Be patient with tractors on the road
We are at the height of the holiday season and that combined with the harvest our roads are busier than ever which is a cocktail for increased risk of accidents. So what are the rules?
Steven Corfield at law firm FBC Manby Bowdler says that according to rule 169 of the Highway Code motorists should not hold up a queue of traffic especially if they are driving a large or slow-moving vehicle. It informs drivers to frequently check their mirrors, if necessary, pull in where it is safe to let traffic pass.
If you are stuck behind a tractor you could be forgiven for urging it to go a bit faster. The law recently changed increasing the speed limit from 20mph to 25mph for these vehicles.
A spokesman for the AA urged holiday drivers to be patient while driving in the countryside saying “
“Tractor drivers know the local roads like the back of their hand and they will pull over when it is safe to do so. If they do not pull over there is a good chance that it is probably not safe”.
Each year, incidents involving tractors and other farm machinery occur on public roads which can cause costly equipment damage, injuries and deaths to all groups of road users. In Cheshire alone, last year a total of 23 people were injured in road collisions involving agricultural vehicles.
All motorists must take responsibility for ensuring their own and each other’s safety where agricultural vehicles are concerned. When stuck in a long queue behind a tractor, driver frustration sets in making impatient car drivers take extreme risks in trying to overtake. This is a difficult manoeuvre to do so drivers need to ensure that there is enough room to do this safely. The guidance is that you should drop back as this increases your ability to see ahead and also puts you within sight of the driver’s mirror. You should not overtake when it is not safe to do so. If you do this you do so at your own risk.
It is inevitable that slow moving vehicles will cause tailbacks on public roads but it is important for drivers to pull over and allow traffic to pass at the earliest opportunity when it is safe to do so.
Regarding actual collisions it is worth remembering that vehicles should be driven at speeds where they can be stopped safely without a collision. If a fast car brakes and skids into a slow moving tractor in a narrow country lane there may well be sufficient evidence, such as with rubber tyre marks on the road, location of damage to each vehicle, independent witness evidence to prove fault on the part of the speeding party. If there is no corroborating evidence it is more likely to be seen as 50/50 liability.
