and being over twice the alcohol limit and also exceeding the speed limit. :rolleyes:

I did not seek to be let off nor would I have whinged if the law had been implemented in it's entireity. I would have accepted the consequences. I was embarassed by my actions and admitted that I was wrong at the scene. I just happened to be lucky. Maybe it's because I am very polite and co-operative anytime I have any dealings with the Gardai. If you had been let off with a warning in a similar situation would you have insisted that you be prosecuted.

Re; the reg check - I was referring to the OPs situation. A reg check did not happen in my case.

ninty9er wrote:

whether 10 time the legal limit or driving without a seatbelt, you are commiting a violation of the Act and the law should apply to all.

Again, I did not request to be let off with a warning - I was lucky.

ninty9er wrote:

We all whinge when it happens to us

No we all don't. I would have accepted the consequences. I am not a whinger. I deserved to be prosecuted for commiting those two offences.

ninty9er wrote:

The law being applied uniformly is what makes it equitable and the above statements show just how some people think they are "different" to other offenders

In theory you are correct but in practise a Garda has to use his/her discretion and look at the bigger picture. Policing would be a very simple process if the general public were less intricate. Unfortunately, that is not the case.

Finally, the OP wasn't whinging either. He/she was merely seeking information.

gyppo

ninty9er wrote:

But he is off the road...rightly so..eejit

I know that. My point was that if that is the culture that resulted in a counciller being ejected from the FG party, why was Dr. McDaid not ejected from the FF party.
Looking at your sig, I thought you might be in a position to answer

ballooba

gyppo wrote:

I don't remember Jim McDaid being thrown out of FF for actual dring driving and going down the wrong side of a dual carraigeway.

Party Politics are irrelevant here, this is not the politics forum.

I was the one who brought up the Fine Gael councillor and I'm actually a member of Fine Gael. It's obvious to people from his dismissal that his views are not those of his former party.

We'll leave the Jim Mc Daid discussion for another place and another time.

Wishbone Ash

gyppo wrote:

why was Dr. McDaid not ejected from the FF party

Or more importantly what about GV Wright. He knocked down a pedestrian while over the limit. (AFAIK McDaid was not involved in any accident - not for one moment excusing his behaviour)

ninty9er

TOTALLY OT as have been many posts on here...apologies OP...

It's not information that I'm privvy to, but I would think the make up of the Dáil was the reason he wasn't ejected; it would have caused or almost caused the government to fall. His behaviour is to be condemned, but if fallacy of argument is to be avoided it is the action not the actor that is to be condemned. He did however get "sent to the wilderness" from the front bench

deman

The importance of seatbelts-

In September I had a head-on collision with another car that had swerved out in front of me. My wife was in the passenger seat and my two older kids (10 and 7) were in the back, all strapped up. If it hadn't been for the seat belts, we'd all be dead. I broke a rib and fractured my pelvis, my daughter (10) fractured her spine and suffered from internal bleeding in the stomach, my son had stomach injuries too and my wife had severe bruising to the chest, collar bone and pelvis. All these injuries were caused by seatbelts. Can you imagine the force that they stopped? I wouldn't even consider starting the car now until everyone's belted up.

Fratton Fred

Big Nelly wrote:

Why using the UK cops as a guide is beyond me as they are notorious for been brutal but sure they aint Irish so they are 10 times better. Sure they are great, they leave Irish sitting in jail for years when they know they are innocent. Great police force alright!!!

Ironic and hipocrytical post. Some people's politics enter every debate.:rolleyes:

The roads in Ireland are amongst the worst in Europe, the Roads in Britain are amongt the safest. Maybe the British police do something right?

Sp@rtacus

digweed wrote:

Sp@rtucus wrote

"edit: Incidentally, you get notification of such things in 2-3 weeks, you then have 56 days from the date of notification to remit any fines levied lest they be doubled and once the fine is paid in full, the points attributable are added to your licence 3 months (it could be 2 months - not certain on this) later. The delay is to allow for appeal processes etc as once points are allotted its hard to remove them. A little loophole worht bearing in mind is, if you send a cheque for the cost of the fine plus €1, ie; €81, they must naturally refund you the €1 in due process. As long as you dont cash that €1 cheque, the financial transaction cannot be finalised and the poitns therefore cant be allotted."

its up to you to cash the cheque, they have completed their obligation to you by refunding you the difference, as far as they are concerned you can wipe your ar$e with it. what they could also do is send you back the cheque and tell you to send on the correct amount and once it goes over the 28 days you are liable for a 50% extra increase. if you keep it up you could be prosecuted for frustration of a prosecution.

D.

Digweed, you sound like a member. You certainly seem self-righteous enough to be one.
Anyway, this went way off-topic long ago and I'm not interested in debating hats and uniforms any further. I did, however, want to add that the basis of my comment re: the uncashed refund check was the direct experience I have from being employed as a management consultant on the original system design project. But maybe you know more than me :rolleyes: