Any Guards In The Country With Peanlty Points?

paultheviking

Was driving from Strokestown to Westport this morning doing in and around the limit (100kph) when a marked gardá car went past me like i was stopped. Didn't think anything of it until I saw him pull into the garage in Ballahadreen for breakfast..

That got me wondering if there's a gardá in the country with points for speeding/anything? Or is it the usual one law for us etc.....

Gumbo

paultheviking wrote: »

Was driving from Strokestown to Westport this morning doing in and around the limit (100kph) when a marked gardá car went past me like i was stopped. Didn't think anything of it until I saw him pull into the garage in Ballahadreen for breakfast..

That got me wondering if there's a gardá in the country with points for speeding/anything? Or is it the usual one law for us etc.....

i would imagine gardai are exempt from points during the line of duty?
how do you know they went for breakie? did you go into the garage after them?
they could of been responding to a call for a robbery or something similar?

hierro

I have, not that it constitutes proof....

hope your happier.... doubt the Gardaí in question were on a breakfast run as you put it... Why do you think any Garda would burst their gut to get to a filling station for a breakie roll?

Sometimes people are consumed with what a uniform or marked car, ambulance or other emergancy vehicle are doing....

paultheviking

No flashing lights or siren..

i was going in for diesel, there was the lad in the que with his roll..

Not slagging them, have a lot of respect for the hard job they do..

hobochris

I would have thought a quick flash of the badge from on garda to another made any road traffic violations disappear(looking out for each other).

paultheviking

in fairness to Hierro, didn't take it out..

I asked the question, got an answer, thanks.

Youngfella was probably just starvin

CaraFawn

Speed limits does not apply to emergency vehicules, firemen, ambulances, garda...so in the line of duty, there is no way they can get points.

paultheviking

they have to clock out at some stage Cara!!!!

i like lamp

i saw an ambulance the other day with sirens/lights on going trough red lights etc! just so happen to be going the same direction and one of them was walking out of the chinese with a fine bag of food!! big emergency yeah. :rolleyes:

i know people who are nurses and have verified that some ambulance drivers put on the lights/sirens at lunch time!


i'm not painting everyone with the same brush but some definetely abuse their power.

timmywex

Gardai are exempt from nearly all road traffic law while in the course of their duty. This is covered under all the road traffic acts! I say nearly all because naturaly theyre not for things like drink driving. But speeding, parking etc etc yes.

This also applies to fire/ambulance etc.

And ive said it before, and ill say it many times again, unless your in the garda car you have no way of knowing where it was going or doing what! It might well have been en route to a call (not all calls warrant lights/sirens, ie burglarys) and then got stood down

It always astonishes me how people dont knwo about gardai being exempt from the road traffic laws in the course of duty!

Xios

i like lamp wrote: »

...have verified that some ambulance drivers put on the lights/sirens at lunch time!...

It's wrong, but anyone, given the continuous temptation to use your siren for skipping the queue will be corrupted eventually, it's not ruining your day, so leave them at it. Or go on a crusade and seek justice.

Cookie_Monster

timmywex wrote: »

It always astonishes me how people don't know about gardai being exempt from the road traffic laws in the course of duty!

yes but there is being exempt and taking the p1ss like some of the above stories.

I've seen it many times squad cars driving in normal traffic at normal speed (ie 50 or 60), come up to red lights, flick on the lights and sirens for 2 seconds to drive through red and continue on at normal speeds.

i like lamp

Xios wrote: »

It's wrong, but anyone, given the continuous temptation to use your siren for skipping the queue will be corrupted eventually, it's not ruining your day, so leave them at it. Or go on a crusade and seek justice.

nah im not bothered as long as they dont put me out or make me damage my car in some way by swerving along with other cars swerving to let them through!!! Then i would be p'd if they were only going for a chinese! But at the end of the day, its their job and if they are happy to abuse their power then so be it!

il just stick to being a good girl



but what does annoy me is a member of the gardai talking on their mobile while driving on duty!! There is no excuse for that, if its a work related call then it should be a handsfree or else stop and pull in. At the end of the day they are there to enforce the law and set the example. Obviously i dont know what kind of call it is, but its contradicting to say that you talk on a mobile you increase the risk of a serious accident, but yet they do it themselves!!

paultheviking

So, any gardaí except Heirro with points?

timmywex

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

yes but there is being exempt and taking the p1ss like some of the above stories.

