THE IRISH ROAD HAULAGE Association (IRHA) has called for tractors and slow moving vehicles to be banned from motorways.

Agricultural vehicles, such as tractors, are allowed on motorways if the vehicle is capable of maintaining a minimum speed of 50 km/h.

And if towing a trailer, the trailer must also be capable by design of being drawn at a speed of 50 km/h or higher.

However, IRHA President Ger Hyland has said that tractors often drive on motorways at speeds below 50 km/h.

He said this is particularly the case when tractors are going up inclines, and especially so if the tractor has a heavy load attached.

Hyland was speaking as the IRHA launched a campaign seeking to highlight the dangers that tractors and slow moving vehicles pose to road users on motorways.

Hyland said Ireland is “currently the only country in the EU that allows tractors on motorways”.

He added: “If we are serious about road safety, and preventing further road deaths, tractors should be removed from our motorways.”

“A family in a car driving in heavy fog on the motorway at 120 km/h could come across a tractor and have very little time to react,” said Hyland.

“This is presenting a clear and present danger to other road users and is a serious tragedy waiting to happen.”

Hyland said members of the IRHA have described how their HGVs are getting stuck behind tractors and trailers, leading to congestion and “dangerous manoeuvring” on motorways.

The IRHA has called on the Government to work with the Road Safety Authority (RSA) and the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) to “take action and ensure that tractors stick to local and regional roads and not use motorways that are designed for fast moving traffic”.

IFA President Francie Gorman has said the association will “oppose any move to drive tractors off our motorways”.

“In most cases, the journey tractors are undertaking is local, so the time spent on the motorway is short,” said Gorman.

He added that many farm holdings are fragmented, so farmers need access to the road network.

“This attempt to ban tractors from our motorways has nothing to do with road safety, as implied by the IHRA,” said Gorman.

“It is part of a campaign to corner the market for transporting goods on our roads,” he added.

The RSA has been approached for comment.