Just 3.4% of fatal road traffic collisions on public roads in 2014 involved tractors, according to the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Shane Ross.
The latest figures from the Road Safety Authority (RSA) indicated that there were six fatal collisions on public roads involving tractors, out of a total of 179 fatal collisions that year, Minister Ross said.
“This is the same number of collisions involving a tractor as in 2013 and also in 2008, whilst there had been a decline to either three or four collisions in the years in between.
There were six people killed in the six fatal collisions on public roads involving tractors in 2016.
“These fatalities were not necessarily the tractor users themselves, but may have been other road users involved in the collision with the tractor.
“This information is based on reports provided to the Road Safety Authority by An Garda Siochana,” he said.
Minister Ross made the comments in response to a parliamentary question from Fine Gael TD Peter Burke recently.
Road Traffic Accidents Involving Tractors 2004-2013
Meanwhile, responding to an earlier parliamentary question from Independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice, Minister Ross outlined the number of road traffic collisions involving agricultural vehicles or tractors between 2004 and 2013.
The figures from the RSA outline the number of fatal and serious injury collisions over that 10-year period, Minister Ross said.
Road traffic accidents Involving tractors or agricultural vehicles
“This information relates to collisions that occurred on a public road, based on reports provided to the Road Safety Authority by an Garda Síochána,” he said.
The figures do not include collisions which took place on private land, as they are outside the remit of the Department for Transport, Tourism and Sport, he added.
Minister Ross also said that while at least one party involved in these collisions was using an agricultural vehicle, it does not necessarily mean that the driver/passenger of the agricultural vehicle was the injured party.