What is with the Garda these days??

Zxc01

I am sorry I am going to have a rant!!

First off I am all for the Garda doing their jobs.....But but but...........I have been stopped 5 times in the last 10 days between Claremorris and Castlebar checking for Tax and insurance (of which I have both)

This morning I was stopped twice!! LOL

Three times outside Baxter and twice outside Claremorris on the way to Castlebar.............

And for the rest of the year NOTHING.........no sign of them......

Am I right in thinking its the weather.................Sun shining and they think lets do some checking???? Have they a half year report to submit on how many people they caught for no tax or insurance???

I think I am getting very cynical in my old age??

Rant over!!:D

irishgeo

what time is this.

I drive this road everyday between 9 and 9.30 and 6 and 6.30 and i have not seen any garda stops.

i have only ever been stopped once on this road ever as that was at 1pm as i forgot something at home.

the new garda jeep,the odd shaped one has ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) so it can read your number plate and know whether your car is taxed and insurance without stopping you.

i live on the Westport road and one of the favorite places for them to have the unmarked van with the speed cameras, is where the unfinished estate is on the westport road just before the shop.

PogMoThoin

It'd be great if it was for safety reasons, but its completely a quota thing, they must pull people like mad in good weather to make their monetary targets, catching people with no tax brings in the readies. I doubt they even glance at tyres or lights.

Fuinseog

Zxc01 wrote: »

I am sorry I am going to have a rant!!

First off I am all for the Garda doing their jobs.....But but but...........I have been stopped 5 times in the last 10 days between Claremorris and Castlebar checking for Tax and insurance (of which I have both)

This morning I was stopped twice!! LOL

Three times outside Baxter and twice outside Claremorris on the way to Castlebar.............

And for the rest of the year NOTHING.........no sign of them......

Am I right in thinking its the weather.................Sun shining and they think lets do some checking???? Have they a half year report to submit on how many people they caught for no tax or insurance???

I think I am getting very cynical in my old age??Rant over!!:D

whats the problem? they have a job to do and they are doing it. its not unusal to get stopped twice in the one day

TheNog

Zxc01 wrote: »

I am sorry I am going to have a rant!!

First off I am all for the Garda doing their jobs.....But but but...........I have been stopped 5 times in the last 10 days between Claremorris and Castlebar checking for Tax and insurance (of which I have both)

This morning I was stopped twice!! LOL

Three times outside Baxter and twice outside Claremorris on the way to Castlebar.............

And for the rest of the year NOTHING.........no sign of them......

Am I right in thinking its the weather.................Sun shining and they think lets do some checking???? Have they a half year report to submit on how many people they caught for no tax or insurance???

I think I am getting very cynical in my old age??

Rant over!!:D

The good weather is the best time for checkpoints tbh for safety reasons. Safety for the motorists and safety for the guards doing it. The weather we had in the first few months with snow and ice would obviously have been extremely dangerous due to the possibility of cars skidding etc.

There is no half yearly quotas, there are no set quotas at all.

Also with the economic downturn some people (more than usual) are driving without tax or insurance. Its in the best interest of all motorists to have these people taken off the roads.

Lastly just because a guard checks a cars tax and insurance doesnt mean he is only checking just that. The guard is also checking the driver and passengers too. This is because of the recession there is not alot of traffic on the road at nights so the maority of burglaries are down during the day when people are in work.

PogMoThoin wrote: »

It'd be great if it was for safety reasons, but its completely a quota thing, they must pull people like mad in good weather to make their monetary targets, catching people with no tax brings in the readies. I doubt they even glance at tyres or lights.

There is no set quota or targets and any guard couldnt care less how much money is made for the government.

Zxc01

Fuinseog wrote: »

whats the problem? they have a job to do and they are doing it. its not unusal to get stopped twice in the one day

If you read my post, I am all for them doing their job!! All I was doing, is having a rant!!

And when I have driven the same stretch of road for over 2 years at the same time it is unusual for me to be stopped twice in the same day let alone stopped at all!!

Irishgeo,
I am on the road at 7.30am and 4.30-5pm so different times to you.......

Still they were not checking for anything else, Tax and insurance. Barely glanced at me and didn't see my tires......

Still I am over my rant today! Happy Wednesday

Bob the Builder

I really concern myself with the fact that there are resources been piled into the traffic corps division of the Gardaí and yet at the same time, I'm able to freely purchase drugs all over Mayo. Just last week, I saw Gardaí pull over a car in the town centre and at the very same time, there was lads snorting cocaine (or what else could it be?) off a windowsil less than ten metres away. Only pausing briefly to make sure the cops weren't actually after them.

I think they've been used as Guinea Pigs in a lot of cases for the government. I think they have become more allied to the Department of Transport/NRA/RSA now than the Department of Justice. However, at the same time, I would hate to be the victim of the wrath of an uninsured driver that is driving a car that is unfit for driving.

Also, been a Garda "on the beat" is no longer applicable. A Garda who is "on the beat" now is basically just a Garda taking a break from all of his paperwork. They have, in my opinion, far too much paperwork to handle. And so the only time we ever see the Gardaí is when they are reaching road traffic quotas.

By the very same token, I think the Gardaí in Mayo are, for the most part, sound people. And they aren't out to get anyone really.

Also, whats the story with the speed limit? A road full of potholes, corners and pedestrians merits an 80km/h speed limit, where as an open road only merits a 100km/h speed limit. Given the difference in the quality of the roads and the speed limits, it doesn't make much sense.

steph1

Something going on today in Ballina. Was parking in Dunnes carpark and saw two gardai standing at different places in the carpark. Must be on the lookout for somebody??