I've seen it many times squad cars driving in normal traffic at normal speed (ie 50 or 60), come up to red lights, flick on the lights and sirens for 2 seconds to drive through red and continue on at normal speeds.

Im not going to deny it doesnt happen, but once again, unless your in the car no one knows the exact reasoning behind it!

Zubeneschamali

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

I've seen it many times squad cars driving in normal traffic at normal speed (ie 50 or 60), come up to red lights, flick on the lights and sirens for 2 seconds to drive through red and continue on at normal speeds.

Seems perfectly reasonable to me.

cul-2008

how about people just answer the OP with regards to penalty points for members of AGS, and stop highlighting the bad practices of a small number of gardaí. I could do the very same for other public servants, bankers, estate agents, solicitors etc...but it's a bit childish in my opinion, so I won't.

With regards to the topic, I'd imagine that the gardaí who have penalty points were caught off duty by a gatso van or the likes, as that's usually finite and non-reversable.

But then again, I'm not a member of AGS so I don't really know...

samsemtex

paultheviking wrote: »

So, any gardaí except Heirro with points?

My friend has 2 points for speeding. He got em from a gatso van.

opinion guy

CaraFawn wrote: »

Speed limits does not apply to emergency vehicules, firemen, ambulances, garda...so in the line of duty, there is no way they can get points.

timmywex wrote: »

Gardai are exempt from nearly all road traffic law while in the course of their duty. This is covered under all the road traffic acts! I say nearly all because naturaly theyre not for things like drink driving. But speeding, parking etc etc yes.

This also applies to fire/ambulance etc.

And ive said it before, and ill say it many times again, unless your in the garda car you have no way of knowing where it was going or doing what! It might well have been en route to a call (not all calls warrant lights/sirens, ie burglarys) and then got stood down

It always astonishes me how people dont knwo about gardai being exempt from the road traffic laws in the course of duty!

Presumably this means when the flashers and sirens are on. At least this was my understanding.

I'm pretty sure going down the local garage for a hang sangwich is NOT in the line of duty.

I've seen this alot lately Garda cars doing 140kph+ on the motorway with no lights on. AFAIK if they doing this for some work reason they are supposed to put the lights on. Pretty sure if they crashed whilst doing this speed with no flashers or sirens on the would be fooked

pegasus1

even when driving in the line of duty the guards take the piss... whilst driving in cabra, dublin recently a squad car hammers it down the bus lane with lights and siren, and 10 seconds later is driving towards me straddling the central line of the road i had to get out of his way sharpish... this was all in heavyish but moving well traffic..if he had hit anyone it would have been carnage!

fair enough they have to due their duty, but not whilst endangering innocent lives with a leathal weapon..ie. the squad car!

opinion guy

Actually....now that I think of it when I saw the cops speeding I was also speeding (thou slower than them - say i was doing 130kph) and they ignored me. So I say....carry on......

Got stopped up north by PSNI. Guy literally stepped out in front of me and I had to stand on the brakes :eek: Luckily for him I have good brakes and wasn't too much over the limit but seriously don't know what the guy was thinking.

Cookie_Monster

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

Seems perfectly reasonable to me.

why, cause they can't be bothered waiting for lights like everyone else?

It gives a bad impression to the public when seen doing things like this unnecessarily and is one of the many reason why people have little respect for the gardai

gofaster_s13

They don'thave to pay into Copper Face Jacks either:mad:

Wicklowrider

timmywex wrote: »

This also applies to fire/ambulance etc.

