The Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) has called for a ban on tractors and slow-moving vehicles using the Irish motorway network.
This comes as the IRHA launched its campaign to highlight the dangers that such vehicles pose to other road users on motorways.
Tractors are legally permitted on motorways in the Republic of Ireland, the only country in the European Union to allow it, provided the tractor is capable of reaching a minimum speed of 50km/h.
IRHA president Ger Hyland said if Ireland is serious about road safety and preventing road deaths, tractors should be removed from these roads.
“Tractors cause a build-up of traffic behind them on the motorway, with people pulling into other lanes at the last minute to avoid the slow-moving tractor.
“Tractors are a regular sight on our motorways during the summer months, sometimes pulling trailers of hay and silage bales or pulling slurry spreaders or other heavy machinery. A family in a car driving in heavy fog on the motorway at 120km/hr could come across this tractor and have very little time to react. This is presenting a clear and present danger to other road users and is a serious tragedy waiting to happen”
IRHA president Ger Hyland said if Ireland is serious about road safety and preventing road deaths, tractors should be removed from these roads. \ Garda Twitter
Dangers
The Health and Safety Authority of Ireland (HSA) provided this guidance on motorway usage: “as a general rule farm tractors and machinery should not be driven on motorways as they create a serious hazard to other road users due to their slow speed”.
Hyland added tractors driving on motorways are often driving at speeds below 50km/hr, in particular when going up inclines, especially if they have a heavy load attached.
“We have flagged some high-profile accidents already including the death of a father of two in his 30s, who was killed when the car in which he was a passenger was in collision with a tractor on the M1 Northbound between Junctions 12 and 14 at Mooremont, Co Louth in 2023. This just isn’t safe,” added Hyland.
“In many cases, these tractors are been driven by young lads on provisional licenses who just don’t have the driving experience to handle difficult road conditions on a motorway.”
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The Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) has called for a ban on tractors and slow-moving vehicles using the Irish motorway network.
This comes as the IRHA launched its campaign to highlight the dangers that such vehicles pose to other road users on motorways.
Tractors are legally permitted on motorways in the Republic of Ireland, the only country in the European Union to allow it, provided the tractor is capable of reaching a minimum speed of 50km/h.
IRHA president Ger Hyland said if Ireland is serious about road safety and preventing road deaths, tractors should be removed from these roads.
“Tractors cause a build-up of traffic behind them on the motorway, with people pulling into other lanes at the last minute to avoid the slow-moving tractor.
“Tractors are a regular sight on our motorways during the summer months, sometimes pulling trailers of hay and silage bales or pulling slurry spreaders or other heavy machinery. A family in a car driving in heavy fog on the motorway at 120km/hr could come across this tractor and have very little time to react. This is presenting a clear and present danger to other road users and is a serious tragedy waiting to happen”
IRHA president Ger Hyland said if Ireland is serious about road safety and preventing road deaths, tractors should be removed from these roads. \ Garda Twitter
Dangers
The Health and Safety Authority of Ireland (HSA) provided this guidance on motorway usage: “as a general rule farm tractors and machinery should not be driven on motorways as they create a serious hazard to other road users due to their slow speed”.
Hyland added tractors driving on motorways are often driving at speeds below 50km/hr, in particular when going up inclines, especially if they have a heavy load attached.
“We have flagged some high-profile accidents already including the death of a father of two in his 30s, who was killed when the car in which he was a passenger was in collision with a tractor on the M1 Northbound between Junctions 12 and 14 at Mooremont, Co Louth in 2023. This just isn’t safe,” added Hyland.
“In many cases, these tractors are been driven by young lads on provisional licenses who just don’t have the driving experience to handle difficult road conditions on a motorway.”
Read more
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