View Full Version : Tractor drivers
While I appreciate the job that farmers do and that they have to get as much done as they can when the weather is suitabble. I wish they wouldn't drive out when they see cars coming at 50 or 60 miles a hour. Making drivers slow down and then crawl behind them. They would only have to wait a couple of minutes and let the car go by. This would save a lot of frustration and near misses. Thank you to all the farmers who do show consideration.
My Brother's a Farmer in Cornwall, so found this an interesting article
http://www.fwi.co.uk/Articles/2008/01/13/108939/tractors-on-the-road-are-they-accidents-waiting-to-happen.html
achingale
11-May-09, 10:41
When a vehicle of any kind pulls out onto a road, they should in no way inhibit the speed of traffic already on that road. I'm sure it's against the Highway Code.
I wish they wouldn't drive out when they see cars coming at 50 or 60 miles a hour. Making drivers slow down and then crawl behind them. They would only have to wait a couple of minutes and let the car go by. This would save a lot of frustration and near misses.
But maybe the Tractor Driver has just let a Car through and you are just the unlucky one ??
The bad ones are those that refuse to pull over to let the line of traffic behind them go past.
But I think you'll find that they are few and far between.
Oh forgot to mention, I used to drive a Tractor:roll:.
Don't forget to Toot the Horn and give them a wave as they pull over to let you go past, it makes the World go round.
oldchemist
11-May-09, 20:16
Cycling on the road between Stanstill and Watten today - forgot that there was a sale at Quoybrae mart; near-death experiences meeting two stock lorries from a well known local firm who had no intention of using the passing places - many thanks to the tractor driver who pulled in to let me pass safely.
Dreamweaver
16-May-09, 17:50
Never mind the tractors - has anyone else got stuck behind the mannie in his green suzuki jeep, usually between Murkle and Thurso, who refuses to go above 25-30 miles an hour. I think he does it on purpose - its usually when people are trying to get to work in the morning or home in the evening. He'll cause an accident one day.
Maybe we should do what Michael McIntyre, the comedian, suggests and go into the fields in front of them and drive really slowly!:lol:
When a vehicle of any kind pulls out onto a road, they should in no way inhibit the speed of traffic already on that road. I'm sure it's against the Highway Code.
You are quite correct, it's against the law.
Never mind the tractors - has anyone else got stuck behind the mannie in his green suzuki jeep, usually between Murkle and Thurso, who refuses to go above 25-30 miles an hour. I think he does it on purpose - its usually when people are trying to get to work in the morning or home in the evening. He'll cause an accident one day.
I don't think there is any intention other than to go at a speed he feels comfy with.
He reminds me of my Grandad who while struggling to keep up with his brother in laws funeral cortege said Bloomin Heck they're cracking on a bit!(- I think they actually hit 25 mph).
Now he was really slow, and there was only me who couldn't overtake him at all as he'd go on about my driving for weeks if I did.
And yes I have had to be patient after Murkle many times; as have most of castletown and dunnet at some point.
If people were more patient the world would be a far more pleasant place.
Ah but the impatient people would live longer if they changed their ways!!!!
Thats even more reason to be a little more patient.
2little2late
16-May-09, 20:25
While I appreciate the job that farmers do and that they have to get as much done as they can when the weather is suitabble. I wish they wouldn't drive out when they see cars coming at 50 or 60 miles a hour. Making drivers slow down and then crawl behind them. They would only have to wait a couple of minutes and let the car go by. This would save a lot of frustration and near misses. Thank you to all the farmers who do show consideration.
Hear, Hear. I couldn't agree more.
Can't say I've ever had a problem with tractors in all my years of driving however i have had lots of problems with drivers who think nothing should ever get in their way and not drive at a speed they think you should be driving at is some kind of personal affront to them.
I certainly can’t say I have noticed a tendency for tractor drivers to wait patiently just do they can deliberately drive out in front of me in order to hold me up, in fact rather the opposite. I have generally found that they will wait patiently for me to pass before driving out. If I were to find that it was the other way round I would be having a serious look at my driving to find out why it always seemed to happen to me and not to many others.
And no, I don't drive tractors or farm machinery either on or off the roads.
Never mind the tractors - has anyone else got stuck behind the mannie in his green suzuki jeep, usually between Murkle and Thurso, who refuses to go above 25-30 miles an hour. I think he does it on purpose - its usually when people are trying to get to work in the morning or home in the evening. He'll cause an accident one day.
He must have caused many near misses or accidents over the years. 60 mph limit on that part of the road so 25-30 mph is very dangerous. If it were a motorway he would be prosecuted for driving too slow.
kmahon2001
17-May-09, 16:14
Can't say I've ever had a problem with tractors in all my years of driving however i have had lots of problems with drivers who think nothing should ever get in their way and not drive at a speed they think you should be driving at is some kind of personal affront to them.
I certainly can’t say I have noticed a tendency for tractor drivers to wait patiently just do they can deliberately drive out in front of me in order to hold me up, in fact rather the opposite. I have generally found that they will wait patiently for me to pass before driving out. If I were to find that it was the other way round I would be having a serious look at my driving to find out why it always seemed to happen to me and not to many others.
And no, I don't drive tractors or farm machinery either on or off the roads.
