Unmarked Garda cars

axer

Hi,

Do all unmarked garda cars have alternating flashing front lights? or some sort of way of knowing that they are such when they are coming up behind you and want to let you know to they want you to move out of the way.

Thanks.

Random

they have blue lights and sirens which will let you know.

axer

Was just coming in on the M4 (it was extremely busy on the road) and this a$$hole comes flying out of the leixlip exit onto the motorway. When gets over to the overtaking lane he pulls to within a meter behind my car and flashes his lights (as in regular flashing of lights). He does this twice and I tap my breaks and give him the finger out of my window as I figure he is just another a$$hole on the road and I want him to pull back as tailgating is so dangerous. He then backs off a bit then.

When I finally get a chance to pull back to the 1st lane he drives up beside me on the overtaking lane and looks to give me the finger. I ignore him and he pulls in behind me again. Next he comes back out to the over taking lane and displays what looks to be a garda badge but as I was driving and it was dark I didn't really know for sure. He was definitely trying to make it look like a garda badge anyway I would assume.

Next he pulls ahead of me and drives into the hard shoulder (I presume expecting me to pull over). I keep going as I don't know who this idiot is. He takes off again over taking me and then driving on the hard shoulder attempting to block me taking any of the exits (very dangerously doing so).

Eventually he drives off.

Unfortunately I didn't get his reg as I was too busy trying to avoid hitting him as he was all over the place cutting in front of me etc.

Just wanted to know if he had rights to pull me over firstly considering that he did not have any markings on his car, he had no flashing lights of any sort, he attepted to show me something like a badge but I would have no way of knowing what exactly he was showing me. I don't know if he was a garda or just some d'ick pretending to be one.

If I had known in any way that the person was a garda or something I would have tried to pull over and let him pass on the motorway.

My best guess is he is a garda driving his private car acting like he owns the road in a very dangerous fashion.

Random

that really doesn't sound like garda behaviour to me. surely if they wanted to pull you they would have done so rather than trying 3 times and then driving off.

i don't suppose you got the reg or anything at all?

axer

Random wrote: »

i don't suppose you got the reg or anything at all?

Nope. Unfortunately not.

Just wanted to make sure that I did the right thing by not pulling over. I would assume I did.

Greenman

axer wrote: »

I tap my breaks and give him the finger out of my window as I figure he is just another a$$hole on the road

Do as you will OP but I'm not sure if this is a good reaction.:)

Zambia

axer wrote: »

Nope. Unfortunately not.

Just wanted to make sure that I did the right thing by not pulling over. I would assume I did.

I wouldnt have

Tefral

I personally wouldnt stop for nobody unless i saw the blue lights! I wouldnt give a shíte if it was the commissioner signalling me to pull over, No blue lights no stop.

Theres freeking lunatics out there, an im starting to hear more and more stories of carjackings going on, granted it seems mostly taxi drivers but i wouldnt be taking the chance.. If i was 90% it was a garda id drive to the nearest station and work it out there.

coolmoose

axer wrote: »

I tap my breaks and give him the finger out of my window as I figure he is just another a$$hole on the road and I want him to pull back as tailgating is so dangerous.

So is doing what you did. Extremely dangerous and not needed.

Just move in to the left lane, slow down without your brakes, he'll get the message eventually and speed off. Tapping your brakes could cause him to lock on his as a reflex, could result in him losing control and causing a massive pile-up...

I don't condone tailgating, but I don't condone dangerous reactions to it such as yours either.

M cebee

i got pulled over by one of these unmarked cars


didn't know it was the 'law' at all

testicle

coolmoose wrote: »

So is doing what you did. Extremely dangerous and not needed.

And illegal.

DOC09UNAM

Was it a red '10 ford mondeo with 4 aerials on the roof?
Probably not an undercover if this doesn't round right.

Michael Angelo.

axer wrote: »

He was definitely trying to make it look like a garda badge anyway I would assume.

