Cars!

Yank

1. So, my friend goes to take his driver's license test, for which he's paid almost 40 euro. He gets there, waits his turn, and then is told to go out to his car so it can be inspected. Even though there's a NATIONAL CAR TEST to ensure the roadworthiness of all vehicles, the driver's license people take it upon themselves to check it, too. And they find that my friend's brake light has gone out, and fail him on the spot. No appeal possible -- he has to pay for a new test and wait another six months!
Someone warned me that you are almost forced to rent a car from a driving test place to take your test -- because then you're paying into the system and you have a better chance of passing your driving test. But it doesn't seem right that someone who might be an excellent driver is failed because of a brake light.
2. So I'm driving from Galway to Dublin in the middle of the night to get to the airport, and I'm coming off the M4 to the dual carriageway that is the Lucan bypass. I notice that the speed limit has suddenly dropped from 70 mph to 50 mph and begin to slow when I'm dazzled by a flash of light into my windshield: speed camera. Two months later a notice in the mail tells me I was going 56 mph in a 50 mph zone, I have to pay 80 euros and get two points on my license. There's no point in appealing because I know I WAS speeding, but it's physically impossible, without slamming on the brakes, to slow from 70 to 50 in the time given at that junction. :eek:
3. So I've got a car, which I should know by now is a big problem in Ireland. And since I've got a car -- a 93 micra -- I have to have insurance. The point of insurance is to cover the cost of anything that might happen to your car or someone else's car in an accident -- but the amount one has to pay to get insurance here is nearly the equivalent of the worth of both cars. And since it's nearly impossible to get a full license -- or when you do, they fail you for having a brake light out --you have to pay even more. Which defeats the purpose of insurance.
4. So I've gotta pay road tax. The purpose of road tax is to help correct the problems cars cause -- right? Such as damage to roads. So, if everyone who owns a car is paying all of this money every year, why are the roads so crap? Most of the roads can barely fit one lane, are bumpy and uneven, have intermittent lines painted on them, are riddled with potholes -- not to mention the fact that there's not enough of them! :mad:

I'm not actually a big fan of cars, but I have to have one for my work -- and the public transport isn't reliable enough to assist me. Where is all of this money going -- for motor tax, for NCT, for driving tests, for insurance?? Is this the main reason why Ireland now has more millionaires per capita than any other country?

jhegarty

Yank wrote:

1. So, my friend goes to take his driver's license test, for which he's paid almost 40 euro. He gets there, waits his turn, and then is told to go out to his car so it can be inspected. Even though there's a NATIONAL CAR TEST to ensure the roadworthiness of all vehicles, the driver's license people take it upon themselves to check it, too. And they find that my friend's brake light has gone out, and fail him on the spot. No appeal possible -- he has to pay for a new test and wait another six months!
Someone warned me that you are almost forced to rent a car from a driving test place to take your test -- because then you're paying into the system and you have a better chance of passing your driving test. But it doesn't seem right that someone who might be an excellent driver is failed because of a brake light.
2. So I'm driving from Galway to Dublin in the middle of the night to get to the airport, and I'm coming off the M4 to the dual carriageway that is the Lucan bypass. I notice that the speed limit has suddenly dropped from 70 mph to 50 mph and begin to slow when I'm dazzled by a flash of light into my windshield: speed camera. Two months later a notice in the mail tells me I was going 56 mph in a 50 mph zone, I have to pay 80 euros and get two points on my license. There's no point in appealing because I know I WAS speeding, but it's physically impossible, without slamming on the brakes, to slow from 70 to 50 in the time given at that junction. :eek:
3. So I've got a car, which I should know by now is a big problem in Ireland. And since I've got a car -- a 93 micra -- I have to have insurance. The point of insurance is to cover the cost of anything that might happen to your car or someone else's car in an accident -- but the amount one has to pay to get insurance here is nearly the equivalent of the worth of both cars. And since it's nearly impossible to get a full license -- or when you do, they fail you for having a brake light out --you have to pay even more. Which defeats the purpose of insurance.
4. So I've gotta pay road tax. The purpose of road tax is to help correct the problems cars cause -- right? Such as damage to roads. So, if everyone who owns a car is paying all of this money every year, why are the roads so crap? Most of the roads can barely fit one lane, are bumpy and uneven, have intermittent lines painted on them, are riddled with potholes -- not to mention the fact that there's not enough of them! :mad:

I'm not actually a big fan of cars, but I have to have one for my work -- and the public transport isn't reliable enough to assist me. Where is all of this money going -- for motor tax, for NCT, for driving tests, for insurance?? Is this the main reason why Ireland now has more millionaires per capita than any other country?

don't forget the vat , the vrt and vat on the vrt you paid when buying your car. The tax on pertol you bought ...the vat on the tax you paid on .........etc...etc......

