Garda texting on phone while driving around the city

Autochange

Today while sitting in traffic in the city centre i spoted a garda transit van slowly approaching in the opposite direction. As it got closer i could see the driver looking down towards their lap and back up again continuously as they moved in traffic. When the van was almost beside me i could see the driver who was a female Garda looking down at her phone as she drove along. Their was also a male garda in the passenger seat looking out the window. I lay on the horn as they passed and must have startled her as she looked up and stopped the van. She then glared at me and drove on again.

I am on the road most days and have seen Gardai chatting or looking at their phones while driving before

How do they expect to have respect from the public and for us to follow the road traffic laws when they couldn't even be arsed doing it themselves or hiding the fact either

me_irl

Autochange wrote: »

Today while sitting in traffic in the city centre i spoted a garda transit van slowly approaching in the opposite direction. As it got closer i could see the driver looking down towards their lap and back up again continuously as they moved in traffic. When the van was almost beside me i could see the driver who was a female Garda looking down at her phone as she drove along. Their was also a male garda in the passenger seat looking out the window. I lay on the horn as they passed and must have startled her as she looked up and stopped the van. She then glared at me and drove on again.

I am on the road most days and have seen Gardai chatting or looking at their phones while driving before

How do they expect to have respect from the public and for us to follow the road traffic laws when they couldn't even be arsed doing it themselves or hiding the fact either

Been done before...

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055290286

Autochange

It still happened today.

kravmaga

Autochange wrote: »

Today while sitting in traffic in the city centre i spoted a garda transit van slowly approaching in the opposite direction. As it got closer i could see the driver looking down towards their lap and back up again continuously as they moved in traffic. When the van was almost beside me i could see the driver who was a female Garda looking down at her phone as she drove along. Their was also a male garda in the passenger seat looking out the window. I lay on the horn as they passed and must have startled her as she looked up and stopped the van. She then glared at me and drove on again.

I am on the road most days and have seen Gardai chatting or looking at their phones while driving before

How do they expect to have respect from the public and for us to follow the road traffic laws when they couldn't even be arsed doing it themselves or hiding the fact either

They are exempt

Autochange

kravmaga wrote: »

They are exempt

Any link or proof of that. I think you are incorrect

Are Am Eye

kravmaga wrote: »

They are exempt

Exemption does not apply to section 51, 52 or 53 of the Road Traffic Act. Those being offences of driving without due care and attention, careless driving and dangerous driving. I think the girl looking at and typing on a phone on her lap while driving a van is at the least driving without due care and attention. It's also gross hypocrisy. She's prosecuting people in the courts.


Emergency Services Exemption

vicwatson

kravmaga wrote: »

They are exempt

I think you mean they are "exempt"

Just like parking all over the place and never getting a ticket

Autochange

Are Am Eye wrote: »

Exemption does not apply to section 51, 52 or 53 of the Road Traffic Act. Those being offences of driving without due care and attention, careless driving and dangerous driving. I think the girl looking at and typing on a phone on her lap while driving a van is at the least driving without due care and attention.


Emergency Services Exemption

In stop start traffic too in a built up area where lots of pedestrians were walking around. Wish i got a photo but that would have involved me reaching for my phone whilst driving and breaking the law and endangering others.

me_irl

https://www.gardaombudsman.ie/complaints/complainhow.html

AnneFrank

Seriously? They do what they want we all know that

Autochange

AnneFrank wrote: »

Seriously? They do what they want we all know that

Yes its very serious

Are Am Eye

me_irl wrote: »

https://www.gardaombudsman.ie/complaints/complainhow.html

The ombudsman is a smokescreen to fool the public. It's working obviously.
GSOC have no powers. The Gardai only laugh at them. The first thing that would happen if you make a complaint to GSOC is it will be sent to the Garda's local station and investigated by a Garda Inspector there. I'm sure you can imagine the success rate of such complaints.

me_irl

Are Am Eye wrote: »

The ombudsman is a smokescreen to fool the public. It's working obviously.
GSOC have no powers. The Gardai only laugh at them. The first thing that would happen if you make a complaint to GSOC is it will be sent to the Garda's local station and investigated by a Garda Inspector there. I'm sure you can imagine the success rate of such complaints.

Whereas we all know how boards is monitored daily by An Garda Síochána for such breaches of conduct.

Autochange

me_irl wrote: »

Whereas we all know how boards is monitored daily by An Garda Síochána for such breaches of conduct.

If they were monitoring it it would be to try and stamp out anyone bad mouthing them. No dissent allowed.

Are Am Eye

me_irl wrote: »

Whereas we all know how boards is monitored daily by An Garda Síochána for such breaches of conduct.

