# Stopped by Garda at Check Point - Query re Insurance



## mcb (18 Oct 2008)

Yesterday my husband was stopped at a Garda Check Point in Finglas.  All his insurance and tax are in order and he showed the Garda his drivers licence.  Garda asked him address, where he was going etc and then told him that he had 10 days to produce his Certificate of Insurance to Garda Station.  Husband asked why he had to do this as his insurance cert is displayed and in date and the Garda just told him he had to do it as his name wasnt on the inusrance disc??

Anyone come accross this before.


----------



## ajapale (18 Oct 2008)

Moved from Askaboutlaw to  Car & motoring


----------



## sam h (18 Oct 2008)

Thats very strange as the name isn't on the disk....but the reg no is.  I'd suggest he call the station and ask if it's really necessary.  Might have just been an over zealous rookie.


----------



## Simeon (18 Oct 2008)

I once was asked by a rookie (backed up by an able ban garda) to hand him the insurance disk as it was coming up on his yokeamebob that I wasn't insured. I told him to take it out himself as being self employed, who was going to pay me for my effort. To make a long story short, I had to produce everything within ten days etc. I had all these things on me, they were checked, yet I had to produce. Now if that pair were trying to punish for not kow towing to their egos, no woder crime is on the up - while a garda had to check these things out when I produced. Wexford Street being the incident place and Kevin Street the workplace of the two.


----------



## asdfg (18 Oct 2008)

The insurance disc which is displayed on the windscreen only shows the reg no and the expiry date of the insurance. 
The insurance Cert is a seperate document and shows what is covered and who exactly is covered or not covered as the case may be. 

It is unlikely that you would have your insurance cert on you. 

Until recently it was fairly common if stopped by the gardai to be asked to produce details of insurance (cert) within 10 days. 
Nowadays, with the garda pulse system or whatever system they use now and with most insurance policies giving open driving and /or driving other cars it is pretty unusual.


----------



## chrisboy (18 Oct 2008)

Still the norm to have to produce ur cert of insurance. I get pulled regularly enough due to the type of motorbike i have so i now carry my cert in with my licence so i dont have to go to the station..


----------



## deadwood (19 Oct 2008)

asdfg said:


> Nowadays, with the garda pulse system or whatever system they use now and with most insurance policies giving open driving and /or driving other cars it is pretty unusual.


 This info has been available to gardai for years. Although PULSE is only in operation for 6-7 years, gardai had a more limited (but quicker!) version since the 80's.

Each policy varies, so it's sometimes necessary to see what the cert says as the disc has limited info. Nothing wrong with carrying your cert in the glovebox, but make sure to report it to the insurance company if lost (or like so many tax discs, the baby eats/tears/throws it out the window), so someone alse can't produce it!

Nothing wrong with being asked to produce, it's common enough and not intended to inconvenience you.

It causes inconvenience for the guard in the station to log your details on PULSE (very time consuming) so no member gets thanks for demanding production from motorists 20 times a day.

DO produce, though. Failure to do so will definitely mean a day in court.


----------



## Smashbox (20 Oct 2008)

My brother has been stopped twice in the last few weeks, and both times had to produce insurance to the local station.

Seems common practise now.


----------



## starlite68 (20 Oct 2008)

deadwood said:


> Nothing wrong with being asked to produce, it's common enough and not intended to inconvenience you.


 
if you have to take time out to visit a garda station to to produce your cert...then it is an inconvenience...this should all computerised by now!


----------



## mcb (20 Oct 2008)

Thanks for all the replies.  Seems to be quite common to be asked for it.


----------



## deadwood (20 Oct 2008)

starlite68 said:


> if you have to take time out to visit a garda station to to produce your cert...then it is an inconvenience...this should all computerised by now!


You're preaching to the choir starlite68!
I'll put my commadore 64 in the boot of the patrol veh-hickle from now on.


----------



## starlite68 (20 Oct 2008)

deadwood said:


> It causes inconvenience for the guard in the station to log your details on PULSE (very time consuming)


the last time i produced my insurance cert at a garda station,the guard at the desk simply entered my details onto computer..which i assume are then uploaded to PULSE. at a guess it took him less that a minute to type in my details ........hardly(very time consuming) or much of an inconveinence!


----------



## Ron Burgundy (20 Oct 2008)

starlite68 said:


> the last time i produced my insurance cert at a garda station,the guard at the desk simply entered my details onto computer..which i assume are then uploaded to PULSE. *at a guess it took him less that a minute to type in my details ........hardly(very time consuming) or much of an inconveinence*!


 
Thats fine when you have a garda station open all day. Where i live its 1 hr a day. So they open at 8 in the evening, so between people producing insurance, passport forms to be sorted and all the other stuff you could be in there for over an hr.


----------



## Harry.Ginder (20 Oct 2008)

Another reason for asking us to produce is that people apply for insurance, receive their windscreen disc and then cancel the policy!

At the checkpoint they appear to be covered but they in fact are not!


----------



## Smashbox (20 Oct 2008)

Ron Burgundy said:


> Thats fine when you have a garda station open all day. Where i live its 1 hr a day. So they open at 8 in the evening, so between people producing insurance, passport forms to be sorted and all the other stuff you could be in there for over an hr.


 
I agree Ron. Where I live you're lucky to catch the Guard once a day, maybe twice or three times a week at best is the norm.

