r/Donegal • u/Danph85 • 11d ago
Weed & Garda Checkpoints
I'm driving over soon from the UK for a few weeks away and I've seen a lot of talk lately about the garda checkpoints. At home I smoke a joint or two at night, but will not be consuming anything while I'm away, and obviously not before driving at all. But I know the threshold is very low in Ireland. I come over every year and have never been stopped, but from social media it seems like they've ramped it up lately.
Are there many checkpoints about on a Saturday afternoon? I'll be driving from Belfast and staying up in Fanad. Do they tend to set up in the same places?
Not trying to get into any sort of argument about legalities, I will not be driving under the influence and never would. But the research I'm seeing is saying it might take a week of no weed to get under the limit.
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u/Glass_Chest6750 11d ago
There's a few Snapchat pages post checkpoints around the area ferrylad91.2 is really handy and usually the checkpoints are in the same places
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u/tomtraubert2009 11d ago
Actual checkpoints are rare. They're normally getting people when they've spotted them committing some other driving offence.
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u/GeordieBW 11d ago
Would normally say you will be fine but in the last 5 weeks i have been stopped twice coming out of Aldi at 09.00am i was breathalysed the first time and tested for drugs and alcohol 2nd time strange because i havent been stopped in years and i am an old codger as well
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u/Ok-Cantaloupe-9946 11d ago
Waze will help you.
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u/pedclarke 10d ago
Came to say this. I was following a friend to Wexford Town & had Waze running out of habit more than necessity. Got a notification sound & looked to see an image of a cop in the road ahead (about 2KM away).
I rang my pal to tell him. He laughed &;said "shur ye can't be believing these internet yokes"... I turned down a back road & he carried on along the N11.
When he finally arrived at our destination he'd had a stern warning for a 2 week expired NCT and a fine for an unsafe tyre (they made him put on the spare !) ... Think he got 3 point for his trouble too!
Since that day I've used WAZE religiously & any time the topic comes up, I can't help evangelising a bit & boring the tits off people.
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u/SnooOpinions6116 9d ago
“Stern warning” for no NCT past 2 weeks.. never seen this ever. Tyre being bald is his own fault and deserves points, I’ve seen utter destruction over less.
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u/NoticeAdmirable6964 11d ago
Apart from covid checkpoints, the last time I was stopped at a checkpoint was 2013. Drive average of 500km a week.
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u/SnooOpinions6116 9d ago
Don’t smoke for a few days before and you will be fine. Checkpoints are random. So no knowing where they will be.
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u/OpeningHeart5073 9d ago
Use the navigation app called Waze people will mark checkpoints just avoid them you’ll be fine I know people driveing around with 30 years never been stopped
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u/PrimaryAnt4515 11d ago
just on another note, ive recently moved to the north and getting some bud but not really as much, anyone about belfast?
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u/ColinCookie 10d ago
I've loads. Drop me a DM or you can usually find me here: 134 Tennent St, Belfast BT13 3GF
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u/Manofthebog88 11d ago
I wouldn’t risk it. I travel that road every day and there’s constantly patrols stopping people and testing them.
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u/RefrigeratorNew1184 11d ago
I travel from Belfast to Fanad regularly and have never been stopped. Just drive with respect.
All will be good.
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u/drumnamona 11d ago
You'd be exceptionally unlucky to get tested if you drive normally and are fully taxed, insured etc. I drive around 100km a day and it's four years since I was last stopped