I think part of the problem is with newer cars the headlight unit must be removed to replace the bulb,Still it has to be done.

They broke their word and issued summonses. That it ! I’m for CP2.

The article says nothing about summonses! It is only from the 8th March that Gardaí are using their discretion for revenue gaining offences.

Funny how there’s never a crackdown on burglaries. Or old people being beaten up. Or beggars. Just sayin’……..

Isn’t shatter on about an ‘operation fiacla’ cracking down burglaries. Apparently it’s been successful. Article about it on this site during the week.

The feeling of entitlement is a dillema world over. However, this nasty trait is often kept a bay by law enforcement, punishment, equality, fairness and education. Unfortunately, our country isn’t consistent with embracing the fore mentioned. As a result we have created a culture where people chance thier arm. In essence, they give it go… It doesn’t matter if their actions are dangerous or selfish…. As long as they get what they want…

Headlights is an example.

My three pet peeves on the road are people driving with fog-lights on when there’s no fog, not indicating correctly or not indicating at all on a roundabout, and hogging the middle lane on a three-lane dual carriage way. Lack of intelligence and basic driving skills displayed in all cases. Replacing a bulb if it is blown should be a no-brainer.

David, i like the cut of your jib.

While I dont drive around with my fog lights on, I dont understand how people are blinded that badly by them. I pass people with their fogs on all the time and have never been blinded. Maybe you should get checked out for meningitis.

I am talking about front fogs. I do agree the back ones are a nuisance.

Who said anything about being blinded by fog lights? Learn how to read.

You’d go crazy in the US. There’s no law at all regarding the use of fog lights and car companies show cars with them on in their TV commercials. On the road it seems every other car has its fog lights on and its just so annoying. People actually think that it improves their vision of the road ahead. US drivers are such idiots and know nothing of road etiquette. In Germany you’d better not drive with your fog lamps on. You will get a penalty.

America is a joke

I have my lights on all the time when driving, supposed to decrease accidents by 30% or something like that, however it also means with all the driving i do my lights often go, i often have spare bulbs etc but not going to pull over on the motor way or a dark country road to replace it!! Not safe between traffic or nutter risks!!

If your tyre blew mid journey would you not replace it, so why not the bulb.

Indeed, I believe this is compulsory in France? I carry spare bulbs and a screw driver in the car if a bulb ever needs changing, however its easy to change the bulbs on my car, some manufacturers build cars where the bumper has to come off to change a headlight!

some cars need to brought to the garage to change a bulb,some people may not know how to change them either.

A solution would be that it should be manatory to know how to change a light, and any of the cars that need to go to the garage must produce the car within we’ll say 2 days to a garage station to be checked

Colin – with all due respect, you would know if your tyre blew out.
You would probably not know if one of your lights stopped working mid-journey, especially a tail-light.
My front headlights were working ok one day last month before I set out on a journey – it was only when I was parking at my destination that a work colleague kindly informed me that the front right headlight bulb was blown – wasn’t I lucky it wasn’t a Garda!
Through no fault of my own, I could have been looking at a fine [and probably points on my licence too].
Would it be right if I was pulled over by a Garda on my way to buy a new bulb in the shop? Or are you telling me that we need to call AA to carry out a bulb replacement?
All I’m looking for is a bit of discretion shown by the Gardaí.

It’s hard luck if it blows just before you’re stopped. It might make people more conscious of inspecting their vehicle before they drive it. If a headlight is gone you should know in fairness. If another bulb is gone the Garda might show a little discretion and record you’ve been stopped so if you’re stopped again you get done but headlights should be an instant fine. It’s done in most other countries so about time people were pulled up for it.

Your story doesn’t reflect being stopped by a guard , so moaning about lack of discretion is a bit silly, especially seen as the article highlights the amount of drivers who were just cautioned, a lot of which could have been in a similar scenario as yourself.
Also defective lights on vehicles don’t carry penalty points

My headlight blew two days before the clampdown I had spare bulbs in the car I was driving at night and I noticed a change in the amount of light at the front of the car so I changed my bulb. It’s called driving with due care, I want me and my family to be safe on the road and I want to keep my licence.

If I had caused another driver to be blinded by driving on full beams or caused a crash because I looked like a bike should I use the excuse that ah sure I couldn’t fix it or I didn’t have a bulb handy?

I hope you’re not a cop, Sean.
“Some offences were detected during daylight hours and it was deemed appropriate that it be dealt with by way of advice to motorist.”
I was driving at night so I would have been fined – NO discretion for me.

