Oh No, Gatso!

annascott

I was driving through Barnesmore Gap this morning and noticed a Gatso van setting up. A couple of hours later on my way back, I was ready for it and slowed down in plenty of time. The thing I could not understand is that not one oncoming driver flashed his lights to warn me that it was there. I warned a few that I met when I had passed it. Don't drivers warn each other in the south of the county? In Inishowen, nearly every car will warn others...

Cee-Jay-Cee

Maybe it's because the drivers in the south of the county are more law abiding than Inishowen drivers (which wouldn't be hard TBH)

It's actually an offence to flash to warn other drivers, people have been prosecuted for it. It's called interfering with the course of justice.

Why should anyone warn you? If your foolish enough to be speeding then you should be willing to take whatever penalties cone along with it.

rwg

CJC999 wrote: »

Maybe it's because the drivers in the south of the county are more law abiding than Inishowen drivers (which wouldn't be hard TBH)

It's actually an offence to flash to warn other drivers, people have been prosecuted for it. It's called interfering with the course of justice.

Why should anyone warn you? If your foolish enough to be speeding then you should be willing to take whatever penalties cone along with it.

:rolleyes:

donegal__road

Gatso van was parked in behind where the red trailer is in the link yesterday. Kilross junction is up ahead, and Drumkeen is behind you in the link. I have never seen them here before; slow down when approaching Drumkeen from Kilross.

Pique

CJC999 wrote: »

Maybe it's because the drivers in the south of the county are more law abiding than Inishowen drivers (which wouldn't be hard TBH)

It's actually an offence to flash to warn other drivers, people have been prosecuted for it. It's called interfering with the course of justice.

Why should anyone warn you? If your foolish enough to be speeding then you should be willing to take whatever penalties cone along with it.

I thought the whole point of traffic cameras was to force traffic to slow down?
Someone flashing a warning makes the drivers slow down without the fine.
Roads safer, faith in humanity briefly restored.

TroutMask

Drivers that understand and observe the Rules of the Road and that keep within the speed limits are delighted to see you clock a fine and some penalty points as you tailgate, overtake and race past them to meet the GATSO/GoSafe van that they just passed without incurring any penalty points.

caustic 1

I got an earful of an off duty garda for giving him a friendly flash about the gatso one day, he swung round and pulled me over. Needless to say I am wary of flashing others now.

muffler

A friend of mine flashed at a few cars recently. What a bummer!

oranbhoy67

caustic 1 wrote: »

I got an earful of an off duty garda for giving him a friendly flash about the gatso one day, he swung round and pulled me over. Needless to say I am wary of flashing others now.

if he was off-duty then did he have any right to pull you over im wondering?

homer simpson

muffler wrote: »

A friend of mine flashed at a few cars recently. What a bummer!

caustic 1

oranbhoy67 wrote: »

if he was off-duty then did he have any right to pull you over im wondering?

I wasn't going to argue with him.

Dr Turk Turkelton

CJC999 wrote: »

Maybe it's because the drivers in the south of the county are more law abiding than Inishowen drivers (which wouldn't be hard TBH)

It's actually an offence to flash to warn other drivers, people have been prosecuted for it. It's called interfering with the course of justice.

Why should anyone warn you? If your foolish enough to be speeding then you should be willing to take whatever penalties cone along with it.

Got a link for someone being prosecuted for warning people of a Gatso van?

TroutMask

Doesn't really matter if someone's been booked for it or not. The fact remains that it is a motoring offence, like speeding, and one should not do it. Most of the speed limits around the county are pretty much on the money anyway, so I can't understand why anyone would want to exceed them.

buckfasterer

The high and mighty brigade are out in full force here anyway :rolleyes:

TroutMask

I take my driving, and the safety of other road users seriously -- oh, did I mention I have no penalty points or endorsements of any kind on my license. That person who gets away with speeding because you warned them about a speed trap could go on to cause an accident and kill or maim someone. I don't consider this stance to be a supercilious or disdainful one, as you claim; I'm simply a responsible road user who has seen first hand the gruesome results of irresponsible driving.

