Traffic Watch - any experiences

After witnessing two very dangerous overtaking moves on the way to work this morning, I was fortunite enough to get the details of the offending car. Once I arrived into work I called the 1890 number to report it and been told by a machine 'to call back as there is no garda available to talk to me'. Have attempted this 4 times this morning to be told the same thing. I am reporting the issue in Meath, my question is, is this area actually covered? Has anyone had experience of using it?

I think the traffic watch number essentially will put you through to a local garda station. Regardless of how they handle it, you would have to file a report, and I think the gards can't do anythingt unless you have other witnesses.
The only evidence I have seen that the service has any benefit, was when a friend of mine rang up after a boy racer overtook her on the hardshoulder at high speed. She was put through to the nearest garda station and they sent a car out, and eventually caught the guy doing the same thing again.

I was driving in Conamara County Galway about 9 months ago and this gobshite nearly ran me off the road. I rang traffic watch immediately and ended up talking to a garda station in Fermoy Co. Cork who asked me a bunch of questions and i found it a complete waste of time -got the feeling I had disturbed him and as it wasn't on his patch he wasn't interested.

After reporting a driver for dangerous overtaking to TrafficWatch, I had a call back from the station in the area of the incident weeks later asking me to call in to make a statement. I have to confess I never got round to calling in.

I eventually got through yesterday evening, gave all the details and expect to be called back to make such a statement, I am determined to do this, as the guy could easily have wiped out some other road user and himself.

On another note. Being a witness some months back to an accident the guards took a statement from me. Didn't hear much for about 3 months then out of the blue two chaps showed up at my house looking to take a further statement. I wasn't in and when Mrs Bear answered the door she thought I was in serious trouble, I thought that was funny, she must think I have dodgy operation going on in the garden shed!!

These type of things where one dude says another dude nearly blew me off the road etc etc. How can this be pursued into a case where it is one persons word against the other??? is that not a case that in no way has it been proved beyond reasonable doubt?

legend99 said:

These type of things where one dude says another dude nearly blew me off the road etc etc. How can this be pursued into a case where it is one persons word against the other??? is that not a case that in no way has it been proved beyond reasonable doubt?

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I suppose if many independent complaints are made about an individual, maybe matters are taken further.

If ten unrelated people say that someone has been driving dangerously, then maybe this could be construed as 'proving beyond reasonable doubt'.

However, I don't know this for a fact. I'm just guessing.

legend99 said:

These type of things where one dude says another dude nearly blew me off the road etc etc. How can this be pursued into a case where it is one persons word against the other??? is that not a case that in no way has it been proved beyond reasonable doubt?

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Aren't many legal/criminal cases down to one person's word against the other? That's what the judge or jury are there to decide on.