I was stopped in traffic at one of these check points as many unlit cyclists in black clothing and no helmets passed the garda without any problem, in fact one garda actually joked with one. Hilarious stuff.
I carry spare bulbs and discretion should be shown as a bulb can fail at any time wether you check each morning or not . Our hearts can fail at any time too . Does that mean we need a medical each time we set out?

Maura, an easier solution would be to make it compulsory for car manufacturers to include a flashing light on the dashboard to inform you that a bulb was broken.

of course it would make more sense Rory but unfortunately you still couldnt account for the cars thatwould be on the road before this would come out :(

Dave
Why do you hope I’m not a “cop” ??

How can you presume there would be no discretion for you, based on an article in the journal about one month long operation.
I’m sure the majority of incidents dealt by discretion were during daytime, but I’m also sure there was some at night !
You also had not originally mentioned you were driving at night
I agree with some of the arguments Above. If driving at night you should be able to notice a ‘headlight’ missing which you didnt, Maybe you shouldn’t be driving and maybe you shouldn’t deserve discretion

There is no requirement to wear a helmet of a bicycle

You or nobody can say what might happen IF you were stopped you can only say what did happen WHEN you were stopped so please stop second guessing what might happen

That was for dave murray

Unfortunately not everyone is as honest as you. People will always argue with gardai that it must have just blown. To be honest….I think I’d rather get hit with a fine than by another car with dodgy lights.

5*filly maybe there is no requirement in law to wear a helmet on a bicycle but common sense should tell you to wear one. Have you ever visited the Rehabilitation Centre in Dublin. It’s frightening all the people who are there and brain damaged because of falls of of bicycles.

Int it mandatory throughout Europe that you must have spare bulbs in the car as well as a first aid kit? I know in the Czech Republic you do plus a bright orange or green vest.

Matt
Interesting to see you support the Gardai flouting their Oath of Office and contributing to breaches of the Law. What kind of society in this regard do you want?
Why don’t we ask the Nurses to stop washing their hands before they treat patients post surgery or maybe ask the Gardai to leave the cells in their stations unlocked.

Exercising discretion is not a flouting of duty. As someone said, you could blow a bulb mid-journey and not be in a position to change it; would you have Gardaí issue fines in such circumstances?

They’re not flouting their oath of office or indeed the law. They are exercising their power of discretion, which is in itself recognised and accepted within the law. They may still do their job by highlighting such offences to drivers (reference article above which states many warnings were issued during this operation) through the issuing of advice and/or warnings. I’ve said in a previous thread. I was stopped for using a mobile while driving, many months ago, the very nice Garda cautioned me sternly on the dangers of same and left me on my way with a warning. I’ve never used it since. I got no fine but I did get the message. That Garda did their job very effectively in my view.

Here here Matt.

Driving with headlights on is more than ok id say. Its driving with fog lights on where is no reason for it which is a problem.

I always have my headlights on, no matter what time of the day or what conditions on the road. Just to be more visible.

Headlights?!

Surely you mean dipped headlights. Because you shouldn’t be driving around with your headlights on.

You say dipped headlights, I say headlights; you say headlights, I say high-beams.

But we’re talking about the same thing.

2 thumbs down for saying you shouldn’t be driving around in the day with your headlights on.

Unbelievable.

Really, if you mean dipped heads say so. Because the vast majority of people on here will not think “ah he means dipped headlights because his headlights are high beams”

I understand you now and say good man, be more visible.

Mark regardless of the weather it should be mandatory to drive with dipped headlights in daylight hours.

Yes James, I agree. But it’s not, and by fining people for having broken lights, you introduce an evolutionary pressure to not turn on any lights you don’t have to by law; not a good thing.

Patrick… As a foreigner looking at the social cultural dynamics of the average citizen…. I often wonder if the need to disregard the law or authority at every possible level, has something to do with the past years of occupation?

Marlon, maybe but that was 90 years ago. There can be no excuse now.

Marlon I cannot deny that the Vikings never affixed lights to their horses at night.

Yes Declan you’d think…

Marlon, I will add to this by saying so many people in ireland can afford a night out drinking but they can’t afford to keep their car in check. How much is a light bulb? How much is a pint of beer?
Some people have their priorities askew.

I was agreeing with your comment until your claim that lone lady drievers are the worst offenders. I to drive that road with the cruise control set, I find there is very much a mix of people over taken me but on the whole none are going much over the limit, The ones I find to cause the most trouble are the crawlers on the motorway, you know the “I must not go about 80kph on the motorway” ones.

