Four people while driving a tractor on Irish roads between the years of 2019 and 2023, a recently published report by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has found.
All four tractor drivers who died were involved in single-vehicle collisions.
During the same five-year period, 11 drivers were also seriously injured while behind the wheel of a tractor - six were involved in single-vehicle collisions while five were involved in multi-vehicle collisions.
Learners
The RSA also looked at the profile of drivers with learner permits involved in serious injury collisions, of which there were 352.
Some 332 were driving a car, eight were driving an agricultural vehicle/tractor, seven were driving a large goods vehicle (LGV), two were driving a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) and three were driving other vehicle types.
Overall data
Of driver fatalities involved in single-vehicle collisions, the driver was most likely to be driving a car (114, 79%). Some 18 drivers were driving an LGV and three were driving a HGV.
This report was prepared using data from the Irish road traffic collision database, which is based on collision records transferred from An Garda Síochána to the RSA.
Data in relation to fatalities and serious injuries among tractor drivers for 2024 has yet to be finalised.
Age limit
Meanwhile, a review into the age at which someone can drive a tractor is currently being carried out by the RSA.
It is also considering introducing a mandatory training programme and a driving test for new category W-only (tractor) learner permit applicants, which can be obtained by 16-year-olds.
The RSA has said that the findings and recommendations from this review will be made to the Department of Transport, which has responsibility for any change in law.
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