I totally agree. Since moving up here I've found the tractor drivers to be very considerate of cars. They always wait for me to go past before pulling out and they always look for an opportunity to let me pass as soon as possible. Tractors cannot avoid obstructing traffic and we must be grateful that the farmers in this part of the world always try their best to minimise the inconvenience to other road users.
Let's hear it for the farmers!! :D
The only bad experience I've had was with a construction vehicle that pulled out of a residential driveway without looking and nearly smacked my car with the digging bucket, which was half way down at the time, but that was more of a lapse of concentration than any arrogant attitude.
kmahon2001
17-May-09, 16:27
He must have caused many near misses or accidents over the years. 60 mph limit on that part of the road so 25-30 mph is very dangerous. If it were a motorway he would be prosecuted for driving too slow.
Effectively this driver is causing an obstruction by not making what is referred to as "due progress". About 5 years ago a 90 year old man lost his licence because he was caught on the M1 doing 20 miles an hour. When the police asked him why he wasn't going any faster he said that he didn't feel confident driving any faster than that, and so the courts took his licence away. Basically if you are not confident enough with your driving to keep up with the general flow of the traffic, then you shouldn't be driving at all. Doing 45-50 in a 60mph limit area is one thing, but 25-30 is just plain dangerous. At the very least he should do as the tractors are expected to do, i.e. pull in as soon as possible to allow other road users to pass him, but he should bear in mind that he's not as visible as a tractor and there's always a chance that another driver may not notice him until it's too late.:eek:
Effectively this driver is causing an obstruction by not making what is referred to as "due progress". About 5 years ago a 90 year old man lost his licence because he was caught on the M1 doing 20 miles an hour. When the police asked him why he wasn't going any faster he said that he didn't feel confident driving any faster than that, and so the courts took his licence away. Basically if you are not confident enough with your driving to keep up with the general flow of the traffic, then you shouldn't be driving at all. Doing 45-50 in a 60mph limit area is one thing, but 25-30 is just plain dangerous. At the very least he should do as the tractors are expected to do, i.e. pull in as soon as possible to allow other road users to pass him, but he should bear in mind that he's not as visible as a tractor and there's always a chance that another driver may not notice him until it's too late.:eek:
When he wants to turn right he drives on the wrong side of the road for about 100m before he turns. Where`s the coppers when you need them? Like I said before DANGEROUS!
I have thought of our Murkle driver as a Caithness landmark!!!
Kevin Milkins
17-May-09, 22:29
I have thought of our Murkle driver as a Caithness landmark!!!
Far too much of this rushing about going on.:roll:
Never mind the tractors - has anyone else got stuck behind the mannie in his green suzuki jeep, usually between Murkle and Thurso, who refuses to go above 25-30 miles an hour. I think he does it on purpose - its usually when people are trying to get to work in the morning or home in the evening. He'll cause an accident one day.
I could be wrong but I think this manie is checking his animals on the fields hence the reason he drives so slowly but I suppose it could be worse if the said animals were to escape on to the road.
That would be worse. His focus should be on the road. If he is checking his animals it would be safer and easier to do it and off-peak times which would give him a chance to drive to an area, park and take a look.
Humerous Vegetable
18-May-09, 09:59
I live quite near him. He drives everywhere as if he's got a flock of sheep in front of him. One time I was coming along behind him just outside Thurso on the Castletown road...he was doing 15mph so I pulled out to overtake and he suddenly turned right without indicating up the Mt Pleasant farm road. I lost a lot of rubber that day!
George Brims
18-May-09, 17:35
Ah but the impatient people would live longer if they changed their ways!!!!
The problem with impatient people is it's often not themselves they kill. Anyone else old enough to remember what the A9 Perth to Inverness was like prior to all the work done to improve it in the 70s? Whenever you got stuck in a queue behind something you always knew there would be some nutter working his way past the whole queue by a series of dangerous overtaking maneuvres.
Sound to me like it's time the Murkle mannie had his license reviewed. I've come across a few like him. I once nearly hit a mannie in Beauly whose idea of making a left turn was to move to the centre of the road for about 30 yards then swing left at the last second. No signal of course.
I'm a bit puzzled about the mannie at Murkle. Everybody seems to know about him, everybody seems to know what he is like, everybody seems to know what to expect of him yet everybody deals with him as if, by some miracle, he will suddenly behave quite differently when they are there.
There’s no accounting for folks.
Although we should all drive as if the people around us are unsafe no one should expect a driver to have no clue what they are doing on the road - I'm more amazed the no one has reported him to the police.
But that is the point, everybody seems to be perfectly aware that he doesn't have a clue yet continue to behave as if one day he will suddenly have become a fully accomplished expert behind the wheel.
...he was doing 15mph so I pulled out to overtake and he suddenly turned right without indicating up the Mt Pleasant farm road. I lost a lot of rubber that day!
That's the problem with people driving slowly for no reason, you don't know if they are genuinely driving slow or looking for a turning on the right hand side... Crunch!
Please don't complain about the farmers and tractors here. I have moved here from Cheshire and have found them to be lovely. Nothing like cheshire where the farmer crosses his 250 cows from milking across the main A road at 8:20 am. It causes about 2 miles of tail backs and changes a journey from 40 minutes to do 8 miles to over an hour. Yes 40 minutes at best to do 8 miles - that would take about 10-15 minutes here. BLISS! Even if you do get stuck behind a tractor ;)
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