Hay danger

A motorist driving behind a tractor load of hay being transported into Kilcullen decided that she’d feel much safer in front than behind the load. So she passed the load out.

A few minutes later, coming back out of town, she saw evidence that her instincts were right! Some of the hay had tumbled onto a footpath at Nicholastown, and it seemed like the driver of the load hadn’t even noticed.

Clearly from our picture, if a pedestrian had been at that point on the footpath at the time, they could have been injured, perhaps seriously.

This is the time of year when farmers take advantage of whatever fine weather there is to get their hay in. But the size and securing of the loads is often less than might be desired.

Road Safety Authority boss Noel Brett has urged farmers not to load trailers in such a way that it would make them unstable on the road, and to ‘beware of low bridges, overhanging trees, overhead cables and uneven road surfaces which could cause the load to shift and possibly overturn’.