And ive said it before, and ill say it many times again, unless your in the garda car you have no way of knowing where it was going or doing what! It might well have been en route to a call (not all calls warrant lights/sirens, ie burglarys) and then got stood down

It always astonishes me how people dont knwo about gardai being exempt from the road traffic laws in the course of duty!

Ex Fireservice driver here - I was always instructed that breaking traffic laws were on my own head and license. If I caused accident I personally was responsible. I left F.S in 2000 so perhaps law changed since then.
I do remember an ambulance driver enroute to emergency being charged with dangerous driving - I heard him being interviewed on radio ( Dublin ,mid 90's?). We always broke traffic laws (speed etc) but did so judiously an ONLY when neccesary.

Strongly agree that observers don't always know whats happening - I remember leaving station under blue lights and sirens only to be stood down enroute several times - one of those times I stopped for a choc ice before returning to station. It never occured to me before that people might have mis construed what happened!

Zubeneschamali

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

why, cause they can't be bothered waiting for lights like everyone else?

Being in the course of their duty doesn't have to mean "foot to the floor, sirens blaring, scare all the civilians sh!tless".

markpb

opinion guy wrote: »

I've seen this alot lately Garda cars doing 140kph+ on the motorway with no lights on. AFAIK if they doing this for some work reason they are supposed to put the lights on. Pretty sure if they crashed whilst doing this speed with no flashers or sirens on the would be fooked

There's a good reason for doing this: people are idiots. The crazy reactions you see from people when they hear/see a garda car or ambulance coming up behind them would defy belief. People accelerate, stand on the breaks, swerve across lanes or just plain freeze and doing nothing. Even at (red) traffic lights, you'll see people sitting there blocking the path of an ambulance behind them because they can't decide what to do when the pressure of the siren is too much for them.

More than a few gardai that I know prefer not to use their lights/siren for that reason. Obviously that differs in urban areas.

MagicSean

hobochris wrote: »

I would have thought a quick flash of the badge from on garda to another made any road traffic violations disappear(looking out for each other).

Nope. There are a lot of Gardaí who would go even harder on someone who flashes the badge.

i like lamp wrote: »

i saw an ambulance the other day with sirens/lights on going trough red lights etc! just so happen to be going the same direction and one of them was walking out of the chinese with a fine bag of food!! big emergency yeah. :rolleyes:.

An ambulance crew might be on the go for seven hours with no break and when they finally get a break they have to get their food and eat it as quickly as possible. You can complain about it if you want but they are saving lives and doing a public service. You can hardly begrudge them for wanting to eat. It's not like they have a canteen either. They are the ones that will have to stand over their action if they crash.

pegasus1 wrote: »

even when driving in the line of duty the guards take the piss... whilst driving in cabra, dublin recently a squad car hammers it down the bus lane with lights and siren, and 10 seconds later is driving towards me straddling the central line of the road i had to get out of his way sharpish... this was all in heavyish but moving well traffic..if he had hit anyone it would have been carnage!

fair enough they have to due their duty, but not whilst endangering innocent lives with a leathal weapon..ie. the squad car!

Would you be giving out if it was you they were on their way to help or would you be wanting them to get there faster?

opinion guy

markpb wrote: »

There's a good reason for doing this: people are idiots. The crazy reactions you see from people when they hear/see a garda car or ambulance coming up behind them would defy belief. People accelerate, stand on the breaks, swerve across lanes or just plain freeze and doing nothing. Even at (red) traffic lights, you'll see people sitting there blocking the path of an ambulance behind them because they can't decide what to do when the pressure of the siren is too much for them.

More than a few gardai that I know prefer not to use their lights/siren for that reason.

Thou I'm not swayed by this argument I do see the logic. Fair point.

Obviously that differs in urban areas.

Huh ?

firefly08

why, cause they can't be bothered waiting for lights like everyone else?