I agree with that one too Claire. In some countries there is a minimum speed limit on motorways because crawlers do indeed cause as much, in some cases more of a hazard than speeders. Well spotted.

Joe. Could slow driving be dangerous or careless ? Yes

Yes Rory. Someone doing 80 in a 120 limit requires those doing 110 or over to pull out in front of someone doing 115 to 120 in order to pass them out. That’s why I agreed with Claire. Domino effect Rory. If the maximum on a motorway is 120, and given that we have only 2 and not 3 lanes, why not have a minimum of 100?

Very few if any. All cars have parking lights so its very rare one side is tottaly dark. Plus what idiot thinks a one headlamp car is a motorbike unless they need glasses. And I do drive back roads at night.

A fairer system would be a sticker system as used in UK where you have a few days to rectify the defect.

Whaaaaaat?

+1 why cant people see it. Its all about money. Tax collectors is basically what they are. This country is heading towards a revolution you can feel it.

How is this a tax? It’s a penalty for having your car in an unsafe state.

If that was true why fine only 300 odd people and not all 1300 odd tat were stopped with defective lights?

*that

Hey Donal,

Have added in this line now: Some offences were detected during daylight hours and it was deemed appropriate that it be dealt with by way of advice to motorist.

Thanks

If that’s the case then why only 317 out of over a thousand given fines?

I wish this revolution that I keep hearing is coming would hurry up and get here.

Martin Mac the guards themselves feel disgusted that they have been reduced to revenue collecting, a friend who is a guard has often mentioned that in conversation. The harassment they receive for not issuing tickets is making their lives along with other factors in the job a misery.

Martin Mac, can’t see the revolution coming even tho it is deserved. We are mostly a Nation of Armchair Warriors and are only prepared to bitch and moan and nothing more drastic.

Picking pepper out of fly shit?

Its called driving without due care or consideration

Because only one light will be working when it’s then dark. That’s why.

That’s IF I’m driving when it dark. And if a Garda stopped me at daytime to tell me one light was not working I would fix it BEFORE it gets dark as always I keep spare bulbs.

Tom Traubert. That’s like saying “Garda arrest me now for I’m going to be drunk driving tonight”

Also have a bulb failure message….

What about people who have no message and it’s a job to replace?

Well? Well? I WANT ANSWERS! :)

RSA are tossers who see motorist as easy money. They don’t give a toss about the practicality or fairness of their decisions.

Is seanie fitz and others not currently before the courts with other investigations ongoing??
Get the facts right…

Have they been charged yet? Are they the only ones guilty?? You can talk facts, if and when, he or the other on trial actually get charged of something.

There seems to be a lot of trolls on this comment page, I got 16 dislike (so far) for asking why the Gardai have not done their job yet. No wonder FF is on the rise.

Eh, you can’t be before the courts unless you have BEEN charged..

Whether or not they are found guilty is a matter for the jury.

They are the facts, you fool!

You clearly have no idea if how the legal and justice system work. Maybe you should go and have a look at that first. Then come back and try make your point

When your forced to pay your unlawful property tax you will be the fool then Liam, and all your pro – gov trolling will not help you to pay the bill.

I’m pretty sure his comments are not pro- governments . Also you just changed the point majorly. I think it’s appropriate that your avatar is an alien , as you are do far from reality my friend

No argument, just insults. What an intellect.

When you start making sense and create proper agreements. I will bother to argue back

You don’t need a service to change a lightbulb in your car. It’s a bit of a copout to pit this issue against another like “go after the bankers”. The country is in ruins for over 10 years now and people are still using their cars, so they can obviously afford to run them, otherwise they would be sat in a driveway gathering rust. A bulb costs a fiver and you can change it yourself. It’s down to a matter of laziness and a simple lack of respect for the safety of other road users and people like that should be fined continually until they are either forced off the road, where that kind of attitude belongs, or they get off their arses and fix the bulb, because it’s that kind of attitude that contributes to road accidents, which ultimately ends lives.

Aye, so an unemployed family of 8 have plenty of cash lying around for your 5 euro light bulb. They face that you cannot separate the economic climate and peoples ability to pay for the parts and services leads me to certain conclusions

Hi Colm, I think the PR dept of Leinster House have invaded this comment thread. You got 31 dislikes for your comment. Clearly any person with a brain cell would not dislike comments critical of the banks, unless the were PR trolls. Keep up the good work – Sergio.