Some 159,982 tractor learner permits were issued in 2017, more than double the number issued in 2013, accorded to the Road Safety Authority (RSA). There were also 410,603 full tractor licences issued in 2017, marking an increase of 15% since 2013.

Under current law, a person may obtain a tractor licence from the age of 16, and there has been an increase in every age range applying for learner tractor licences since 2013.

Unless a tractor cab has an additional seat, tractors are also the only vehicle, besides a motorcycle, that do not require a learner driver to drive in accompaniment with a fully licenced driver.

Commenting on the figures, an RSA spokesperson stated it was important to bear in mind that tractor licences are often issued in conjunction with car driving licences.

However, the figures remain impressive, with a 34% jump in the number of people between 17 and 20 years old applying for a learner tractor licence, with 38,344 awarded. Surprisingly, there was a 77% increase in the number of people over 80 receiving a learner tractor licence, with 206 handed out to that age category last year.

According to the Health and Safety Authority, 64 farm fatalities over the last 10 years involved tractors, which accounted for just over one third of all farm fatalities.

The number of learner trailer licences issued also jumped, by 71%, in 2017, but numbers were still low at just 13,377, while the number of full-trailer BE licences issued decreased by 14% over the past five years to 135,119.

The RSA attributed the increase in BE learner permits to a change in rules in 2013, which limited the design gross vehicle weight of a trailer drawn by a car.

This created a demand for permits, particularly from the agriculture sector, according to the RSA.

Penalty points are not applied if a driver is caught driving or towing with the incorrect licence, because the penalty is much more severe.

“If a person is apprehended driving without the appropriate driving licence for a category of vehicle or with an incorrect licence for the vehicle they are driving, then they can be summonsed to court and prosecuted under Section 38 of the Road Traffic Act 1961 and, in addition to a fine, can be disqualified for this offence,” a Department of Transport spokesperson stated.