Dr Turk Turkelton

TroutMask wrote: »

Doesn't really matter if someone's been booked for it or not. The fact remains that it is a motoring offence, like speeding, and one should not do it. Most of the speed limits around the county are pretty much on the money anyway, so I can't understand why anyone would want to exceed them.

It does matter when you claimed people had been prosecuted for it and fail to back it up.
Also where does it say that it a motoring offence?
Facts please rather than hearsay and your opinions.

TroutMask

It's obstructing the police, and you know it is - on those grounds the Gardai can give you a summons for it if they want to. Perhaps it was not entirely accurate to call it a "motoring offence". Sorry about that; I hope my clarification is satisfactory and more to your liking.

Also, I never said that people had been prosecuted for this action, that was another poster. Ok, that takes care of the 'hearsay'. As for my opinions, they keep me safe on the road and penalty-point free. They also align with the Rules of the Road. I'm sorry you have a problem with this. I don't have a 'tude about it - i just like to observe the ROTR. It's fun - I see it as a challenge. Kids, dogs and OAPs like it too when i don't run them over.

muffler

Dr Turk Turkelton wrote: »

Also where does it say that it a motoring offence?.

Yes it is an offense as I seen a guy up in court a couple of years ago on this very charge.

Cee-Jay-Cee

oranbhoy67 wrote: »

if he was off-duty then did he have any right to pull you over im wondering?

Yes he can. He's still a guard on or off duty.

Dr Turk Turkelton wrote: »

Got a link for someone being prosecuted for warning people of a Gatso van?

I'll find it tomorrow on the computer as I'm on phone now but it happened down around the Laois/Carlow area and not just the once.

Penfailed

annascott wrote: »

I was ready for it and slowed down in plenty of time. The thing I could not understand is that not one oncoming driver flashed his lights to warn me that it was there.

Maybe they knew, judging by your speed, that you'd slowed down enough to warrant not giving a warning flash?

CJC999 wrote: »

Maybe it's because the drivers in the south of the county are more law abiding than Inishowen drivers (which wouldn't be hard TBH)

It's actually an offence to flash to warn other drivers, people have been prosecuted for it. It's called interfering with the course of justice.

Why should anyone warn you? If your foolish enough to be speeding then you should be willing to take whatever penalties cone along with it.

I pretty much agree with this.

I've been grateful in the past when people have flashed me but if people didn't, I'd be prepared to 'take my oil' if I was caught knowing that I'd broken the law.

The thing that does my head in most of all is people who over compensate when they see a camera van and slow down too much. Dicks.

oranbhoy67

CJC999 wrote: »

Yes he can. He's still a guard on or off duty.

so he can pull you over in his unmarked car ? i certainly wouldn't be pulling over

Kristopherus

oranbhoy67 wrote: »

so he can pull you over in his unmarked car ? i certainly wouldn't be pulling over

He can then take out his flasher(:D) and plonk it on his roof & give pursuit, as he is entitled to do.That would be 4 peno points + a disqualification for you.

Mint Sauce

I know the spot you refer to OP, but tbh, I have not noticed a lower or higher incidence of drivers warning each other compared to say the remainder of the west or NW.

Personally, I would be very unlikely to warn another another driver, for two reasons, I case it was an unmarked, and if you are over the limit, then you deserve to be caught.

My main problem though is one, cars slowing to say 60 or 70 if they see one in a 100 zone, and thier positioning. There is one quite often parked beween Four Masters and Herron Auto outside Donegal Town, almost in sight of the 60/100kph marker, in 15 years I am only aware of one or two fatal incidents there.

pockets3d

Mint Sauce wrote: »

I know the spot you refer to OP, but tbh, I have not noticed a lower or higher incidence of drivers warning each other compared to say the remainder of the west or NW.

Personally, I would be very unlikely to warn another another driver, for two reasons, I case it was an unmarked, and if you are over the limit, then you deserve to be caught.

