Garda car or impersonator?

Wilde_37

Was driving on the bypass earlier and a car comes up behind me - no light on except what appeared to be a flashing red/blue LED on the windscreen. I was barely doing the speed limit so he must have been pushing it to get up past me. As he got to me he started beeping. He passed and waved at me to slow down and then pointed to his flashing light. As I say - I was doing the limit so he had to be doing 120 to go past me. I assumed he was a cop - but the car was a RED 06 D mondeo. (I didn't get the full number) He just drove off and left the bypass at the WIT exit - I was carrying on to the toll bridge.

Anyone know who this guy is? The light appeared to be something like a strobe light like the app you can get for your iphone. He has absolutely no other lights on in the car - and it was dark at this stage. So is this guy a cop or just some impersonator?

Dan133269

Almost all the unmarked Garda cars I've seen have been Mondeos. Possibly a Garda.

Wilde_37

Dan133269 wrote: »

Almost all the unmarked Garda cars I've seen have been Mondeos. Possibly a Garda.

I agree that most are Mondeos but this was 06 - a bit old - also if an unmarked car wants you to know he is on to you he has loads of flashing blue lights. i have never seen a Garda car in Ireland use a red/blue light. also this was clearly attached like a Sat Nav or iphone. and he only had one light which I barely saw.

Lavattack

Wilde_37 wrote: »

I agree that most are Mondeos but this was 06 - a bit old - also if an unmarked car wants you to know he is on to you he has loads of flashing blue lights. i have never seen a Garda car in Ireland use a red/blue light. also this was clearly attached like a Sat Nav or iphone. and he only had one light which I barely saw.

Most cop cars are either mondeo's or corollas granted but 95% of them are 06 reg'd so its not to be considered too old

Can you remember anything else??

Like the absense of hubcaps. the lack of a tax disc on show, A CB aeriel on the roof??

All of the above are common in unmarked cars.

But I have seen guys do what you described just for fun before. I wouldnt worry about it much either way

mgbgt1978

NOT a guard....just a w*nker .
Pity you didn't get get his full reg. They (the real guards) love to hear about gob****es like this.

PS Lavattack, I think you probably mean "insurance disc". All cars on Irish roads are meant to be taxed.

rescue16

Wilde_37 wrote: »

I agree that most are Mondeos but this was 06 - a bit old - also if an unmarked car wants you to know he is on to you he has loads of flashing blue lights. i have never seen a Garda car in Ireland use a red/blue light. also this was clearly attached like a Sat Nav or iphone. and he only had one light which I barely saw.

Gaurds in Ireland do not use Red and Blue flashing lights and if he wanted you to slow down he would of using a siren not a horn. There is a website were you can buy these lights and alot of boy racers and girl racers have them unfortunally. I have to admit garda cars have lights on there dash boards but these are always blue I am a member of the rescue services and when we get called out we have to respond fairly quickly so I have a red led light on my dash but I only use it when I very badly need too and I had to get premission from the super in or local station only had to use it once so far only this guy you came accross seems to me he was not a garda only a guy acting the fool.

wellbutty

There is an 06 D red Mondeo in Waterford the last few weeks, additional aerials can be retracted which makes the car blend in even more.

man.about.town

rescue16 wrote: »

Gaurds in Ireland do not use Red and Blue flashing lights and if he wanted you to slow down he would of using a siren not a horn. There is a website were you can buy these lights and alot of boy racers and girl racers have them unfortunally. I have to admit garda cars have lights on there dash boards but these are always blue I am a member of the rescue services and when we get called out we have to respond fairly quickly so I have a red led light on my dash but I only use it when I very badly need too and I had to get premission from the super in or local station only had to use it once so far only this guy you came accross seems to me he was not a garda only a guy acting the fool.

ive seen marked cars with red/blue lights, though i think they were 11 d or 10d cars. maybe the mondeo got fitted with the new lights

Lavattack

mgbgt1978 wrote: »

NOT a guard....just a w*nker .
Pity you didn't get get his full reg. They (the real guards) love to hear about gob****es like this.

PS Lavattack, I think you probably mean "insurance disc". All cars on Irish roads are meant to be taxed.

Quite right

They do have tax disc and not insurance disc. Well spotted

Hoffmans

Yes motoring is all bout tax tax taxing

marlin vs

There's a motorbike fella doing the same thing,I rekon he's a blaaguard

seanybiker

One of the lads I know got caught years ago pulling people over lol.

STIG83

Where are the guards when you need them the most? if it was a boyracer no harm if he was caught pretending to be the guards, them f**kers kept me awake last night going up the N25 towards Dungarvan with their stupid noisy exhausts :mad:

shinikins

OP i highly doubt it was a Garda, there would have been far more lights flashing than just the one on his dash. Sounds to me like it was someone who downloaded an App to his Iphone/smartfone and tried out on you. My ex was pulled once by plainclothes Gardai for giving them the finger as they passed. They had been acting like absolute dicks, trying to push him along the road and beeping and flashing before dangerously overtaking. It was only as he flashed the finger at them that they put the blue lights on and they pulled him. But there were plenty of blue flashing lights on the front and rear of the car.:D

Sully

Waterford has such a car. Where were the lights positioned?

angry_fox

Wilde_37 wrote: »

and then pointed to his flashing light. ?

