Slow with renewing your motor tax? Not anymore!

DukeDredd

From ireland.com:

An Garda Síochána is to get more than 50 Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems to detect stolen cars and clamp down on untaxed and speeding vehicles.

The decision to buy the system follows a successful pilot of the technology in four Garda divisions last year. The new technology is expected to be in place by autumn, with a European tender issued in the next four weeks.

Chief Supt John Farrelly of the Garda Traffic Corps said the technology would restrict the ability of criminals to use the road network. The system operates by downloading a file of stolen or missing cars and untaxed vehicles from the Garda's Pulse computer database every day into computers connected to the ANPR system.

A Garda vehicle fitted with two small in-car infrared cameras - one facing to the front and the other to the rear - then scans number plates on passing cars during its patrols. This allows for analysis of registration plates of all vehicles passing in both directions, regardless of whether the Garda vehicle is moving or parked. When a registration number from one of the files is detected, it alerts the Garda, allowing them to stop the motorist.

Chief Supt Farrelly said there would be roughly two for every Garda division. He said the system would be able to trace stolen or suspect vehicles with Northern Ireland registration plates also.

The ANPR systems will also check for untaxed vehicles, although not as yet for insurance or having an up-to-date NCT certificate. The cameras will also double as mobile speed cameras, although they will not issue fixed charge penalties.

Farrelly declined to comment on the cost of the project, saying it could prejudice the tender process. However, The Irish Times understands that ANPR units cost between €40,000 to €70,000, suggesting an overall cost of up to €3.5 million if 50 are bought.

The Garda currently has four ANPR cameras which were used in the pilot project. This tested the ability of the UK-designed technology to read Irish number-plates.

Chief Supt Farrelly said that these units remained operational. He said the cameras are particularly useful for high-volume traffic areas, such as dual-carriagways where checkpoints are not always feasible.

The new technology raises data protection issues and the Garda has held meetings with the data protection commissioner. "There are data protection-related issues. That is part of the roll-out process, and we have had meetings with the data protection commissioner in relation to it and that is ongoing," he said.

Aside from traffic offences, ANPR systems will also give the Garda the ability to track the movement of large numbers of vehicles being used by criminals.

"It will have an impact in trying to prevent criminals from having access to the road. The more units we have out there doing this, the more it curtails their ability to traverse undetected from one end of the country to another."

Separately, the Garda said 346 motorists had been arrested over the bank holiday weekend. So far this year 123 people have been killed on the roads, 26 fewer than at this stage last year.

legs11

the uk have had a system like this for ages, about time we got it also.

thousands of cars here are lacking current tax/insurance/nct. be them skangers,foreign cars etc. you only have to read your local paper

not acceptable.

Stephen

For Irish cars at least, why the hell do they rely on checkpoints and the like for untaxed vehicles? They should do what they do in the UK - automatically issue a fine/send a Garda or two to the registered address when the tax is unpaid for a set period. If you are going to be off the road, declare it first, not after the fact!

aniascor

Well considering that when I recently reported that the car parked on the public road outside my house had no insurance and no tax (both out of date for over a year) I was told that there was nothing could be done unless the number plates "went missing", I'd say it's about time they started paying a bit more attention and clamping down on this.

Seth Brundle

legs11 wrote:

thousands of cars here are lacking current tax/insurance/nct. be them skangers,foreign cars etc. you only have to read your local paper

The gardai cannot tell if you have valid insurance or not.

Stephen wrote:

For Irish cars at least, why the hell do they rely on checkpoints and the like for untaxed vehicles? They should do what they do in the UK - automatically issue a fine/send a Garda or two to the registered address when the tax is unpaid for a set period. If you are going to be off the road, declare it first, not after the fact!

I agree that the SORN mechanism is good, the tax checkpoints are a good idea to get up close and personal with the driver. It was helpful before the gardai could random breath test you.

vector

>The system operates by downloading a file of stolen or missing cars and >untaxed vehicles from the Garda's Pulse computer database every day into >computers connected to the ANPR system.