Jip

Yank wrote:

2. So I'm driving from Galway to Dublin in the middle of the night to get to the airport, and I'm coming off the M4 to the dual carriageway that is the Lucan bypass. I notice that the speed limit has suddenly dropped from 70 mph to 50 mph and begin to slow when I'm dazzled by a flash of light into my windshield: speed camera. Two months later a notice in the mail tells me I was going 56 mph in a 50 mph zone, I have to pay 80 euros and get two points on my license. There's no point in appealing because I know I WAS speeding, but it's physically impossible, without slamming on the brakes, to slow from 70 to 50 in the time given at that junction. :eek:

Firstly, don't know how you managed to get caught by the oldest speed camera in Ireland, the world and it's mother knows about that one (apart from you obviously). Secondly, pay more attention, there was a 50mph sign back in the day when we used mph long before you get near the speed camera, plenty of time to stop an artic from 70 to 0 if neccesary.

jor el

Yank wrote:

1. So, my friend goes to take his driver's license test, for which he's paid almost 40 euro. He gets there, waits his turn, and then is told to go out to his car so it can be inspected. Even though there's a NATIONAL CAR TEST to ensure the roadworthiness of all vehicles, the driver's license people take it upon themselves to check it, too. And they find that my friend's brake light has gone out, and fail him on the spot. No appeal possible -- he has to pay for a new test and wait another six months!

It may be annoying, but having a broken brake light is dangerous and does make the car unroadworthy. Before you start a test, the inspector always checks the car to make sure it's not a danger to you or other users. That's the law, and it's there for a good reason.

The point of insurance is to cover the cost of anything that might happen to your car or someone else's car in an accident -- but the amount one has to pay to get insurance here is nearly the equivalent of the worth of both cars.

More importantly, it's to cover the lives of the occupants of either car, or pedestrians that may be struck by a car. The payout to injured people is far higher than the cost of just about any car on the road. It is ridiculous how much we have to pay for insurance in this country though.

4. So I've gotta pay road tax. The purpose of road tax is to help correct the problems cars cause -- right? Such as damage to roads. So, if everyone who owns a car is paying all of this money every year, why are the roads so crap? Most of the roads can barely fit one lane, are bumpy and uneven, have intermittent lines painted on them, are riddled with potholes -- not to mention the fact that there's not enough of them! :mad:

I'd guess the money paid on road tax, much like all our other taxes, goes to lining the pockets of corrupt polititians or paying solicitors and barristors for useless Tribunals. It doesn't seem to be getting spent on improving the roads in most towns/cities around the country.

Is this the main reason why Ireland now has more millionaires per capita than any other country?

Probably.

samo

If its any consolation, I heard of a woman that accumulated 10 points on the same speed trap in Lucan as she drove that way to a work for a week and unbeknownst (?sp) to her she was coming into a 50 zone and did 60....so could have been worse.

But yeah in general motorists are shafted big time in ireland, no surprise to me these days though!

A Dub in Glasgo

I find it very hard to believe that someone would be so stupid to pass the same spot 5 times without noticing the speed limit or the flashing of the speed camera.

Yank

Jip wrote:

Firstly, don't know how you managed to get caught by the oldest speed camera in Ireland, the world and it's mother knows about that one (apart from you obviously).

Perhaps not being from Ireland, I've missed out on a bit of the local knowledge.

Jip wrote:

Secondly, pay more attention, there was a 50mph sign back in the day when we used mph long before you get near the speed camera, plenty of time to stop an artic from 70 to 0 if neccesary.

I've been back to that spot several times since I got caught, and have noted where the speed limit sign is -- unless there's another one hidden by a tree, it's not in a proper spot for safely slowing down.
However, it's done now -- I know about it now -- and I watch my speed extremely carefully wherever I am.

Yank

jor el wrote:

It may be annoying, but having a broken brake light is dangerous and does make the car unroadworthy. Before you start a test, the inspector always checks the car to make sure it's not a danger to you or other users. That's the law, and it's there for a good reason.

I understand that; however, my friend offered to change the bulb right there, as he keeps a few spare ones in the car. The inspector wouldn't allow it, even though it takes about two mintues to change the bulb of a brake light. My friend had checked his lights before he left the house -- it had gone out on his way to the test. Bad luck, sure, but you'd think the inspector, knowing how long someone waits for a test, would've just let him fix the stupid light.

jhegarty

Yank wrote:

I understand that; however, my friend offered to change the bulb right there, as he keeps a few spare ones in the car. The inspector wouldn't allow it, even though it takes about two mintues to change the bulb of a brake light. My friend had checked his lights before he left the house -- it had gone out on his way to the test. Bad luck, sure, but you'd think the inspector, knowing how long someone waits for a test, would've just let him fix the stupid light.

and miss his early lunch ????

lomb

jhegarty wrote:

and miss his early lunch ????

happened to my mum as well, indicator stopped working. he failed her but gave her a free voucher for a free retest.

samo

A Dub in Glasgo wrote:

I find it very hard to believe that someone would be so stupid to pass the same spot 5 times without noticing the speed limit or the flashing of the speed camera.

so would I but there you go....read about it in the papers and the picture of the girl holding up her 5 speeding fines!! :eek:

A Dub in Glasgo

Did she look embarrassed? I certainly would :eek:

Capt'n Midnight

Yank wrote:

2. So I'm driving from Galway to Dublin in the middle of the night to get to the airport, and I'm coming off the M4 to the dual carriageway that is the Lucan bypass. I notice that the speed limit has suddenly dropped from 70 mph to 50 mph

If you are northbound on the M1 and turn off for Galway you drop down to 40mph.. Its a real pain if you are heading from Palmerstown to Lucan and you are wind up in the middle lane and can't move to the left because the traffic there is doing over 50mph..