I assume it could have been anything

Maybe this motorist wanted to overtake you, however found his path blocked because you were driving in the overtaking lane :rolleyes:

Your reaction to it as described by you was highly dangerous, theres two of ye in it though!!!!

source

Never ever ever ever ever tap your breaks to stop someone driving behind you, I remember doing the Hibernian Ignition course many moons ago, and they asked what you'd do when greeted with a situation like this.

Their take on it was, pull over and let him pass. If you're offended by his driving or think it's dangerous, take the reg and call the local Garda Station. Their reason being, you don't know what has that driver driving like they are. They could be a doctor rushing to see a patient, they could be a concerned parent rushing their child to hospital etc etc.

What you did was, endanger traffic, I say this because you or I don't know how another motorist will respond to break lights flashing while driving at speed.

And another thing, don't drive in the overtaking lane, you even referred to it as such in your post. But didn't indicate whether you were overtaking or simply driving in it. From your post I believe you were driving in it, this isn't clever or safe.

You have over 4,000 posts, meaning you've been around these boards for a while now. Would you try to be a backseat mod? or would you report a post if you saw something that's not right? I'm betting you'd report it. Dangerous driving is the exactly the same, if you see something dangerous or unsafe on the roads call the real life mods, you'll get them at 999 or 112, ask for the Gardai as they're more commonly known. They'll sort the situation out for you. no need to do something dangerous like hitting your breaks or flipping the bird.

axer

Greenman wrote: »

Do as you will OP but I'm not sure if this is a good reaction.:)

I tapped the breaks not to slow down but just to flash my break lights.

axer

Michael Angelo. wrote: »

I assume it could have been anything

Maybe this motorist wanted to overtake you, however found his path blocked because you were driving in the overtaking lane :rolleyes:

Your reaction to it as described by you was highly dangerous, theres two of ye in it though!!!!

There was nothing wrong with my reaction as I did not slow down when I tapped the breaks. It was to show the driver that driving up my hole was not going to give him enough time to slow down quick enough in the event I did have to break. Also I tapped them for split seconds which would not cause an over reaction from a driver.

I was entitled to be in the overtaking lane as I was firstly overtaking cars and secondly the left lane was so congested that I would have had to pull in close in front of a car on the left lane which would have been dangerous. As soon as space opened up in the left lane I pulled in. I was not holding up traffic in any way. There is nothing illegal in doing that.

axer

Michael Angelo. wrote: »

I assume it could have been anything

Yep, it could have been anything. He definitely wanted to give the impression that he was a garda but how hard is it to get a fake garda badge and then show it in the dark. The manovures he did to block me taking exits were extremely dangerous. Im sorry I didnt get his reg to make a complaint to gardai but then again if he was a garda and an a$$hole would he be able to get me back in someway? I would be concerned about that.

Michael Angelo. wrote: »

Maybe this motorist wanted to overtake you, however found his path blocked because you were driving in the overtaking lane :rolleyes:

Definitely not the case as I was over taking cars and could not go faster than I was as there was traffic in front of me.

Michael Angelo. wrote: »

Your reaction to it as described by you was highly dangerous, theres two of ye in it though!!!!

I wasn't dangerous as I didn't slow down at all. I just tapped my breaks to show my break lights.

axer

foinse wrote: »

Never ever ever ever ever tap your breaks to stop someone driving behind you, I remember doing the Hibernian Ignition course many moons ago, and they asked what you'd do when greeted with a situation like this.

Their take on it was, pull over and let him pass. If you're offended by his driving or think it's dangerous, take the reg and call the local Garda Station. Their reason being, you don't know what has that driver driving like they are. They could be a doctor rushing to see a patient, they could be a concerned parent rushing their child to hospital etc etc.

