A farmer was pulled over on the M18 Motorway in Co. Clare by the county’s Road Policing Unit for not going fast enough, after he tried to take a shortcut between land.
The tractor, which appears from pictures to have been a John Deere, was only capable of doing 35kph, according to An Garda Siochana – drivers must be able to maintain a speed of 50kph on motorways.
“Lads, you can’t be doing that !!! Tractor stopped on motorway (tractor only able to do 35kph) Driver was taking a shortcut between farms,” said the Gardai on Twitter.
Clare RPU:
‘Lads! You can’t be doing that!!! Tractor stopped on M/way (tractor only able to
do 35km/h) Driver was taking a shortcut between farms.NOTE: Vehicles must be able to maintain a speed of 50km/h on
a M/way pic.twitter.com/cRKn4VqXNE— An Garda Síochána (@GardaTraffic) January 21, 2019
“Note: Vehicles must be able to maintain a speed of 50kph on a motorway,” continued the Gardai.
A similar incident took place late last year.
In late October 2018, a tractor pulling a low trailer was detected travelling at only 44kph on the M9 Motorway in Carlow.
Fittingly, the tractor was detected and identified on ‘National Slow-Down Day’.
“Drivers must be mindful of breaking distances and reaction times regarding not just their driving, but of other drivers also,” tweeted the Gardai.
It is not illegal to drive a tractor on a motorway, but your vehicle, along with all others, must be able to reach and maintain a speed of 50kph.
Since January 1, 2016, all tractors, self-propelled machinery, trailers and towed equipment are required to be fitted with a speed disc indicating their maximum design speed.