When I had to produce my brothers cert, I was there for about 20/25 minutes while he called someone with the details.


----------



## runner (20 Oct 2008)

May also be an upsurge in fake insurance disks, which having the original document would naturally satisfy. Probably best to have a copy of the insurance in the car to save a trip to the station!


----------



## deadwood (20 Oct 2008)

starlite68 said:


> the last time i produced my insurance cert at a garda station,the guard at the desk simply entered my details onto computer..which i assume are then uploaded to PULSE. at a guess it took him less that a minute to type in my details ........hardly(very time consuming) or much of an inconveinence!


 Ah, you probably produced in Utopia Garda Station to Garda I. Dealworld. 
If he put them directly on PULSE, it takes a hell of a lot longer than a minute (for a mere mortal). The system is just slow.

Did he just go around the corner , and use the computer? My computer "around the corner" is a post-it note, which i'll "upload" myself when I get a chance.


----------



## starlite68 (21 Oct 2008)

no...he used the computer on the desk in front of him.....most garda stations have them these days!


----------



## Ron Burgundy (21 Oct 2008)

starlite68 said:


> no...he used the computer on the desk in front of him.....*most* garda stations have them these days!


----------



## deadwood (21 Oct 2008)

starlite68 said:


> no...he used the computer on the desk in front of him.....most garda stations have them these days!


 I bow to your superior knowledge of the inner workings of An Garda Siochana I.T.  
I'm sure the o.p. has had her question answered at this point - I was just giving an insight to the whys and wherefores...


----------



## DavyJones (21 Oct 2008)

I was stopped at an insurance and tax check point earlier today, there were five vechiles in front of me and after a look in their windscreens they were waved on. My turn came and once the Gardai looked in my window at my up to date insurance/tax. Came around to my door and asked to see my licence. I asked him innocently "out of curiousity, why have you asked to see my licence and nobody else's" He quickly responded in a dry manner " because I can".
 Classic, really brighten up my day.


----------



## Chocks away (21 Oct 2008)

Did he purse his lips after answering? He may have just wanted to see if you were ageing well.


----------



## drakey1 (21 Oct 2008)

Harry.Ginder said:


> Another reason for asking us to produce is that people apply for insurance, receive their windscreen disc and then cancel the policy!
> 
> At the checkpoint they appear to be covered but they in fact are not!



In order to cancel an insurance policy you need to return your documents to the insurance company, so that wouldn't work.


----------



## DavyJones (21 Oct 2008)

drakey1 said:


> In order to cancel an insurance policy you need to return your documents to the insurance company, so that wouldn't work.



In order to cancel your policy, you stop paying your installments and keep the disk. It's an age old scam.


----------



## starlite68 (22 Oct 2008)

deadwood said:


> I bow to your superior knowledge of the inner workings of An Garda Siochana I.T.


dont have much superior knowledge about the inner workings of An garda siochana I.T. just giving my own personal experence as it happened.


----------



## starlite68 (22 Oct 2008)

DavyJones said:


> "out of curiousity, why have you asked to see my licence and nobody else's" He quickly responded in a dry manner " because I can".
> .


 
and they are talking about giving these people guns!! hope thats not going to happen any time soon.


----------



## AlastairSC (22 Oct 2008)

...."Step away from the insurance disc, sir.....(click).....STEP AWAY FROM THE INSURANCE DISC, SIR........


----------



## deadwood (22 Oct 2008)

starlite68 said:


> and they are talking about giving these people guns!! hope thats not going to happen any time soon.


 Be nice, "these people" have feelings.


----------



## MrMan (22 Oct 2008)

starlite68 said:


> and they are talking about giving these people guns!! hope thats not going to happen any time soon.



i would hope that they do eventually get guns and the crooks might take them a bit more seriously. We do like to knock them but they are quite vulnerable to attack at present.


----------



## starlite68 (23 Oct 2008)

deadwood said:


> Be nice, "these people" have feelings.


i am trying to be nice...but i dont like the toughts of a cop checking my driveing licence with one hand while his other hand is pointing a loaded revolver in my face!


----------



## polaris (23 Oct 2008)

Or a can of pepper spray

[broken link removed]


----------



## deadwood (23 Oct 2008)

polaris said:


> Or a can of pepper spray
> 
> [broken link removed]


 Beaten to the post.

Yes, starlite, we'll be spraying anything that moves. If it doesn't move, we'll kick the bejaysus out of it til it _does _move and then spray it. Anything we can do to make life more inconvenient for citizens - that's what makes my day and pays for all those houses I rent out to students. I'm surprised i'm allowed out in public with a pointy pencil sometimes.


----------



## starlite68 (23 Oct 2008)

guns..pepper spray..and pointy pencils,,cant say good old taxpayer dosent look after well


----------



## deadwood (24 Oct 2008)

starlite68 said:


> guns..pepper spray..and pointy pencils,,cant say good old taxpayer dosent look after well


 True, true. Thanks Mr. Taxpayer - only for _*ye!*_


----------



## OkGo (25 Oct 2008)

My mate was stopped and had no disk up the garda asked him did he have insurance he said he did,he was then asked his name which he gave and where he was from he just gave the area no specifics the garda didnt take any details down no reg no. or anything and said ok thats fine and left it at that. Could that be taken further?


----------



## mathepac (25 Oct 2008)

OkGo said:


> ... Could that be taken further?


Grammar School?


----------

