Road users urged to be careful as harvesting sees rise in farm traffic

Road users were urged yesterday to take extra care as the number of tractors, trailers and other farm machinery using the roads increases with the start of the harvest.

Over 2.2m tonnes of grain, oilseeds and protein crops and some 1.5m tonnes of straw will be moving off the fields and into stores and yards over the next three months.

In an effort to raise awareness of this increase in agricultural traffic, the Road Safety Authority and the IFA issued a joint appeal for extra care on the roads.

RSA chief executive Noel Brett said that this is a very busy time for farmers, with silage cutting and grain harvesting under way.

The number of tractors and trailers using the roads will increase dramatically.

“As a result, the risk of a collision involving a road user and farm machinery has increased.

“As such I am asking all drivers to be on the lookout for tractors, trailers and other farm machinery exiting from fields and farm yards.

“If you are travelling behind farm machinery, please be patient and only overtake when it’s safe to do so. We should all expect the unexpected, as danger could literally be around the next corner,” he said.

IFA president John Bryan urged farmers to be safety conscious whenever bringing a farm vehicle onto the public road.

Farmers should be aware of traffic building up behind them and keep left where possible in order to allow other vehicles pass safely.