M50 toll dodgers targeted

New cameras have been installed on the M50 to catch motorists trying to dodge paying the toll by tailgating trucks.

To date, some 106 motorists have been penalised for tailgating on the motorway. Such an offence attracts  two penalty points and an €80 fine.

Gardaí have carried out four operations in recent months to catch cars driving close behind heavy goods vehicles in a bid to hide their numberplate from overhead toll cameras.

Insp Liam Carolan of the Garda Traffic Corps said the video footage from eflow cameras showed lorries which looked "almost as if they were towing" cars and vans at high speeds as they crossed the barrier-free toll.

He said there was a "potential for carnage" if one of the lorries braked suddenly. This could result in a multi-vehicle crash. He described such driving as "absolute lunacy" and said people were not just risking their own lives but the lives of others.

Insp Carolan said braking distance for a car was 52.7m  in dry weather, increasing to over 81m in wet weather. However, he said motorists were prepared to travel at high speed at 1.3m behind a truck in order to save a toll of €2 or €3.

Eflow, the company that operates the toll system, also warned against tailgating. "Tailgating is a reckless act that puts lives at risk for the sake of avoiding a €3 charge," said director of communications Simon McBeth.

He said new cameras have been installed to capture the rear numberplate of all vehicles. “The combination of both front and rear cameras now means that there is no hiding place for tailgating offenders,” he said.

Over 100,000 vehicles use the M50 free-flow system every day.

Insp Carolan said the Garda has two marked 4x4 vehicles working permanently on the M50 and M1. There is also has an unmarked car fitted with automatic numberplate recognition facilities which can tell if a car is taxed and insured.