There was no room to pull on the left lane as it was extremely congested and I was overtaking traffic at the time. The guy was being an a$$hole and I had no space to pull in but did as soon as there was space to pull in. On top of that the guy was so close to me that it would have been dangerous to slow down to try and feed into the left lane as he was so close.

foinse wrote: »

What you did was, endanger traffic, I say this because you or I don't know how another motorist will respond to break lights flashing while driving at speed.

I didnt endanger traffic since I did not slow down. If a driver such as that cannot respond to breaklights lighting for split seconds while at speed then they are a danger on the road anyway.

foinse wrote: »

And another thing, don't drive in the overtaking lane, you even referred to it as such in your post. But didn't indicate whether you were overtaking or simply driving in it. From your post I believe you were driving in it, this isn't clever or safe.

My apologies if I did not make it clear that I was overtaking on the overtaking lane and traffic was highly congested on both lanes so while I was still over taking the left lane I could not go any faster as I did not want to be driving right up behind someone else. There was no space in the left lane as cars were very close to each other but as soon as there was space I pulled in. Also I usually find that people that drive in the overtaking lane tend to call it the fast lane and not the overtaking lane but apologies for not being clear.

foinse wrote: »

You have over 4,000 posts, meaning you've been around these boards for a while now. Would you try to be a backseat mod? or would you report a post if you saw something that's not right? I'm betting you'd report it. Dangerous driving is the exactly the same, if you see something dangerous or unsafe on the roads call the real life mods, you'll get them at 999 or 112, ask for the Gardai as they're more commonly known. They'll sort the situation out for you. no need to do something dangerous like hitting your breaks or flipping the bird.

Giving him the finger is not dangerous and I did not hit my breaks, I just tapped them to show him the lights for split seconds. It worked too as he backed up when he got the message.

pa990

just drive in the left lane.

axer

pa990 wrote: »

just drive in the left lane.

Always? Except when overtaking I assume you mean?

Noopti

pa990 wrote: »

just drive in the left lane.

Did you even read the OP's clarification above?

Smcgie

I once drove away from 2 lads standing in plain clothes at the entrance to my estate. Turned out to be the boys in blue doing random checks in a random area. I drove on because they were neither in uniform or a squad car. Then the car (granted it was a mondeo) followed me flashing the headlights. No blue lights no siren.

So I pulls over and he runs up to the car door and starts pulling at the door handle and roaring get out get out! So I get out and he says why didn't you stop! I says honest to god I didn't know who you where. He said were the gards and you have just failed to stop when requested.

This stage I'm pissed with his over aggressive manner and I asked him for his garda number.

He said don't get smart with me! It was only when he give me a chance then to explain that:

1)they were in plain clothes
2)no marked car
3)no blue light/siren when following me
4)when I requested his I'd he said don't get smart with me.

It was only when he actually produced his badge did I then allow myself to believe he was a garda.. A very unprofessional one at that.

axer

Smcgie wrote: »

It was only when he actually produced his badge did I then allow myself to believe he was a garda.. A very unprofessional one at that.

Thats what I was trying to find out here i.e. could someone get themselves into trouble for now stopping for gardai when there is no indication that they are gardai. Surely it is reasonable to not stop for someone just because they flash their lights - who knows who that person is and what they might be planning to do.

RoadRunner

If he was a cop he probably could have tried to get you for dangerous driving. Whether you realise it or not, hitting the brakes while someone is close behind you at motorway speeds isn't clever. Cop or not you instigated the altercation (although it sounds like he's a right dickhead).

Corcioch

axer wrote: »

Thats what I was trying to find out here i.e. could someone get themselves into trouble for now stopping for gardai when there is no indication that they are gardai. Surely it is reasonable to not stop for someone just because they flash their lights - who knows who that person is and what they might be planning to do.

No they couldn't, not unless a Garda had clearly identified themselves.



In fairness, the entire situation you described sounds needless . . . .if you see someone driving in a manner your not happy with do NOT start "tapping" your brakes and sticking your fingers up at them, that behaviour could land you in court, could get you in trouble . .

