Gardaí Are Now Using a Lorry to Catch Bad Drivers
An Garda Síochána has started using an unmarked lorry to catch bad behaviour on the roads.
The cab has been fitted with blue lights and has had its speed limiter removed.
'Operation IOMPAR' involves Gardaí using the truck to see into other lorries and down into cars to spot things like mobile phone use and seatbelt offences.
Normal patrol cars then follow the truck and are given instructions by the lorry to pull over offending drivers.
Out on Patrol
The Gardaí are now using a lorry to catch bad behaviour on the roads.
In the space of 40 minutes yesterday, two people were given fines for not wearing seatbelts on the N4 and N7 in Dublin.
“Operation Iompar” has so far caught more than 100 people breaking the law. pic.twitter.com/Bk9Bk3eLVn
— Alex Rowley (@AlexRowley04) September 17, 2024
Today FM News observed the truck in action on the N7, M50 and N4 during a Monday afternoon patrol.
During the operation, two HGV drivers were spotted without seatbelts in the space of just 40 minutes.
Both received 3 penalty points each and a fine, with one driver possibly receiving a disqualification as he said he had 9 points on his license already.
Sergeant Rob Griffin from the Roads Policing Unit based in Dublin Castle said the driver tried to argue about the offense.
"He tried to say he had the seatbelt on, I then asked him if he saw my colleagues in the truck beside him".
"He said he did and I said 'well my colleague would argue in court that he saw you without a seatbelt' and he was willing to put his hands up to it then".
Road Safety
So far, over 100 drivers have been caught using the truck and Gardaí say last month 421 drivers were fines for using a phone while driving.
Garda Des Griffin, who observes cars from the passenger seat of the truck says the truck has helped them massively.
"You wouldn't have normally seen that [a truck driver not wearing a belt] if you were in a car or [on] a bike but now because of the height of the truck we can".
Superintendent Stephen McCauley, An Garda Síochána Roads Policing said, "It’s not always easy to clearly observe the irresponsible drivers of some vehicles on a dual carriage-way or motorway so introducing an unmarked HGV will hugely support our work.
"Operations like this are important because they mean that those that are detected for a road traffic offence must consider their unsafe driving. Drivers need to know that there is a real risk of them causing a fatal or serious injury collision if distracted and not keeping their full attention on the road.