Maybe because they are on a call but don't want to have the lights or sirens on all the time for some reason?

you'll see people sitting there blocking the path of an ambulance behind them because they can't decide what to do when the pressure of the siren is too much for them.

Fair enough, some people act stupid, but there really should be something in the test, even in the theory test, to make sure people actually know what they're supposed to do.

markpb

opinion guy wrote: »

Huh ?

It's much more dangerous to drive without lights and sirens in built up areas - there are more junctions, more pedestrians, more cyclists and generally more traffic so an approaching garda car or ambulance are less obvious.

jock101

Do you even have to ask that question?:rolleyes: Just look at the strokes our other civil servants get up to, and get away with!:( The Law only applies to the poor and powerless!:mad:

Ash.J.Williams

hierro wrote: »

I have, not that it constitutes proof....

hope your happier.... doubt the Gardaí in question were on a breakfast run as you put it... Why do you think any Garda would burst their gut to get to a filling station for a breakie roll?

Sometimes people are consumed with what a uniform or marked car, ambulance or other emergancy vehicle are doing....

ah man a garda would bust his gut getting getting to breakie like any of us would!!

Cookie_Monster

firefly08 wrote: »

Maybe because they are on a call but don't want to have the lights or sirens on all the time for some reason?
.

then why would they be just cruising alone in no hurry before and after the lights

tommyhaas

Everyones always moaning about the Public Service wasting money, not being efficient enough etc. Fair play to the Guards braking the lights if its increasing their productivity, even if its just for lunch, at least the're taking a shorter lunch brake then. Can anyone here honestly say that if through their job they had an excuse to brake the lights, that they wouldnt use it? I certainly would

Obviously any decent Gard isint gona give points to a fellow gard, its the same in any job, you look after your colleauges. Would anyone here like to be known in their job as 'that pr1ck who got me a fine'by your colleauges? Obviously major stuff is different, but the smaller things...

CaraFawn

tommyhaas wrote: »

Obviously any decent Gard isint gona give points to a fellow gard, its the same in any job, you look after your colleauges. Would anyone here like to be known in their job as 'that pr1ck who got me a fine'by your colleauges? Obviously major stuff is different, but the smaller things...

A good cop would cuff his own mom if necessary.
So I was told

opinion guy

CaraFawn wrote: »

A good cop would cuff his own mom if necessary.
So I was told

Interesting twist on "ur ma". 9/10 for creativity.

dr.fuzzenstein

markpb wrote: »

There's a good reason for doing this: people are idiots. The crazy reactions you see from people when they hear/see a garda car or ambulance coming up behind them would defy belief. People accelerate, stand on the breaks, swerve across lanes or just plain freeze and doing nothing. Even at (red) traffic lights, you'll see people sitting there blocking the path of an ambulance behind them because they can't decide what to do when the pressure of the siren is too much for them.

More than a few gardai that I know prefer not to use their lights/siren for that reason. Obviously that differs in urban areas.

Once saw a car stopped at a red light. Ambulance came up behind it, sirens, lights, the works.
Car did not move even though it was blocking the ambulance. I though she had frozen, but come the green light, she pulls of cool as a breeze and continues along her way, ambulance flew past her with a few choice words shouted at her through the window, zero reaction, she either was so up herself that she thought an ambulance was below her or so ditzy she didn't know what all the noise was about.
And one old guy who froze behind the wheel and people had to push his car out of the way with him in it behind the wheel staring into space because he saw the lights and sirens and just got completely paralysed to the point of being catatonic. Some guy had to actually reach into the drivers window to turn the wheel because he couldn't even do that.
Lights and sirens do funny things to some people.

rabbitinlights

Taxi Drivers refuse to get out the way of Fire Brigade....

MagicSean

It should be an offence that carries a driving ban. I did a few weeks with the ambulance and I couldn't believe the amount a times some tool wouldn't move out of the way.

trad

So, are there any Guards in the country with penalty points?

Johnny Utah

trad wrote: »

So, are there any Guards in the country with penalty points?

No.

