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Are Laser Detectors Illegal In Ireland?

3K views 28 replies 14 participants last post by  Gaff 
#1 ·
As I have one. wondering what would happen if I went through a checkpoint or something? Would/could they take it off me?
 
#4 ·
Illegal: yes/absolutely...

Chances of being caught: very small unless you have it in the middle of your windscreen...

I have one hardwired in, up near my rear view mirror, very hard to spot unless you are in the car. It's saved my bacon on a good few occasions...
 
#6 ·
QUOTE (RiccsonTDI @ Jan 9 2006, 06:37 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Any problems with false alarms? You probably get hardly any with laser, but loads with one that detects radio waves...

Yes on the x-band...(such as automatic door openers at shops, etc) But there are still some guns that use this frequency so I keep it on always. I have a mute button beside my steering wheel so I can turn the alarm off easily...
I have a Valentine-1 and it is very good, it also has arrows so one can tell what direction the radar is coming from...
 
#7 ·
i had one, but dunno where it is now, seems like a good idea at the time but ud never use it!

Ive been told the best way to go about installing them is to extend the laser to the front head light and rear brake light.

Never to be seen again!

Mine had a city button on it, to allow for shop doors, traffic light sensors etc..

For safety sake, I dont condone the use of it!
 
#9 · (Edited by Moderator)
QUOTE (pdxa4 @ Jan 9 2006, 06:33 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Illegal: yes/absolutely...

Chances of being caught: very small unless you have it in the middle of your windscreen...

I have one hardwired in, up near my rear view mirror, very hard to spot unless you are in the car. It's saved my bacon on a good few occasions...

I'd be interested in having a look, purely for educational purposes
 
#13 ·
QUOTE (Winger @ Jan 10 2006, 09:25 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>That smacks of a dictatorship, not a European democracy.

Why, you are attempting to pervert the course of justice, its understandable that any equipment to aid you in the process would be illegal.

I'm not saying that I disagree with laser / radar detectors, nor am I saying that I agree, just that I don't see why making something thats purely designed to allow someone to commit an offence illegal makes this a dictatorship. Credit card copying equipment is illegal, that infringes on the forgers "rights" to copy your card, does that make this a dictatorship? Hand guns are illegal, that infringes on my "rights" to blow annoying drivers on the roads away, does that make this a dictatorship? No, it makes it a normal country with rules and regulations.
 
#15 ·
QUOTE (Gaff @ Jan 10 2006, 04:42 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I'd be interested in having a look, purely for educational purposes


If you are in work I can scoot over and you can see it in the car park...send me a txt...
 
#16 ·
I know of somebody that got caught and the cop made him drive over it.
 
#17 ·
There was a recent case here in Galway were a cop saw one mounted on a dashboard of a van. Since the van was parked in a Loading Bay the cop waited around for the driver. When the driver came back the cop went to confiscate the radar detector but the driver refused to hand it over and contested the use of it. The driver was later summonsed to court and the judge threw the book at him. The cops would have let him go if he had handed it over. So my advice; don't risk it.
 
#18 ·
QUOTE (GSBellew @ Jan 10 2006, 09:39 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Why, you are attempting to pervert the course of justice, its understandable that any equipment to aid you in the process would be illegal.

I'm not saying that I disagree with laser / radar detectors, nor am I saying that I agree, just that I don't see why making something thats purely designed to allow someone to commit an offence illegal makes this a dictatorship. Credit card copying equipment is illegal, that infringes on the forgers "rights" to copy your card, does that make this a dictatorship? Hand guns are illegal, that infringes on my "rights" to blow annoying drivers on the roads away, does that make this a dictatorship? No, it makes it a normal country with rules and regulations.
I was being dramatic, obviously!

It's illegal because of the Wireless Telegraphy Act, not because it's 'designed to allow someone to commit an offence', and confiscating it seems to be to be done with the latter in mind, not because of the law it violates. Do you think a cop would be so quick to confiscate/send you to court if he/she found an iTrip in your car?

Do ye think we have to right to know when you are being trapped by the police? (Obviously a slight difference to knowing when you are ABOUT to be trapped).
 
