random drink driving checkpoints

kev1.3s

hi I was traveling on the N11 this morning about 6.45 when I was stopped at a drink driving checkpoint, I'm not a heavy drinker any more but I've got a problem with these early morning checkpoints anyway but that aside I can hand on heart say that it has been a full seven days since I had a couple of pints, anyhow I took the test and low and behold it came up positive, not enough for to be taken in but enough to get a warning from the guard.
I then informed the Guard that I had not had a drink in a week or so and her response was did I have a cigarette this morning which I replied no, I don't know what the **** a fag has to do with it anyway but my question is if these machines are not reliable why the **** are they being used to disrupt our day?
And before anybody asks I didn't use mouthwash this morning!

Run_to_da_hills

These machines are only used as a guide for the cops and cannot be used in court, if they suspect you were DD over the limit they will bring you down to the station and do a proper test or else call in a doctor to take blood samples.

stovelid

You must have performed oral sex on an alcoholic last night.

kev1.3s

kev1.3s wrote: »

hi I was traveling on the N11 this morning about 6.45 when I was stopped at a drink driving checkpoint, I'm not a heavy drinker any more but I've got a problem with these early morning checkpoints anyway but that aside I can hand on heart say that it has been a full seven days since I had a couple of pints, anyhow I took the test and low and behold it came up positive, not enough for to be taken in but enough to get a warning from the guard.
I then informed the Guard that I had not had a drink in a week or so and her response was did I have a cigarette this morning which I replied no, I don't know what the **** a fag has to do with it anyway but my question is if these machines are not reliable why the **** are they being used to disrupt our day?
And before anybody asks I didn't use mouthwash this morning!

They only show if you have drink taken above a certain level.

When you are brought to the station, you will do the test that would be used in court...

kev1.3s

I understand that but if I was taken to the station this morning it would have seriously ****ed up my day over a faulty piece of equipment.
I would understand if I'd had a couple of bottles last night but to have taken no alcohol at all and the machine to register it.

the groutch

mouthwash is often the cause of this

chin_grin

the groutch wrote: »

mouthwash is often the cause of this

Genius! Never thought of doing that. Great place to hide it. Hweh hweh hweh.

Grr, damn you and your ninja edits!

Run_to_da_hills

the groutch wrote: »

mouthwash is often the cause of this

And wine gums.

haminka

mouthwash, even stewed fruit with your porridge or chocolate with let's say baylies filling can cause positive readings

Arnold Layne

Were you the recipient of a golden shower after your partner's night out?

Podge2k7

Drink!!!!

ColeTrain

Sherry trifle for breakfast was a bad choice.

donegal_road

I play music and a band member was getting a lift home after the gig with another member who hadn't been drinking (3 years ago), she was breathalyzed at a checkpoint and passed, but my mate was in the passenger seat and asked could he have a go on the breathalyzer.. he had 5 pints of Guinness and 3 small bottles of red wine, and he passed the test. The Guard said to him that if he had been stopped, he would have passed the test, but wouldn't recommend he take the chance again in the future.

gurramok

Am I on the wrong roads, I havent seen a drink driving checkpoint in maybe 2 years or so.

Also, has there ever been a checkpoint on the M50 in Dublin? Never saw one before.

Leeg17

Smoking a cigarette may produce a false positive and the instructions on the breathalyzer say to wait at least 20 minutes (or so we were taught).

Most likely your mouthwash OP.

Aint Eazy Being Cheezy

gurramok wrote: »

Am I on the wrong roads, I havent seen a drink driving checkpoint in maybe 2 years or so.

Also, has there ever been a checkpoint on the M50 in Dublin? Never saw one before.

Id be surprised if it was legal to setup a check point on a motorway.

troposphere

Aren't these handheld devices known to be unreliable?

Aint Eazy Being Cheezy

troposphere wrote: »

Aren't these handheld devices known to be unreliable?