That is an impersonator, plenty of tools out there get a kick out of doing stuff like that. Just a pity you did not get the full reg

Coriolanus

Lavattack wrote: »

Like the absense of hubcaps.

Why would that be? I always knew to look for the cb and the insurance, newver crossed my mind to look at the wheels.

ziedth

Garda or not I think it might be worth considering maybe phoning them about it.

Either it's fellas acting the Maggot or it's a Garda card that behaved not exactly professionally.

Lavattack

Nevore wrote: »

Why would that be? I always knew to look for the cb and the insurance, newver crossed my mind to look at the wheels.

I Have no idea of the reason but next time you see an unmarked look at the wheels. I bet they wont have hubcaps!!! As I say I have no idea of the logic its just a tool I and others use to spot the boys in blue when they come around

Coriolanus

Lavattack wrote: »

I Have no idea of the reason but next time you see an unmarked look at the wheels. I bet they wont have hubcaps!!! As I say I have no idea of the logic its just a tool I and others use to spot the boys in blue when they come around

Yeahm I'll have to keep it in mind alright.

opinion guy

OP why don't you just call the Waterford guards and ask them nicely. If its one of their own they will know the car and if its an imposter then they will want to know all about it.

u2gooner

Try the ES forum, some serving Gardai might have an opinion on it

rescue16

man.about.town wrote: »

ive seen marked cars with red/blue lights, though i think they were 11 d or 10d cars. maybe the mondeo got fitted with the new lights

I will find out and get back to ye with a answer. Were these lights on the dash or the back of the car ?

man.about.town

rescue16 wrote: »

I will find out and get back to ye with a answer. Were these lights on the dash or the back of the car ?

they were on the back of the car and i think it was a traffic corp car but cant i cant be sure

rescue16

man.about.town wrote: »

they were on the back of the car and i think it was a traffic corp car but cant i cant be sure

Hi again i rang a mate thats in the traffic corps he said this was a garda car they are around alright some of them have one blue and red light on the back of them so maybe it was a garda after all .

STIG83

rescue16 wrote: »

Hi again i rang a mate thats in the traffic corps he said this was a garda car they are around alright some of them have one blue and red light on the back of them so maybe it was a garda after all .

But why they beep and have light flashing and they didnt stop you?

Sully

Nothing worse for a member of the Emergency Services having lights flashing and cars in their way and refusing to budge. Firmly believe this should be a criminal offense. There are many reasons why Guards don't use their sirens and in this cased used their horn - one reason being they did not wish to draw attention. A siren can be heard in more places then a horn, and the use of such would alert the person they are attending to which they may not wish.

Its simple - if you see emergency lights and are indicated to move, then move. Don't sit there and hold them up because you want to be either ignorant, or you feel you shouldn't move because you have every right to be where you are, etc. If in doubt, move and call the Gardai and ask.

Every second counts.

nkay1985

Sully wrote: »

Nothing worse for a member of the Emergency Services having lights flashing and cars in their way and refusing to budge. Firmly believe this should be a criminal offense. There are many reasons why Guards don't use their sirens and in this cased used their horn - one reason being they did not wish to draw attention. A siren can be heard in more places then a horn, and the use of such would alert the person they are attending to which they may not wish.

Its simple - if you see emergency lights and are indicated to move, then move. Don't sit there and hold them up because you want to be either ignorant, or you feel you shouldn't move because you have every right to be where you are, etc. If in doubt, move and call the Gardai and ask.

Every second counts.

Didn't the OP say he was driving on the bypass? That's two lanes and he didn't say anything about holding the car up. The way I read it, he was driving along, a car came up behind him with a couple of flashing lights and beeping the horn, made a few motions, then overtook him and drove on.

Mr Simpson

mgbgt1978 wrote: »

PS Lavattack, I think you probably mean "insurance disc". All cars on Irish roads are meant to be taxed.

But if you take a look at the tax disc it says €0.00

mecco

Sully wrote: »

Nothing worse for a member of the Emergency Services having lights flashing and cars in their way and refusing to budge. Firmly believe this should be a criminal offense. There are many reasons why Guards don't use their sirens and in this cased used their horn - one reason being they did not wish to draw attention. A siren can be heard in more places then a horn, and the use of such would alert the person they are attending to which they may not wish.

Its simple - if you see emergency lights and are indicated to move, then move. Don't sit there and hold them up because you want to be either ignorant, or you feel you shouldn't move because you have every right to be where you are, etc. If in doubt, move and call the Gardai and ask.

Every second counts.

Emergency Services vehicles are usually in big bright colours and are lit up like a christmas tree. I think most people would hop out of their way without being need to be told. In fact, I dont even think anyone has mentioned or suggested not allowing them on ahead.

Anyway, back to the OP. As nkay says, on a dual carraigeway you'd have to figure the guy was just a numpty.

Sully

mecco wrote: »

Emergency Services vehicles are usually in big bright colours and are lit up like a christmas tree. I think most people would hop out of their way without being need to be told. In fact, I dont even think anyone has mentioned or suggested not allowing them on ahead.

Anyway, back to the OP. As nkay says, on a dual carraigeway you'd have to figure the guy was just a numpty.

Have you never heard of the unmarked Garda cars? They are unmarked for a reason. They generally have lights at the side of the car and in front and back windows. Big hint there - move out of the way or do as requested.