Well Autochange isn't all talk, as you're suggesting.
They beeped their horn and glared at the garda. Lot of people wouldn't have the balls to do that. The garda could have turned the van around and gone after them. Didn't because she knew she was in the wrong.

Well done I say. And an excellent story to share.

Freindly

Using your phone in slow moving traffic will not get you convicted of dangerous driving or careless driving or driving without due care or attention. It would, if the Gardaí weren't exempt, attract an €80 fine and 3 penalty points for holding a phone.

Miss Demeanour

As a member of the gardaí I have it on very good authority that it was a very important, possibly crucial text......it read.......








"Fire on the sausages love....I'll be home in a half hour"

Are Am Eye

Freindly wrote: »

Using your phone in slow moving traffic will not get you convicted of dangerous driving or careless driving or driving without due care or attention. It would, if the Gardaí weren't exempt, attract an €80 fine and 3 penalty points for holding a phone.

It is absolutely an offense of driving without reasonable consideration.
If your eyes are off the road whether you're reading a newspaper, on a laptop, on a phone, looking for something in the glove compartment etc then you are not giving the road and it's dangers the appropriate consideration.

Also you are incorrect in saying the Gardai are exempt. It is only if committing the offense is in the course of their duties. Checking twitter doesn't count.

Freindly

Are Am Eye wrote: »

It is absolutely an offense of driving without reasonable consideration.
If your eyes are off the road whether you're reading a newspaper, on a laptop, on a phone, looking for something in the glove compartment etc then you are not giving the road and it's dangers the appropriate consideration.

Seeing as how often dangerous driving cases are reduced to careless driving, I'm struggling to see how holding your phone, which is a specific offense, would get a careless driving conviction. Especially when there is a specific offence which attracts 3 points for holding your phone which was designed specifically for this activity.

Actually texting while driving is a specific offence too which requires a court appearance. Texting involves looking at your phone.

Merely looking at your phone isn't careless driving. It's about the context.

Freindly

Also you are incorrect in saying the Gardai are exempt. It is only if committing the offense is in the course of their duties. Checking twitter doesn't count.

Checking Twitter while driving isn't an offence yet actually. https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/wider-penalties-for-phone-use-when-driving-dropped-1.2500061

Are Am Eye

Freindly wrote: »

Seeing as how often dangerous driving cases are reduced to careless driving, I'm struggling to see how holding your phone, which is a specific offense, would get a careless driving conviction. Especially when there is a specific offence which attracts 3 points for holding your phone which was designed specifically for this activity.

Actually texting while driving is a specific offence too which requires a court appearance. Texting involves looking at your phone.

Merely looking at your phone isn't careless driving. It's about the context.

I see you're deliberately repeating dangerous driving again.
The garda's actions are an offense under 51A. Driving in a public place without consideration to the safety of other persons. A summary driving offense. That was not rescinded by the law regarding holding a phone specifically.
What do you think someone was charged with prior to the phone law? Or someone using a notebook or laptop is charged with now? Or someone eating a sandwich and with one hand on the steering wheel.

51A is a general offense to deal with diverse actions or omissions.
Just like people who speed to a very dangerous degree are often charged with 52 or 53.

spurious

You know well if they plough into you while texting, an 'off duty member' will happen to be on the corner to witness you run into them.

Are Am Eye

Freindly wrote: »

Checking Twitter while driving isn't an offence yet actually. https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/wider-penalties-for-phone-use-when-driving-dropped-1.2500061

Yes it is.

It's an offense under Section 51A. Driving without reasonable consideration.


Did you actually pass your exams in Templemore?

gooseygander

spurious wrote: »

You know well if they plough into you while texting, an 'off duty member' will happen to be on the corner to witness you run into them.

Crazy comment from a mod.
Quick lets get the info to Clare Daly and Mick Wallace and open another tribunal to pay barristers millions of tax payers money and have no result at end of same.

B.A._Baracus

Being a member of the garda allows for certain perks. You know yourself.

blueser

Autochange wrote: »

Today while sitting in traffic in the city centre i spoted a garda transit van slowly approaching in the opposite direction. As it got closer i could see the driver looking down towards their lap and back up again continuously as they moved in traffic. When the van was almost beside me i could see the driver who was a female Garda looking down at her phone as she drove along. Their was also a male garda in the passenger seat looking out the window. I lay on the horn as they passed and must have startled her as she looked up and stopped the van. She then glared at me and drove on again.

I am on the road most days and have seen Gardai chatting or looking at their phones while driving before

How do they expect to have respect from the public and for us to follow the road traffic laws when they couldn't even be arsed doing it themselves or hiding the fact either

Did you do anything about it? Maybe put in a complaint/report to your local station, giving times/locations/reg numbers.

spurious

gooseygander wrote: »

Crazy comment from a mod.
Quick lets get the info to Clare Daly and Mick Wallace and open another tribunal to pay barristers millions of tax payers money and have no result at end of same.

