4 days ago
Gardai say Volkswagen with screwdriver for a gearstick had more ‘DIY than B&Q'
They added that this was 'dangerous, illegal, and not even slightly roadworthy' alongside the hashtag, 'you can't make this up'
The car that was pulled over by gardai
Gardai in Laois/Offaly who stopped a car being driven without insurance yesterday had thought they'd 'seen it all'.
However, on closer inspection they realised the gear stick was replaced with a screwdriver.
'This Volkswagen had more DIY than B&Q,' they posted on Facebook.
'The vehicle was seized.'
They added that this was 'dangerous, illegal, and not even slightly roadworthy' alongside the hashtag, 'you can't make this up'.
The car that was pulled over by gardai
Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 5th
One person commenting said that as a 'mechanic and certified vehicle inspector, if the screwdriver handle was fitted correctly it's not a problem', before quickly adding: 'The insurance or lack thereof is a big problem though.'
This is just the latest bizarre discovery gardai have made on the roads recently.
Only last month, Mayo Road Policing Unit who stopped a suspicious vehicle discovered a raft of issues.
Not only was the rear tyre in an extremely poor condition, they found that the back left brake had been cut off where a vice grips had been clamped to the brake line.
Tax had also expired on the vehicle that was seized for further technical examination.
In March gardaí seized a dangerously defective car after spotting a forged NCT certificate created by a "budding artist".
The driver of the 2005 Volkswagen Beetle had attempted to pass off the car as having a valid three-year NCT by poorly altering the expired 2023 disc to 2025 in a bid to avoid detection.
However, during the roadside inspection in Gorey eagle-eyed gardaí quickly spotted the fake NCT cert.
On closer inspection, they realised why the car hadn't passed its test.
Gardaí found "extensive corrosion" on the body of the car, with a photo of the underside of car showing badly corroded sills.
In a post on social media shared by An Garda Síochána, officers joked that the driver was a "budding artist", but warned that forgery is no laughing matter.
"This budding artist decided to tamper with an NCT certificate, causing Gardaí to seize the car on the discovery the NCT expired in 2023.
"Upon inspection at the roadside in Gorey earlier this month, it became clear the driver had altered the expiration date on the disc in an attempt to deceive. Unfortunately for them, the reason the '05 VW Beetle didn't hold a valid NCT was soon obvious — extensive corrosion was found on the body of the car," gardaí added.
"Forging or altering official documents is a criminal offence and can lead to prosecution. Driving a dangerously defective vehicle puts lives at risk — including your own, your passengers, and other road users."
The car was seized on the spot with the driver facing court proceedings.
