Madam, – A colleague of mine told me that she had been followed and pulled over by gardaí for using her mobile phone while driving. The garda who stopped her informed her that not alone was she driving with one hand, but she was doing so while manoeuvring around a large roundabout, which was extremely dangerous and could have caused a serious accident.
She apologised, said she would not do it again and she was let off with a warning. That same colleague phoned me the following day from her car, on her phone, in busy traffic.
While living in London several years ago I received a substantial fine along with three points off my licence because part of my car was on a zigzag of a zebra crossing. Although I apologised the policeman would not budge and I paid up. However my lesson was learnt and I never did it again.
The only way to stop the carnage on our roads is for gardaí to take a tough stance. If they take the time and effort to pull over drivers who are breaking the law, they should charge them. These drivers will continue to break the law and may go on to cause a serious accident unless they feel some pain – by losing points off their licence and having to pay substantial, immediate fines. – Yours, etc,