#19 ·
Some of the ones designed to be permanently installed are very small - the componentry is spread around, so visible parts are fairly compact. Of course that means that if they stop you and have a good look around you've no way of hiding it at all, but then it's harder for them to ask you to dismantle it too
 
#20 ·
QUOTE (Winger @ Jan 10 2006, 11:01 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I was being dramatic, obviously!

It's illegal because of the Wireless Telegraphy Act, not because it's 'designed to allow someone to commit an offence', and confiscating it seems to be to be done with the latter in mind, not because of the law it violates. Do you think a cop would be so quick to confiscate/send you to court if he/she found an iTrip in your car?

Do ye think we have to right to know when you are being trapped by the police? (Obviously a slight difference to knowing when you are ABOUT to be trapped).

You'll be a long time waiting to be trapped by the police in Ireland
 
#21 ·
[rant]

In an ideal world© - the Gardaí would use their speed detection equipment on dangerous roads, where there's a proven record of accidents. Consequently, in that ideal world©, they should have no problem with people using detection equipment, as detecting the Gardaí would make them slow down, which in an ideal world would be the point of catching drivers speeding in the first place. Thus cars slow down where accidents tend to happen, less crashes take place, less people get hurt and less people die, ergo the ideal world© becomes an even better place.

However instead we live in Ireland©, where the Gardaí set up speed traps as a moneymaking/hasslecausing exercise on perfectly good roads, thus successfully ending whatever confidence Irish drivers had in the speed limit system, whatever respect they had in those people who enforce it, and instead breed contempt, and unfortunately bad driving habits, in road users.

In the unlikely event that the powers that be cop on, we may see a more widespread use of such devices, but while they continue to consider motorists as evil spirits who're there to bring around the downfall of civilisation they'll keep cracking down on detectors and the like while our gaffs are being broken into, etc.

[/rant]
 
#22 ·
QUOTE (Stiofán @ Jan 10 2006, 01:08 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>[rant]

In an ideal world© - the Gardaí would use their speed detection equipment on dangerous roads, where there's a proven record of accidents. Consequently, in that ideal world©, they should have no problem with people using detection equipment, as detecting the Gardaí would make them slow down, which in an ideal world would be the point of catching drivers speeding in the first place. Thus cars slow down where accidents tend to happen, less crashes take place, less people get hurt and less people die, ergo the ideal world© becomes an even better place.

but in this ideal world© wouldnt people speed more often on these back roads as there is less of a chance of getting caught cause they can slow down for the speed checkpoints
 
#23 ·
QUOTE (WRC @ Jan 10 2006, 02:18 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>but in this ideal world© wouldnt people speed more often on these back roads as there is less of a chance of getting caught cause they can slow down for the speed checkpoints

No, because backroads aren't like national roads - they tend to be a lot more bends, curves and humps in the road, not to mention walls, buildings and trees in the way to shorten the range not just of the speed traps, but of the detectors too. They afford so many more places to hide for a Garda with a speed gun, that before you know it you could find yourself stung. It makes infinite sense also on dangerous sections of national roads, like through small villages etc, where people should slow down - but don't.
 
#24 · (Edited by Moderator)
If a cop sat on a back road all day with a speed check and then on a big open safe wide road he would have far more tickets wrote out on that big safe stretch of road. so less money on backroads.
Cant really blame the cops themselves that are on the side of road as they are put under pressure to get so many tickets wrote out a day. its the goverments fault, well we have to make sure Ahern has a enough money for his salary.

Im on the road a lot, i can do up to 50k a year and since the penalty points came in ive noticed cars have slowed down on national roads BUT road deaths are still high so speed isnt the main cause as the goverment has brainwashed us all to believe.

If you have a head on collision at the speed limit of 60mph the chances are you wont survive.
 
#26 ·
QUOTE (Stiofán @ Jan 10 2006, 02:26 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>No, because backroads aren't like national roads - they tend to be a lot more bends, curves and humps in the road, not to mention walls, buildings and trees in the way to shorten the range not just of the speed traps, but of the detectors too. They afford so many more places to hide for a Garda with a speed gun, that before you know it you could find yourself stung. It makes infinite sense also on dangerous sections of national roads, like through small villages etc, where people should slow down - but don't.

Well said...
 
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