Speeding in Norn Iron

Thumper Long

Dont mean to start a flame war between the 'you should always observe the speed limit, righteous brigade' & the 'i'll drive as fast as i like crowd, cos i'm a great driver brigade',

I was just wondering waht is the story with getting caught for speeding in Norn Iron by speed cameras. Do southern drivers enjoy the same diplomatic immunity that the norther drivers seem to enjoy down here. I only ask this as I was travelling back from derry at the weekend and i was passed by many a budding F1 driver on southern plates while in the north and the roles seemed to reverse once i crossed the border on my way back to dublin, the auld yellow reg motors seemed to be flying down the m1 with no regard for speed cameras. So can you flaunt the law in the north without fear of recrimination or can you receive a fine from the PSNI etc in the post, do the respective forces share info??

Thanks for any constructive info.

rgds

TL

smashey

I think it's a case of penalty points being non-transferrable.

FX Meister

No, they will impound your car if you speed straight away. FACT. If you can't obey speed limits you shouldn't be driving. FACT

smashey

FX Meister wrote:

No, they will impound your car if you speed straight away. FACT. If you can't obey speed limits you shouldn't be driving. FACT

The OP was very clear in his post. He wasn't speeding and also the following.

Dont mean to start a flame war between the 'you should always observe the speed limit, righteous brigade' & the 'i'll drive as fast as i like crowd, cos i'm a great driver brigade',

faceman

Theres no messing with the NIPS. They have impounded southern reg cars for such tom foolery.

Our man in Havana

There was a story in this forum of a poster that was caught speeding in Banbridge and was invited to spend the night in cells unless he coughed up £300stg bail.

SoBe

bond bet me to it but thread is here

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=52211001

Esel

OP is asking about cameras. Actual cops are a different story. Free B&B is definitely on the cards then.

Anan1

FX Meister wrote:

No, they will impound your car if you speed straight away. FACT.

This is not fact. They may indeed impound your car, then again they may not.

Esel

Anan1 wrote:

This is not fact. They may indeed impound your car, then again they may not.

It may not be fact, but it could be FACT.

Seth Brundle

The PSNI do tend to take a hard line if they manage to stop a speeding driver. There are plenty of unmarked cars going around and they have had the technology to capture drivers speed for several years.
I don't recall ever seeing fixed Gatso cameras in Ni but they do have mobile camera vans and also SPECS cameras on the A1 near Newry. Whilst they will still photo a RoI driver, the PSNI don't have access to the RoI driver file.
Coincidentally when I was heading to Belfast to my in-laws last Friday I passed a biker cop with a speed gun on the A1. I was doing close just over 80mph (70mph limit there) and he didn't bat an eyelid.

Incidentally I once saw a van on the A1 with its rear doors open. On the side of it was written something like road fund (motor tax) detection. I presume since the SORN this has been sitting idle though.

testicle

kbannon wrote:

Incidentally I once saw a van on the A1 with its rear doors open. On the side of it was written something like road fund (motor tax) detection. I presume since the SORN this has been sitting idle though.

Doesn't NI have it's own DVLA ?

OldmanMondeo

The only fixed camera I seen in the north, was set on a bus lane. It was to detect cars that used the bus lane and not speeding.

Lord Nikon

I guess it would be okay tipping along at 80mph, but doing the tonne with get you some interesest.

Tony Danza

I think the Police can impound a car if it's going over 100mph, but am open to correction. Seems reasonable.

MrPudding

testicle wrote:

Doesn't NI have it's own DVLA ?

Yes. The DVLA NI. They do have road tax cameras out quite a bit.

OldmanMondeo wrote:

The only fixed camera I seen in the north, was set on a bus lane. It was to detect cars that used the bus lane and not speeding.

They have quite a few, not as many as the mainland UK but more then in the South. There are 3 or 4 sets of average speed cameras around Newry for example.

MrP

Marcus.Aurelius

PSNI will impound your car or arrest you if you overdo it. Cameras cannot follow you up as your reg is probably ROI and the points cannot be transferred. Even if the points do become transferrable in future, legislation can not be backdated to offences committed before it came into force.

Happy driving.

OldmanMondeo

MrPudding wrote:

They have quite a few, not as many as the mainland UK but more then in the South. There are 3 or 4 sets of average speed cameras around Newry for example.

MrP

This was a Gatso camera, seemed to be set to anyone who drives in the bus lane. Doesn't seem to be for speeding as the marking are in the bus lane.

testicle

maoleary wrote:

Even if the points do become transferrable in future, legislation can not be backdated to offences committed before it came into force.

Tell that to those who have been put off the road for drink driving under the old Act, and try and get their license back early these days,

Marcus.Aurelius

The act was not in force at the time the offence was committed. At any rate, speeding is not quite in the same league as drink driving.

el tel

OldmanMondeo wrote:

The only fixed camera I seen in the north, was set on a bus lane. It was to detect cars that used the bus lane and not speeding.

There are only a handful (perhaps 4, all in Belfast?) of fixed cameras in Northern Ireland. Two of which I go by regularly; on the Saintfield and Upper Newtownards Roads. Both are located on carriageways , the former having a bus lane at the camera location. They are both speed cameras, as opposed to 'bus lane cameras' which I have never heard tell of in this part of the world.

Terrontress

OldmanMondeo wrote:

This was a Gatso camera, seemed to be set to anyone who drives in the bus lane. Doesn't seem to be for speeding as the marking are in the bus lane.

They have those along the motorway for when the hard shoulder becomes a bus lane at peak congestion times.

There are not very many Gatsos around. There is one on the Upper Newtownards Road, Dargan Road and Saintfield Road in Belfast that I know of.

To be fair, the average speed cameras that operate between Loughbrickland and the border are on the most dangerous stretches between Belfast and Dublin.

But there are so many mobile cameras between Belfast and Newry that it is not worth speeding if you have an NI reg.

testicle

maoleary wrote:

The act was not in force at the time the offence was committed. At any rate, speeding is not quite in the same league as drink driving.

No, but the new act is being applied retrospectively to those convicted under the old act. QED.

seamus

testicle wrote:

No, but the new act is being applied retrospectively to those convicted under the old act. QED.

Shouldn't technically be possible. What Act(s) are you talking about here?

Seth Brundle

I presume its the one in this article...
New penalties for drink driving 'unconstitutional'

Shield

To answer the original question:

There is no sharing of databases between us and the Gardai. If you are caught by a static speed camera, the chances are it will just be overlooked in favour of offenders who are traceable.

If I or one of my colleagues catch you, we have a power of arrest until you enter into a recognizance (hand over money that would be more than the fine) to appear before a magistrate and answer the charge. You get your recognizance back after your case is heard. The car is obviously impounded while you are in custody, but you get that back too.

Esel

testicle wrote:

Doesn't NI have it's own DVLA ?

This is being shut down. The function is to be transferred to DVLA in Swansea.

el tel

esel wrote:

This is being shut down. The function is to be transferred to DVLA in Swansea.

Which is great news as it will mean that getting a cherished transfer to a NI vehicle from a mainland UK retention certificate will be possible.

Seth Brundle

Are you sure it wasn't possible already?
I recall reading a while back (in Auto Express possibly) that (mainland) UK drivers were transferring BAZ, GAZ, etc. away from Antrim.

Esel

kbannon wrote:

Are you sure it wasn't possible already?
I recall reading a while back (in Auto Express possibly) that (mainland) UK drivers were transferring BAZ, GAZ, etc. away from Antrim.

Think el tel is talking about the opposite direction?

Zascar

This is what happened to me...