Opinion: It’s time to introduce a fit-for-purpose tractor test
© Tim Scrivener Tractor runs used to be a Sunday afternoon jaunt for a few dedicated vintage tractor enthusiasts.
But this once-steady pastime has surged in popularity over recent years.
Drivers will travel miles to attend, and thousands of pounds has been raised for charity.
See also: Opinion – what if expansion o diversification aren’t options?
About the author
We’re on a popular route and I have always loved the sight and sound of a convoy chugging and snaking along our little lane.
When the children were little, they would stand on the garden wall, waving furiously at every single one, hoping for friendly wave back or, even better, a blast on the air horns from the occupant.
Unfortunately, the excitement of these events is starting to wear off. Not because I’m a grumpy old mare – although some brave soul might argue otherwise – but because my oldest son is 15.
Scarily, in a few months he will have his provisional tractor licence and be well on the way to fulfilling his childhood dream of driving himself around various tractor runs, across what seems like the whole of the north of England.
It’s only when your child is approaching an age where they can be let loose on the road that you start to notice the actions and behaviours of others. I’ve noticed plenty.
Driving along using their phones to chat and filming for TikTok seem to be particularly popular.
For a technologically savvy generation, I find it amazing that no one knows how to connect to Bluetooth or use a phone holder.
It frightens me that my firstborn, who isn’t mature enough to make his own bed, can potentially take a test on his 16th birthday and be away down the A6 having never actually had any road driving experience.
I know this will be an unpopular opinion, especially with my son and his peers, but the time has come for new legislation and a test that is fit for purpose in this modern agricultural era.
The test was introduced in the 1960s and the last changes to legislation around driving agricultural machines on the road was brought in during the 1980s. That’s 45 years ago.
Farmers are no longer tootling about on old MF135s, roads are much busier and the size and speed of tractors today is a world away from the ones for which the test was invented.
At the very least there should be a proper theory test, including hazard perception.
And if 16-year-olds are allowed to drive on the road straight after their test, it should be a legal requirement for them to go out with a responsible adult in the passenger seat and practise beforehand.
Ideally, I’d like to see the age limit raised to 18, by then they should have passed a car test and been exposed to many different situations behind the wheel.
My son is a fantastic tractor driver, his ability around the farm and the yard is impressive, nothing phases him.
Could he predict what random manoeuvre another motorist might perform when he’s swinging out to get through a tight gateway – most probably not.
Plans are already under way for that first tractor run, and I’ve said his dad has to ride shotgun and supervise.
This is a bitter pill; no teenage lad wants their dad cramping their style at such important social gatherings.
I did explain it could be worse, though – he might have to take me.