With the arrival of the spring months, a campaign in County Mayo, Ireland, is encouraging road users to be aware of farm vehicles on the roads.
The campaign also reminds drivers that a farm vehicle is part of a farmer’s workplace, and encourages them to be respectful in allowing farmers to do their job.
Noel Gibbons, Mayo’s RSO, said “Rural road safety is an important issue all year round, but it is especially important at this time of year. Farmers will be out planting, and motorists must remain alert for large and often slow-moving equipment.
“Country roads are unpredictable and, therefore, present far more challenges to drivers. Country crashes often result in greater numbers of fatalities and injuries because vehicles are usually travelling at higher speeds.
“There is often a misconception by motorists who think that rural roads are safer and that they can drive faster because of less traffic. But when farm equipment is being moved from field to field, the opposite is often the truth.
“On the other side of the coin, the farmer thinks that because he has lights and warning signs on his equipment that he is easily spotted by approaching motorists, and he lets his guard down.”
For more information contact Noel Gibbons on 0877870055.
I agree that there is a danger, from February onwards, in the mainland UK when farmers are out early in the year when the weather permits. Motorcyclists are at extreme danger and peril particularly if they use the racing line and non-defensive techniques and I have known the loss of some fellow motorcyclists as a result.
However I have also nearly come a cropper due to farmers’ lazyness in not securing their trailing machinery, up verticle, whilst on the road and leaving it out behind the tractor. The last time it was for ploughing and some 15ft longer behind the tractor with 5 large and very dangerous rotating blades that would have sliced through me or anyone else coming into contact with it.
Correct positioning cornering on the road and being able to brake in the distance seen to be clear on my side saved my life but to some others it wouldn’t.
Bob Craven Lancs
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