My main problem though is one, cars slowing to say 60 or 70 if they see one in a 100 zone, and thier positioning. There is one quite often parked beween Four Masters and Herron Auto outside Donegal Town, almost in sight of the 60/100kph marker, in 15 years I am only aware of one or two fatal incidents there.

That section of the road would be a lot safer if it was surfaced properly, bumpy
Manholes on a 100km/h stretch of road

Mint Sauce

pockets3d wrote: »

That section of the road would be a lot safer if it was surfaced properly, bumpy
Manholes on a 100km/h stretch of road

Manhole covers not even flush with the road. Don't think I ever get above 80 on it.

homer simpson

Mint Sauce wrote: »

I know the spot you refer to OP, but tbh, I have not noticed a lower or higher incidence of drivers warning each other compared to say the remainder of the west or NW.

Personally, I would be very unlikely to warn another another driver, for two reasons, I case it was an unmarked, and if you are over the limit, then you deserve to be caught.

My main problem though is one, cars slowing to say 60 or 70 if they see one in a 100 zone, and thier positioning. There is one quite often parked beween Four Masters and Herron Auto outside Donegal Town, almost in sight of the 60/100kph marker, in 15 years I am only aware of one or two fatal incidents there.

One of my pet hates that. Happens all the time on the N13.

Best I've seen is car flew past me round the corner slammed on the brakes slowed to 60kmph stayed at that for the 200 metres or so up to the gosafe van. It still flashed at him

overshoot

muffler wrote: »

Yes it is an offense as I seen a guy up in court a couple of years ago on this very charge.

was it for a Gatso van or garda checkpoint? always heard there was a differentiation

Mint Sauce wrote: »

My main problem though is one, cars slowing to say 60 or 70 if they see one in a 100 zone, and thier positioning. There is one quite often parked beween Four Masters and Herron Auto outside Donegal Town, almost in sight of the 60/100kph marker, in 15 years I am only aware of one or two fatal incidents there.

you cant see it from the 60 limit tho, if your speeding there you deserve it tho, too many access points off the road. altho on the accidents id increase it to 20 years to think of 2 serious crashes, 1 fatal (i forget the circumstances), the other not due to excessive speed

homer simpson wrote: »

Best I've seen is car flew past me round the corner slammed on the brakes slowed to 60kmph stayed at that for the 200 metres or so up to the gosafe van. It still flashed at him

if you see the van its too late to be honest
drives me mad tho the ones who slam on the brakes... almost rear ended someone as i went to overtake, they were doing 70km/hr (possibly less) on a 100km road, long straight too, someone turned left ahead and he clearly just noticed the van after, gave me the fright of my life!

to be honest OP the Gatso van is pretty much always in the gap, id say im more surprised when its not there to be honest, i think theres basically less flashing now due to familiarity with them

muffler

overshoot wrote: »

was it for a Gatso van or garda checkpoint? always heard there was a differentiation

It was one of the Garda speed checks. Guy was driving away from it and flashed the lights at an oncoming car further down the road which unfortunately for him was being driven by an off duty garda.

The guy did get off in court as his solicitor claimed that he was a local man and flashing the lights at another car was a sort of salute or gesture much the same way as you would wave to someone. He did have a point and the judge duly agreed.

Good point though re difference between garda checkpoint and the auld speed wagon.

Floody Boreland

muffler wrote: »

It was one of the Garda speed checks. Guy was driving away from it and flashed the lights at an oncoming car further down the road which unfortunately for him was being driven by an off duty garda.

The guy did get off in court as his solicitor claimed that he was a local man and flashing the lights at another car was a sort of salute or gesture much the same way as you would wave to someone. He did have a point and the judge duly agreed.

Good point though re difference between garda checkpoint and the auld speed wagon.

I hate unjust technicalities. The garda must have been livid.

Graces7

Only time any driver flashes lights on the roads here is to warn that there ar sheep or cattle or horses or deer or wild goats etc loose on the road riound the next bend and I do the same.

But then this is wild country...

TroutMask

i always flash lights to warn of sheep