A guard doesnt even need to use one, he or she may form an opinion based on eyes/breath/slurred voice then arrest you and take you to the station for an intoxiliser test

fasttalkerchat

donegal_road wrote: »

I play music and a band member was getting a lift home after the gig with another member who hadn't been drinking (3 years ago), she was breathalyzed at a checkpoint and passed, but my mate was in the passenger seat and asked could he have a go on the breathalyzer.. he had 5 pints of Guinness and 3 small bottles of red wine, and he passed the test. The Guard said to him that if he had been stopped, he would have passed the test, but wouldn't recommend he take the chance again in the future.

The problem there is that if the guard thinks you're drunk or can smell drink they can take you to the station for the full test regardless of the roadside result.

fasttalkerchat

jar_of_coins wrote: »

Id be surprised if it was legal to setup a check point on a motorway.

They put up temporary speed limits and close all but one lane. The customs do it up north to check for the cheap stuff.

flanum

id be very surprised if ye failed a breathalyser at the side of the road and the garda then waved you on!!! id be very surprised!... surely its logged onto his device and he has to log that back into his station!!!

Spook_ie

BTW Diabetes can give false positives....see a GP


Also some diets can affect the readings

Potential-Monke

flanum wrote: »

id be very surprised if ye failed a breathalyser at the side of the road and the garda then waved you on!!! id be very surprised!... surely its logged onto his device and he has to log that back into his station!!!

It gives 3 readings: Zero, Pass and Fail. Zero is, well, no alcohol. Pass means there is alcohol but none to the extent that it will be over the limit if brought to the station. And fail if it's over the limit.

Anyway, it's only a tool to help the Garda make the decision. He cannot base his opinion on that and that alone.

M cebee

donegal_road wrote: »

I play music and a band member was getting a lift home after the gig with another member who hadn't been drinking (3 years ago), she was breathalyzed at a checkpoint and passed, but my mate was in the passenger seat and asked could he have a go on the breathalyzer.. he had 5 pints of Guinness and 3 small bottles of red wine, and he passed the test. The Guard said to him that if he had been stopped, he would have passed the test, but wouldn't recommend he take the chance again in the future.

i heard of people who passed the breathalyzer after 8 or 9 pints

frozenbanana

Potential-Monke wrote: »

It gives 3 readings: Zero, Pass and Fail. Zero is, well, no alcohol. Pass means there is alcohol but none to the extent that it will be over the limit if brought to the station. And fail if it's over the limit.

Not anymore, the legislation changed recently and so did the roadside test. It's only pass and fail now.

I find it hard to believe the OPs story that he was allowed to go after failing the test. It's just doesn't happen, there is no discretion here. Besides, what's the point of doing the drunk driving checkpoint if you're going to let drunk drivers go?

Mouthwash, apple juice etc. only affect the reading for few minutas after yiu had it, more often than not it doesn't affect it at all

dxhound2005

kev1.3s wrote: »

hi I was traveling on the N11 this morning about 6.45 when I was stopped at a drink driving checkpoint, I'm not a heavy drinker any more but I've got a problem with these early morning checkpoints anyway but that aside I can hand on heart say that it has been a full seven days since I had a couple of pints, anyhow I took the test and low and behold it came up positive, not enough for to be taken in but enough to get a warning from the guard.
I then informed the Guard that I had not had a drink in a week or so and her response was did I have a cigarette this morning which I replied no, I don't know what the **** a fag has to do with it anyway but my question is if these machines are not reliable why the **** are they being used to disrupt our day?
And before anybody asks I didn't use mouthwash this morning!

There is extra Garda activity in the South East at the moment.

http://www.garda.ie/Controller.aspx?Page=9076&Lang=1

stovelid

donegal_road wrote: »

I play music and a band member was getting a lift home after the gig with another member who hadn't been drinking (3 years ago), she was breathalyzed at a checkpoint and passed, but my mate was in the passenger seat and asked could he have a go on the breathalyzer.. he had 5 pints of Guinness and 3 small bottles of red wine, and he passed the test. The Guard said to him that if he had been stopped, he would have passed the test, but wouldn't recommend he take the chance again in the future.

A guy my wife knows in England always swears he passed after being stopped driving after quite a few pints in him. Never knew whether to beleive it or not but maybe it is true.