MagicSean

trad wrote: »

So, are there any Guards in the country with penalty points?

Yes

Voodoomelon

rabbitinlights wrote: »

Taxi Drivers refuse to get out the way of Fire Brigade....

Sounds like that time there was loads of cars double parked down a one way street and a fire truck was trying to get to a burning family home at the end of the street. With no room to get down the street normally, they put the foot down and bashed every single car on the way down. Damn straight.

anthony4335

No one is allowed to break the limit, only in the case of an emergency .This applies to gards. However I can well understand why they do, in most cases they are stretched too thin, so if breaking the speed limit even when going for lunch lets them do there job better as long as it is safe go for it I will not complain. But I do wish that some of the drivers would take ,just like ordinary drivers pay more attention to the other rules of the road, like indicating etc.
Also you only move out of the way of the emergency services when it is safe to do so and in a safe manner .

pegasus1

anthony4335 wrote: »

Also you only move out of the way of the emergency services when it is safe to do so and in a safe manner .

and if not, prepare for a lengthy spell in the courts as to who was in the wrong!:rolleyes:

paraletic

i like lamp wrote: »

i saw an ambulance the other day with sirens/lights on going trough red lights etc! just so happen to be going the same direction and one of them was walking out of the chinese with a fine bag of food!! big emergency yeah. :rolleyes:

i know people who are nurses and have verified that some ambulance drivers put on the lights/sirens at lunch time!


i'm not painting everyone with the same brush but some definetely abuse their power.

How would a nurse know what goes on in an ambulance?
i work in an ambulance and i don't know what goes on half the time!!;)

seriously though, i don't know any crews who use the blue lights unless they are going to a call or to the hospital.

tommyhaas

i like lamp wrote: »

i saw an ambulance the other day with sirens/lights on going trough red lights etc! just so happen to be going the same direction and one of them was walking out of the chinese with a fine bag of food!! big emergency yeah. :rolleyes:

i know people who are nurses and have verified that some ambulance drivers put on the lights/sirens at lunch time!


i'm not painting everyone with the same brush but some definetely abuse their power.

I dont see what the problem is here, they need to eat.Would you prefer they just went hungry and wernt able to do their jobs to their full ability? Or would you prefer they just downed tools at lunch time and ignored any calls untill after lunch (like 99% of people rightly do in work). The quicker they get their lunch, the quicker they'l be back doing their jobs. I know in Dublin, the ambulance crews can work 15 hr shifts, they have to eat at some stage.

I would say the sort of scenario quoted above rarely happens, but it think it shd be allowed

opinion guy

tommyhaas wrote: »

I dont see what the problem is here, they need to eat.Would you prefer they just went hungry and wernt able to do their jobs to their full ability? Or would you prefer they just downed tools at lunch time and ignored any calls untill after lunch (like 99% of people rightly do in work). The quicker they get their lunch, the quicker they'l be back doing their jobs. I know in Dublin, the ambulance crews can work 15 hr shifts, they have to eat at some stage.

I would say the sort of scenario quoted above rarely happens, but it think it shd be allowed

Do they not get scheduled breaks. Also 15 hours ??? I don't think anyone in a driving job works those kind of hours. Not legally anyhow

ottostreet

jock101 wrote: »

Do you even have to ask that question?:rolleyes: Just look at the strokes our other civil servants get up to, and get away with!:( The Law only applies to the poor and powerless!:mad:

I'm pretty sure you're a troll.

I have no problems with any emergency vehicle doing whatever speeds they like, or what theyre doing. If there is any abuse of power while driving, then fair play if they get away with it, because I'd probably do the same.

trad

I think this is a pointless thread.

tommyhaas

opinion guy wrote: »

Do they not get scheduled breaks. Also 15 hours ??? I don't think anyone in a driving job works those kind of hours. Not legally anyhow

I dunno what way breaks work, but certainly dublin fire brigade ambulances work 15 hr shifts. They do either 0900-1800 or 1800-0900