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.

“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’.

On that occasion, the Gardai warned about the “dangerous conditions for other drivers” that can result from driving too slow on a motorway.

“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.