I'm not a mod in this forum and I have experience of what I described. Crazy or not. It's Ireland. Mysterious off-duty guards roam the streets ready to help 'members' in difficulty.

Shurimgreat

I'd imagine on duty gardai are exempt from speeding tickets, driving in the bus lane, driving dangerously where needed eg car-chase and parking where they want.

I doubt they are exempt from driving under the influence or texting or reading their phone. Possibly answering an emergency call they are exempt.

That said they should be setting a good example to the general public.

realdanbreen

Autochange wrote: »

It still happened today.

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:!

_Kaiser_

spurious wrote: »

I'm not a mod in this forum and I have experience of what I described. Crazy or not. It's Ireland. Mysterious off-duty guards roam the streets ready to help 'members' in difficulty.

I actually always find it amusing how they refer to themselves as "members"

It's like a exclusive club.. which is also of course how it's run - secrecy, no accountability and absolutely no dissent tolerated (all of which we've seen in even the last year or so).

AGS needs to be gutted and rebuilt from the ground up at this stage. Something like the OP's story, while a small issue in the scheme of things, just highlights the casual disregard for the rules that paints AGS in a bad light generally, but forms the basis of the far more serious problems within the organisation as well.

davycc

Autochange wrote: »

It still happened today.

Diplomatic immunity mate

Sam Quentin

And maybe she was receiving info on a drug dealer about to sell drugs to some kid!?

tomwaterford

Sam Quentin wrote: »

And maybe she was receiving info on a drug dealer about to sell drugs to some kid!?

She must have some sketchy snapchat friends

irishproduce

Firstly. Hands up. I was penalised recently for having the phone and sending sms while sitting at a red light. I didn't know it wasn't allowed to text while stopped at a red light. Lesson learned. Fine accepted and points noted.

Then yesterday, I am at a cross roads, a busy enough one mind which isn't far from my home, and there is the same Garda texting away in the car (presumably texting - of course I couldn't tell what he was doing on screen but his fingers moving around the screen nonetheless).
He didn't see me, I didn't react. But sure what am I to do.
It is an awful feeling to be penalised for something one misunderstood but to then see the punisher doing something that I would see as worse (texting while the car is moving) is very hard to take.
I am thinking to install a camera in car and send instances to the ombudsman

DopeTech

Seen one driving through Rathmines the other morning, he was driving while texting. To make it worse, he even had another Garda in the passenger seat who could have operated the phone while he was driving. How do they expect anyone to respect them when they act like overgrown children most of them.

* Yes I know some of them have a hard job and there is some good ones but f**k me there is some of them could do with a dose of reality.

RustyNut

I don't think any action will be taken against a Garda checkin their Facebook or texting or whatever.

Here's an example of an off-duty Garda speeding in a car with bald tyres when he killed someone and no action was taken.

A CAR driven by an-off duty garda that struck a 23-year-old man was travelling above the speed limit at the time of the incident, an inquest has heard.
Jack Whelan, of Beech Lodge, Kincora Grove, Clontarf, Dublin 3, was crossing Clontarf Road on April 12, 2009, after getting out of a taxi when he was hit by a car driven by Gda Aidan Morgan shortly before 6.30am.
Mr Whelan, who was returning home from a house party, died at the Mater Hospital of multiple injuries less than two hours later, an inquest heard yesterday.
Gda Tony Kelly told Dublin City Coroner's Court that the car driven by Mr Morgan was travelling at no less than 56kmh on a stretch of road where the speed limit was 50kmh.
But, referring to a number of different methods of calculation, Gda Kelly said the probable speed of the vehicle was between 65kmh and 67kmh and that the maximum speed was 75kmh.
Gda Morgan said he was travelling at around 50kmh.
Dangerous
The inquest heard the front left and right tyre threads of the 07 MO 2083 Volkswagen Jetta driven by Gda Morgan were worn below the legal limit.
Garda Michael Treacy, who examined the car, said one of the tyres was worn to such an extent that it was "dangerous".
Earlier he said it would only have an effect on the vehicle in wet conditions.
The morning in question was dry and bright.

The Garda Ombudsman Commission carried out a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the collision and a file was sent to the DPP. No prosecutions were directed

Ineedaname

spurious wrote: »

I'm not a mod in this forum and I have experience of what I described. Crazy or not. It's Ireland. Mysterious off-duty guards roam the streets ready to help 'members' in difficulty.

I can attest to that. Friend of my dads was hit a drunk driver a few years ago. He was so drunk he couldn't even walk straight. Open and shut case or so you would think. Turns out your man was the son of a guard. You can imagine what happened after that.