So if one steals a car one has a day to arrange the fake plates, grand.
although if the car was stolen to order then fake plates (cloned from a same make/model/colour) would already be to hand

BrianD3

Will this system be able to read non standard number plates. The amount of muppets going around with "fancy" plates is amazing. Have to laugh when I see eejits who have gone out and brought a brand new car and have specified barely legible, fancy plates, presumably for that "individual touch" :rolleyes: I see them being waved through Garda checkpoints, are the Gardai not aware that there is a proper format for plates or are they just not arsed enforcing the law.

An increasing trend is skangers with Irish registrations but on NI format yellow plates. On first glance it can look like a NI reg.

Interceptor

The Guards have better things to be doing than chasing up unpaid tax. This is a shocking waste of taxpayers money in order to generate further revenue for a wasteful administration. The same goes for speed cameras - revenue generators to take more money from over-taxed motorists. Just wait for the hundreds of posts from drivers who are fined for moving an untaked car a few yards or fined when an untaxed car on a trailer is detected by an automatic system.

I'm glad I only pay my car tax occasionally as I would hate it to be wasted on crap like this instead of proper road surfaces, better signage and more intensive driving tests.

'cptr

Stark

Interceptor wrote:

I'm glad I only pay my car tax occasionally as I would hate it to be wasted on crap like this instead of proper road surfaces, better signage and more intensive driving tests.

You mean:

"I only pay my car tax occasionally. I'd hate for them to start forcing me to pay it as I prefer to let other motorists pay for my road surfaces and signage".

GB15

kbannon wrote:

The gardai cannot tell if you have valid insurance or not.

You can't renew your tax without having insurance. Although I'm not sure if this is actually checked before a tax disk is issued. I presume the Gardai assume a valid tax disk also means the car is insured.

Stark

GB15 wrote:

You can't renew your tax without having insurance.

That's no longer the case. They simplified the system when they went with the online renewal.

GB15

Ah I'm wrong so. Since when has online tax renewal not required insurance details?

MAYPOP

GB15 wrote:

Ah I'm wrong so. Since when has online tax renewal not required insurance details?

It did last week!

Fey!

It's about time these systems were brought in, but surely stab vests and asps would make more sense first?

My g/f had hassle taxing her car without having her insurance cert with her in the tax office a few weeks ago, even though the policy number et al was filled in on the renewal form.

Interceptor; if you refuse to pay tax, what gives you the right to moan about the roads, gardai, etc?

MAYPOP

Fey! wrote:

Interceptor; if you refuse to pay tax, what gives you the right to moan about the roads, gardai, etc?

car tax....

Stark

MAYPOP wrote:

It did last week!

Hmm, they must have double backed on themselves. They were boasting last year about how the new online system was so much easier as you didn't need so much crap to renew, and sure enough when I went to renew my insurance last October, I didn't need to enter anything other than my PIN and my payment details.

oleras

Stark wrote:

Hmm, they must have double backed on themselves. They were boasting last year about how the new online system was so much easier as you didn't need so much crap to renew, and sure enough when I went to renew my insurance last October, I didn't need to enter anything other than my PIN and my payment details.

you always, and still do have to enter your policy number.

Our man in Havana

But you can enter any old crap and you get your tax no problems. They don't check. :eek:

Interceptor

Fey! wrote:

Interceptor; if you refuse to pay tax, what gives you the right to moan about the roads, gardai, etc?

I am a company manager in my forties with a wife and two kids, I pay so much tax already it would make your head spin. I drive a 1 litre car and a motorbike (which is taxed due to bikers being constantly hassled) and I choose not to tax the car for several months of every year, bite me.

The roads in this country are crap and since motoring revenue goes straight to the exchequer and buys everything from pens in the dole office to toilet paper in hospitals, instead of into fixing the roads, I have every right to complain.

'cptr

PS I parked in Gorey for an hour today and didn't put a Euro in the meter, do you have a comment on my suitability as a responsible citizen?

Marcus.Aurelius

PULSE also confirms insurance details, so yes, they probably will also be checking ins.

Seth Brundle

I was chatting to a garda recently and was informed that the technology is not in place to check insurance.

G Luxel

will these machines be in Patrol cars with their mozzarella chesse yellow stripes or in filthy unmarked cars with their 3 aerials and "lost" hubcaps:D ?