Members of An Garda Siochana in Letterkenny in Co. Donegal have seized a quad being driven on a public road.

A tweet posted on the official Twitter page for An Garda Siochana stated that the quad was seized on a public road. It is also inferred that the driver of the quad had no licence and that the vehicle wasn’t insured.

This is sure to cause concern for some farmers who may drive their quads short distances along public roads.

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The red-coloured quad or ATV (all-terrain vehicle) was equipped with racks on both the front and the rear. Despite the images being blurred by the Gardai, the outline of a helmet can be made out on the quad.

What rules are in place?

In order to drive any mechanically-propelled vehicle – including quads – on a public road, third party insurance is required by road traffic law.

Depending on a farmer’s insurance provider and their individual policy, some farmers may not be automatically covered to drive a quad on a public road.

If this is the case, the quad will need to be insured separately by means of an extension to the farmer’s policy or the quad will need to be added onto their current policy in order to be covered.

Farmers who are unsure of whether or not their quads are covered by insurance are urged to contact their farm insurance provider.

Meanwhile, for a quad to be used in a public place, it must comply with certain vehicle standards and regulations. A licence or learner permit is also needed to drive a quad; there are two types of quads for driver-licensing purposes – light quadricycles and heavy quadricycles.

Details of these licensing measures are available on the Road Safety Authority’s website.