. . .and it simply esclates situations . . .like the one you encountered. Would the whole situation have escalated like it did if you hadn't started tapping on brakes and sticking up fingers??

You never know why a car behind you may be speeding and trying desperately to get past you . . . .it could be a genuine emergency, there could be someone in need of help badly in that car.


Garda often get called to escort civilians in their own cars on the way to hospital with medical emergencies, geniune cases where life is at risk . . . . the next speeding driver someone sees could be one of these folks without a Garda escort . . . .unlikely but its still a chance


So just move out of the way as soon as you can . . . . . .when its safe to do so. . . .

And if you have your doubts about the driving, if you think its dangerous driving and not a geniune emergency then by all means report it to Gardai . . ..there and then if you have a handsfree kit or afterwards if not.

But dont get caught up in road rage and make a situation even worse. . . . like happened in the tale you've described.


. . . .and ya, the other guy sounds like an Asshole.

axer

Corcioch wrote: »

. . .and it simply esclates situations . . .like the one you encountered. Would the whole situation have escalated like it did if you hadn't started tapping on brakes and sticking up fingers??

Considering it would have been dangerous for me to pull in as the left lane was completely congested I think the person behind me got the message to pull back since they did pull back. It would have been different if there was a siren or something as then at least the other drivers around me would have been aware of what was going on (if in fact it was a garda behind me) thus would have made room for me to pull out of the way.

The other alternative I could see happening is the driver behind me staying that close to me all the way until I could pull over or worse still I manage to get into the first lane and the car behind me speeds ahead to another car ahead - to someone who panics and possibly dangerously tries to pull into the left lane thus easily causing an accident that I would more than likely have ended up in.

While I agree my actions were road rage as such I did not slow my car down in any way when I tapped the breaks, I didn't have to stick my finger out at the person but he was so dangerously close and I had nowhere to pull out of the way and the guy behind me got the message and pull back from me so my actions, while not ideal got the message across.

deadwood

They're called BRAKES!

the_syco

Smcgie wrote: »

I once drove away from 2 lads standing in plain clothes at the entrance to my estate. Turned out to be the boys in blue doing random checks in a random area. I drove on because they were neither in uniform or a squad car. Then the car (granted it was a mondeo) followed me flashing the headlights. No blue lights no siren.

So I pulls over and he runs up to the car door and starts pulling at the door handle and roaring get out get out!

If this happened to me, I'd have probably just kept going. I stop for no-one, unless they are clearly Gardai.

Sofa King Great

the_syco wrote: »

If this happened to me, I'd have probably just kept going. I stop for no-one, unless they are clearly Gardai.

Traffic wardens, or people in control of animals too!

coolmoose

axer wrote: »

I did not hit my breaks, I just tapped them to show him the lights for split seconds. It worked too as he backed up when he got the message.

That's not the point, he's not to know if you were slowing down or not, it can of course cause a reaction from a driver of slamming on their brakes as many Irish drivers seem to drive based on the brake lights of the vehicle in front of them.

What you did was dangerous, and if you don't realise that then you're as bad as the lad who was in the car behind you. You could have caused an accident just as easily as he could have.

Have a read of any advanced driving manual and nowhere will you see it mentioned to tap your brakes to frighten the driver behind or give them a hint/message.

coolmoose

Sofa King Great wrote: »

Traffic wardens, or people in control of animals too!

I think he meant in the sense of trying to pull him over whilst driving?

Corcioch

axer wrote: »

Considering it would have been dangerous for me to pull in as the left lane was completely congested I think the person behind me got the message to pull back since they did pull back. It would have been different if there was a siren or something as then at least the other drivers around me would have been aware of what was going on (if in fact it was a garda behind me) thus would have made room for me to pull out of the way.

The other alternative I could see happening is the driver behind me staying that close to me all the way until I could pull over or worse still I manage to get into the first lane and the car behind me speeds ahead to another car ahead - to someone who panics and possibly dangerously tries to pull into the left lane thus easily causing an accident that I would more than likely have ended up in.

