UFU Rural Affairs Chairperson, Angela Martin explains; “There are currently several factors which are detriment to road safety in rural areas. Narrow roads, for example, offer less room for vehicles to manoeuvre. This issue has also impacted on rural school transport in some areas as school buses have refused to follow certain routes.”

UFU Legislation Chairman, Gregg Shannon said; “Concerns were raised about the dangers of residents erecting kerbs or large boulders at the roadside as this further restricts already narrow roads. We highlighted the issue of road signs at road junctions restricting tractor/lorry driver’s vision as well as overgrown hedges and verges.”

“During the recent bad weather, it became apparent that the availability of salt and grit had become limited in certain areas. Farmers often spread salt or clear snow to allow delivery vehicles to access farms. This is of great benefit to other road users so it is essential that salt/grit provision is easily accessible. In addition to this, the UFU highlighted concerns about rebated fuel legislation which puts farmers off clearing roads.”

“The UFU also highlighted the need for more public education/communication about driving on rural roads e.g. how to cope with horse riders, livestock and tractors on the road.”

UFU President Graham Furey concludes; “We received good feedback from the committee who have requested further suggestions from the UFU. The Committee has agreed to investigate some of our suggestions further and we hope this will improve road safety in rural areas”.