Kiera

gurramok wrote: »

Am I on the wrong roads, I havent seen a drink driving checkpoint in maybe 2 years or so.

Also, has there ever been a checkpoint on the M50 in Dublin? Never saw one before.

A checkpoint on a motorway? How do you think that would end?

Gary ITR

I came through the old M50 toll not long before it closed and there must have been 50 guards the other side with sections coned off breathalying people as they came through

Isn't that where Niall Quinn was caught too? Haven't seen anything like that on the M50 since

Kiera

Gary ITR wrote: »

I came through the old M50 toll not long before it closed and there must have been 50 guards the other side with sections coned off breathalying people as they came through

Isn't that where Niall Quinn was caught too? Haven't seen anything like that on the M50 since

Obviously it was easier back then with the toll. Now that it's a straight road it would be impossible to pull cars up going 100km.

knotknowbody

kev1.3s wrote: »

anyhow I took the test and low and behold it came up positive, not enough for to be taken in but enough to get a warning from the guard.

frozenbanana wrote: »

I find it hard to believe the OPs story that he was allowed to go after failing the test. It's just doesn't happen, there is no discretion here. Besides, what's the point of doing the drunk driving checkpoint if you're going to let drunk drivers go?

It pisses me off when people don't read posts properly he didn't fail the breath test he had a positive reading that was below the fail threshold. Please people read the post properly it's for your own good, otherwise you just make yourself look stupid.

frozenbanana

frozenbanana wrote: »

Not anymore, the legislation changed recently and so did the roadside test. It's only pass and fail now.

I find it hard to believe the OPs story that he was allowed to go after failing the test. It's just doesn't happen, there is no discretion here. Besides, what's the point of doing the drunk driving checkpoint if you're going to let drunk drivers go?

Mouthwash, apple juice etc. only affect the reading for few minutas after yiu had it, more often than not it doesn't affect it at all

How recently? I was breathalaised a few months ago (after having 1 pint actually) and I was given "zero" as my result by the Guard.

frozenbanana

knotknowbody wrote: »

It pisses me off when people don't read posts properly he didn't fail the breath test he had a positive reading that was below the fail threshold. Please people read the post properly it's for your own good, otherwise you just make yourself look stupid.

Why don't you take your own advice and read my post properly first?

There is no such thing as positive reading below the treshold anymore. On the roadside is either pass or fail now. If you fail a guard is obliged to arrest you, there is no discretion here.

In the station you'd be given a a different, more accurate test and then you might come back under the limit.

Steven Mushy Semifinal wrote: »

How recently? I was breathalaised a few months ago (after having 1 pint actually) and I was given "zero" as my result by the Guard.

January if i remember correctly. New drunk driving legislation came to effect, among other things if differrentiates between 'specified' (profeessional or learner) and non-specified drivers.

All roadside breathalysers have been reccalibrated accordingly.

Dermighty

kev1.3s wrote: »

I can hand on heart say that it has been a full seven days since I had a couple of pints, anyhow I took the test and low and behold it came up positive, not enough for to be taken in but enough to get a warning from the guard.
I then informed the Guard that I had not had a drink in a week or so and her response was did I have a cigarette this morning which I replied no, I don't know what the **** a fag has to do with it anyway but my question is if these machines are not reliable why the **** are they being used to disrupt our day?
And before anybody asks I didn't use mouthwash this morning!

It's unfortunate and unprofessional that the gardai cant tell you're sober by looking at your car driving down the road :rolleyes:

Disrupt your day? 5-10 minutes in an effort to stop people being killed on the roads. I'm sure your day is important.

I imagine cigarettes contains chemicals which may react with the crystals in the bag which may give a false positive.

44leto

Did you use mouthwash that morning, some brands contain a small amount of alcohol.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Spook_ie wrote: »

Also some diets can affect the readings

I follow a high Guinness diet, should I be careful?.

MajorMax

flanum

Dermighty wrote: »

I imagine cigarettes contains chemicals which may react with the crystals in the bag which may give a false positive.

