A tractor driver has been arrested for a number of offences after being stopped for driving on a motorway – in the wrong direction – at night recently.
The incident occurred on the M1 Belfast-Dungannon motorway in Northern Ireland, according to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).
Taking to social media yesterday (Monday, October 26), PSNI officers based in the Mid Ulster region said:
So this tractor was observed heading down the M1 the other night. That would have been bad enough but what’s worse – it was coming down the M1 the wrong way.
“This could have had tragic consequences and just doesn’t bear thinking about.
“The night section got the tractor stopped and the driver arrested. He is being investigated for numerous offences including dangerous driving, excess alcohol and disqualified driving,” the PSNI post added.
Driving On A Motorway
In the UK, including Northern Ireland, it is illegal to drive a tractor (classed as an agricultural vehicle) on a motorway; however, that is not the case in the Republic of Ireland.
If you are driving your tractor on the motorway and towing a trailer, the trailer must be capable by design of being drawn at a speed of 50kph or higher, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has confirmed.
Tractors can be driven on the motorway in the Republic of Ireland, providing that the tractor is capable of reaching a minimum speed of 50kph.
Since January 1, 2016, both tractors and trailers are required to be fitted with a speed disc indicating their design speed.