While I agree my actions were road rage as such I did not slow my car down in any way when I tapped the breaks, I didn't have to stick my finger out at the person but he was so dangerously close and I had nowhere to pull out of the way and the guy behind me got the message and pull back from me so my actions, while not ideal got the message across.

I wasn't giving out to ya dude . . . . .im just saying in future dont let yourself get sucked into that kinda ****.

Let idiots like that off with themselves, you couldn't pull in there and then fair enough, but when ever you can pull in, just let idiots like that go . . . . and you can always report them then if you want.

Terrontress

I think people are focussing on the wrong part of the story here. Fair enough, the op may have been in the wrong to have displayed his brake lights to slow down the driver behind but the clear issue is the other driver's blocking of exits, driving on the hard shoulder and waving some form of identification at the op.

I myself would not stop for unmarked, plain clothed Gardai on the motorway, even with blues. I would phone 999 and make my way to the nearest Garda station. If the Gardai are policing the roads it should be done correctly. A lot of markings on Garda vehicles, plus high visibility clothes etc are safety equipment and some jumped up off duty desk clerk with an ID is not going to endanger my life at the side of a motorway.

the_syco

Sofa King Great wrote: »

Traffic wardens, or people in control of animals too!

A picture comes in to my mind. It is of a person in control of several sheep. All the sheep have their heads outside the window, with the farmer at the wheel of the car, trying to get me to stop, reason unknown.

Yeah, I'll ignore him, and keep driving.

If someone flashed their lights at me, and reefed me out of the car when I was stopped at traffic lights, I'd treat it as it is: a stranger aggressively chasing me, and reefing me out of my car. I'd kick their ass. If I was frightened, or my heart was racing a thousand beats a minute, I'd stop kicking their ass when one of three things happened
a) uniformed police came
b) the lights turned green, the person was on the ground, and I was able to flee
c) they stopped moving

IMO, chasing someone, and then reefing them out of the car without correctly ID'ing yourself as a Gardai is asking for trouble.

Terrontress

Terrontress wrote: »

I think people are focussing on the wrong part of the story here. Fair enough, the op may have been in the wrong to have displayed his brake lights to slow down the driver behind but the clear issue is the other driver's blocking of exits, driving on the hard shoulder and waving some form of identification at the op.

I myself would not stop for unmarked, plain clothed Gardai on the motorway, even with blues. I would phone 999 and make my way to the nearest Garda station. If the Gardai are policing the roads it should be done correctly. A lot of markings on Garda vehicles, plus high visibility clothes etc are safety equipment and some jumped up off duty desk clerk with an ID is not going to endanger my life at the side of a motorway.

I think you will find the question was answered by two serving members. Just in case you didn't read everything I've quoted them below for you.

And best of luck not stopping for an official vehicle.

foinse wrote: »

You have over 4,000 posts, meaning you've been around these boards for a while now. Would you try to be a backseat mod? or would you report a post if you saw something that's not right? I'm betting you'd report it. Dangerous driving is the exactly the same, if you see something dangerous or unsafe on the roads call the real life mods, you'll get them at 999 or 112, ask for the Gardai as they're more commonly known. They'll sort the situation out for you. no need to do something dangerous like hitting your breaks or flipping the bird.

Corcioch wrote: »

And if you have your doubts about the driving, if you think its dangerous driving and not a geniune emergency then by all means report it to Gardai . . ..there and then if you have a handsfree kit or afterwards if not.

But dont get caught up in road rage and make a situation even worse. . . . like happened in the tale you've described.


. . . .and ya, the other guy sounds like an Asshole.

Terrontress

foreign wrote: »

I think you will find the question was answered by two serving members. Just in case you didn't read everything I've quoted them below for you.

And best of luck not stopping for an official vehicle.

If they are wearing a uniform then fine but I am not stopping for a plain clothes, unmarked vehicle on the motorway. I don't believe I am obliged to.