I think the days of the plastic inflatable bag are long gone!!.. its a digital thingy nowadays!

why is everyone asking OP about mouthwash when he says in the OP he didn't use any

M cebee

flanum wrote: »

I think the days of the plastic inflatable bag are long gone!!.. its a digital thingy nowadays!

:pac:

gurramok

Kiera wrote: »

A checkpoint on a motorway? How do you think that would end?

Its just an incentive to any drunk driver to go on a motorway rather than other roads in order to avoid detection. Perhaps setup a random checkpoint at the toll booths?

44leto

I seen one on the westlink toll bridge about 3 years ago at about 2 in the morning, then there was a commotion, some lunatic who was obviously positive tried to reverse back up the slip road.

He didn't get far and probably added dangerous driving to his charge.

Thoie

Leeg17 wrote: »

Smoking a cigarette may produce a false positive and the instructions on the breathalyzer say to wait at least 20 minutes (or so we were taught).

Most likely your mouthwash OP.

So, I decide to drive to the pub and not drink. While at the pub I go for a few cigarettes, and have one just before I leave. My drive home is 20 minutes. If the gardaí stop me just after I've pulled off, and I test positive (despite not having had anything to drink), do I have to sit around at the side of the road for 20 minutes waiting for them to test me again, or will they bring me to the station?

hondasam

Steven Mushy Semifinal wrote: »

How recently? I was breathalaised a few months ago (after having 1 pint actually) and I was given "zero" as my result by the Guard.

http://www.garda.ie/Controller.aspx?Page=8243

http://www.google.ie/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=gardai&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CDsQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.garda.ie%2F&ei=iv12T6X3Nce2hQflwKiSDQ&usg=AFQjCNEcmaiqYPkLnkkdp0MZqT-lBP8neg

hondasam

gurramok wrote: »

Am I on the wrong roads, I havent seen a drink driving checkpoint in maybe 2 years or so.

Also, has there ever been a checkpoint on the M50 in Dublin? Never saw one before.

These mandatory alcohol checkpoint are carried out all the time. I have been stopped early morning, late at night and during the day. I see at least two of these every week depending on time of course.

oppenheimer1

The guards have whats called a rolling checkpoint for stopping cars on motorways. I remember reading about it on RTE a few years ago when they started doing them.

M cebee

never been stopped

they come to town once in a while and always go to the same spot

there's a detour for anyone with no tax,bald tyres or bad after drink


dodging checkpoints is a way of life for a lot of people out the country

Mr Simpson

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

The guards have whats called a rolling checkpoint for stopping cars on motorways. I remember reading about it on RTE a few years ago when they started doing them.

I think you're thinking of a rolling roadblock, this use several cars, to slow down traffic until it comes to a complete halt. You wouldn't use this for checkpoints, mainly to safely close a road after an accident.

kev1.3s

frozenbanana wrote: »

Potential-Monke wrote: »

It gives 3 readings: Zero, Pass and Fail. Zero is, well, no alcohol. Pass means there is alcohol but none to the extent that it will be over the limit if brought to the station. And fail if it's over the limit.

Not anymore, the legislation changed recently and so did the roadside test. It's only pass and fail now.

I find it hard to believe the OPs story that he was allowed to go after failing the test. It's just doesn't happen, there is no discretion here. Besides, what's the point of doing the drunk driving checkpoint if you're going to let drunk drivers go?

Mouthwash, apple juice etc. only affect the reading for few minutas after yiu had it, more often than not it doesn't affect it at all

Well you've obviously gotten your facts wrong on your new legislation as the machine I used had the ok pass on fail.

44leto

M cebee wrote: »

never been stopped

they come to town once in a while and always go to the same spot

there's a detour for anyone with no tax,bald tyres or bad after drink


dodging checkpoints is a way of life for a lot of people out the country

I witnessed something in Fetard in Wexford at about 12'30 at night every mobile phone in the place went off. Checkpoint on the ballybackward lane (whereever) the only people that get done down there are the visiting Dubs.

Trampas

got stopped at a checkpoint last night.

i think the garda was upset that it came up 0 met it had to stay out a bit longer until he caught one.

surprised he didn't do me for been half a sleep since only woke up 5 mins before hand