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Top-heavy trailer overloaded with bales is ‘last straw’ for gardai

The unaccompanied diver was holding a learner permit, it has been claimed.

Corkman

Today at 08:22

EXPERIENCED members of An Garda Síochána instinctively know when they see something that is out of the ordinary.

An example of this occurred last Thursday as a vehicle approached a garda checkpoint near the north Cork village of Ballyhooly.

A post on the garda Cork, Kerry and Kerry – southern region Facebook page outlined how “eagle eyed” Mitchelstown-based members of the roads policing unit recognised all was not quite as it should be as one particular vehicle and somewhat odd-looking trailer approached them.

“The trailer was clearly overloaded and the driver failed to ensure that the straw bales were secured properly,” read the post.

It went on to say that this was possibly because the unaccompanied diver was holding a learner permit.

It went to issue a warning to motorists about the potential dangers of pulling overweight loads.

“Remember, you have a responsibility to ensure that your vehicle, and the loads you carry, are safe and that other road users can observe lights and signalling,” read the post.

“Extra weight affects how your vehicle responds and increases your stopping distance,” it added.

The post advised motorists to follow the links at http://www.rsa.ie for information on the legal obligations for motorists when towing a trailer, in particular ensuring that their diving licence allows them to do so.

“The message from An Garda Síochána is always the same – #ArriveAlive,” concluded the post.