Terrontress

And by the way, of the two posts above, one gives incorrect information and the other is a facetious load of metaphor to give him abuse for displaying his brake lights. Exactly what I said people were getting too caught up on.

Sofa King Great

Terrontress wrote: »

If they are wearing a uniform then fine but I am not stopping for a plain clothes, unmarked vehicle on the motorway. I don't believe I am obliged to.

Out of interest would you consider an unmarked car with sunken blue lights and a siren as sufficient markings to identify it as a garda car?

Terrontress

Sofa King Great wrote: »

Out of interest would you consider an unmarked car with sunken blue lights and a siren as sufficient markings to identify it as a garda car?

Not if the occupants are not wearing uniform.

For a start, that sort of equipment can be bought on ebay for buttons. Secondly, AGS are not the only body to use blue lights. Thirdly, as mentioned, I do not believe it is an offense not to stop for a plain clothed Garda. This is definitely the case in the UK. Finally, in most instances where there is an actual requirement to stop, it is not an offense to make your way to the nearest Garda station instead.

There have been numerous examples of people impersonating Gardai to commit crime. As a bank official, I am not going to make it easy for them.

Furthermore, it is no secret that a large number of Garda drivers have no qualification whatsoever beyond the normal driving test. A traffic corps Garda does. I'd trust them to stop me in a safe place and their vehicles have reflective chevrons and appropriate lighting. A plain clothed cop in a standard Mondeo? No chance.

Terrontress

Terrontress wrote: »

And by the way, of the two posts above, one gives incorrect information and the other is a facetious load of metaphor to give him abuse for displaying his brake lights. Exactly what I said people were getting too caught up on.

Can you explain how being told to call 999/112 is abuse?

Terrontress wrote: »

Not if the occupants are not wearing uniform.

For a start, that sort of equipment can be bought on ebay for buttons. Secondly, AGS are not the only body to use blue lights. Thirdly, as mentioned, I do not believe it is an offense not to stop for a plain clothed Garda. This is definitely the case in the UK. Finally, in most instances where there is an actual requirement to stop, it is not an offense to make your way to the nearest Garda station instead.

Have a read of this and then explain how it's not an offence to not stop.

109.—(1) A person driving a vehicle in a public place shall stop the vehicle on being so required by a member of the Garda Síochána.

(2) A person who contravenes subsection (1) of this section shall be guilty of an offence.

Link

Sgt. Bilko 09

This has nothing to do with the above opionions but can someone explain why in marked garda vechiles officer choose to wear plain clothing but in unmarked cars the choose to were uniforms and you cannot hide the fact that its extremely noticeable.
Just thought someone might know what thats about because i don't why.

Terrontress

foreign wrote: »

Can you explain how being told to call 999/112 is abuse?



Have a read of this and then explain how it's not an offence to not stop.



Link

Two pages later. 111. No point in reading things in isolation. You have to see the bigger picture.

No uniform, no stopping.

Terrontress

Terrontress wrote: »

Two pages later. 111. No point in reading things in isolation. You have to see the bigger picture.

No uniform, no stopping.

I'm sure lights and sirens fall under "such other evidence"

ILA

Obviously the siren should be used to ensure that motorists get the point. As I've said before:

12v Blue LED Dash Light - €12 + free shipping on eBay
100+ db siren - €300

So imposters are clearly going to have a harder job of getting a siren, than a cheap flashing blue light.

Terrontress

foreign wrote: »

I'm sure lights and sirens fall under "such other evidence"

I'm sure they don't.

By your logic an ambulance is obviously a Garda vehicle as it has blue lights and a siren.

cushtac

Terrontress wrote: »

By your logic an ambulance is obviously a Garda vehicle as it has blue lights and a siren.

When was the last time you saw an unmarked ambulance?

Terrontress

cushtac wrote: »

When was the last time you saw an unmarked ambulance?

I am not sure that I ever have. Have you?

cushtac

Terrontress wrote: »

I am not sure that I ever have. Have you?

I haven't, so why bring ambulances into it?

Saying that you won't stop for an unmarked car because you think it might be someone impersonating a Garda is ludicrous. In five years I've never heard of, let alone seen, someone putting blue lights & sirens on a private car.

Sofa King Great

On the basis of your argument you could say that you should not stop for a marked garda car in case the person has bought the equipment to make the car look like a garda car.

MagicSean

foinse wrote: »

Never ever ever ever ever tap your breaks to stop someone driving behind you, I remember doing the Hibernian Ignition course many moons ago, and they asked what you'd do when greeted with a situation like this.

Their take on it was, pull over and let him pass. If you're offended by his driving or think it's dangerous, take the reg and call the local Garda Station. Their reason being, you don't know what has that driver driving like they are. They could be a doctor rushing to see a patient, they could be a concerned parent rushing their child to hospital etc etc.

What you did was, endanger traffic, I say this because you or I don't know how another motorist will respond to break lights flashing while driving at speed.

And another thing, don't drive in the overtaking lane, you even referred to it as such in your post. But didn't indicate whether you were overtaking or simply driving in it. From your post I believe you were driving in it, this isn't clever or safe.

You have over 4,000 posts, meaning you've been around these boards for a while now. Would you try to be a backseat mod? or would you report a post if you saw something that's not right? I'm betting you'd report it. Dangerous driving is the exactly the same, if you see something dangerous or unsafe on the roads call the real life mods, you'll get them at 999 or 112, ask for the Gardai as they're more commonly known. They'll sort the situation out for you. no need to do something dangerous like hitting your breaks or flipping the bird.

I failed the hibernian course because I refused to tap my brakes when someone was very close. I tried to explain that it would be a dangerous thing to do but she was having none of it. She also didn't have a clue how speed limit signs worked and thought they applied to the whole stretch of the road before and after the sign. Obviously you had a better instructor. The correct thing to do would be pull over. If you feel unsafe lock the door and keep the car running until you see ID or a badge.

Terrontress wrote: »

For a start, that sort of equipment can be bought on ebay for buttons. Secondly, AGS are not the only body to use blue lights. Thirdly, as mentioned, I do not believe it is an offense not to stop for a plain clothed Garda. This is definitely the case in the UK. Finally, in most instances where there is an actual requirement to stop, it is not an offense to make your way to the nearest Garda station instead.

It is an offence. The only difference in the statute is that a plain clothes garda should show ID on request.

Terrontress wrote: »

There have been numerous examples of people impersonating Gardai to commit crime. As a bank official, I am not going to make it easy for them.

Urban legend. Very few if any incidents.

Terrontress wrote: »

Furthermore, it is no secret that a large number of Garda drivers have no qualification whatsoever beyond the normal driving test. A traffic corps Garda does. I'd trust them to stop me in a safe place and their vehicles have reflective chevrons and appropriate lighting. A plain clothed cop in a standard Mondeo? No chance.

You are just as likely to get a qualified driver in an unmarked vehicle. It indicates they've been in the job for a while. In any case, it is not up to you to decide wether they are qualified to pull you over. The law doesn't give you that option.

tommba

I failed the hibernian course because I refused to tap my brakes when someone was very close. I tried to explain that it would be a dangerous thing to do but she was having none of it. She also didn't have a clue how speed limit signs worked and thought they applied to the whole stretch of the road before and after the sign. Obviously you had a better instructor. The correct thing to do would be pull over. If you feel unsafe lock the door and keep the car running until you see ID or a badge.

Tapping and actually using the brakes are different. You can press on the brake lever just until the lights come on and and most times the brakes won't even be engaged or they will be only slightly engaged and you won't loose any speed. Have a friend stand behind your car/bike when you apply slow pressure to the brakes and have him yell when the lights come on so you know how far to push the pedal.