Young Tractor Driver and Car Accident

[MossRoad]

A 14 year old was driving an agricultural tractor on a county road near Nappanee, Indiana. A car was coming towards him at 55MPH. The youth left turned into his driveway and the car was unable to stop. It hit the tractor and apparently a woman in the car died in the accident. Police said the tractor never moved when hit by the car. According to an Indiana State Trooper, the law allows anybody even with out a drivers license to drive a farm implement vehicle in Indiana.

Tragic for both families. The family of the deceased say they will work for change in the laws to require some sort of training before anyone can drive a farm tractor on public roads.

 

[Cliff_Johns]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( A 14 year old was driving an agricultural tractor on a county road near Nappanee, Indiana. )</font>

What's the driving age for cars in Indiana, 15?

Cliff

 

[MossRoad]

16 and a few weeks.

 

[MossRoad]

Actually, you can get a Driver Education Learner Permit when you are 15 if you can prove that you are enrolled in a BMV-approved driver education program. This allows you to drive with an instructor, parent or guardian with a valid licence once the school has started. After you pass the class, you can drive with a parent, guardian or relative(no age specified) that holds a valid driver's license.

OR:

You can get a Validated Learner Permit. You have to be 16. Same requirements for parent, guardian or relative.

You can get an Operator's License at the age of 16 and one month if you have completed a cetified course if you held a Driver Education Learner Permit for 60 days prior. You cann get an Operator's License at the age of 16 and 180 days if you held a vaild Learner Permit for 60 days prior. And then you have to pass the written test and the driving test. If you took a certified course and got a waiver, you don't need to take the driving test.

Then there is this last requirement for people under the age of 18 that says the license is a probationary license and for the first 90 days after you get your license you can't carry passengers unless there is a 21year old licensed driver in the front passenger seat with you and all passengers must be wearing seat belts.

All this for a car and nothing for operating multi-ton agricultural equipment on public roads.

 

[MossRoad]

And, of course, all the legal permits and licenses in the world don't mean anything if the operator has no common sense or a lapse of judgement. But some training is better than no training. I recall my driver's education classes and I really did learn somethings about driving in traffic. Things that I didn't learn from my parents. So I know that in my case, the training helped.

 

[Lazy]

Hi
that must have been one big tractor if it didn't move after being struck by a 3400 pound car moving at 55 mph. I have seen adult farmers driving tractors on the roads do stupid things as well, so its not just the young ones that don't use good judgement.

charlie

 

[SnowRidge]

<font color="red"> ( I recall my driver's education classes and I really did learn somethings about driving in traffic.) </font>

What I 'learned' from my driver ed teacher:

1. No car is safe above 55 mph.

2. Car insurance is a must. All other insurance is a waste of money.

No, I didn't make that up. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

SnowRidge

 

[MossRoad]

One thing I did learn from my parents and my instructor was to "... assume all other drivers have just escaped from the mental ward." This puts you on edge to be a defensive driver.

I wish I had more details on the crash to share, but it hasn't hit the local news websites and was just a blurb on the local FOX station.

 

[MossRoad]

A little more information on the accident....

A 62 year old man was driving the car. One news source quoted him as saying he had the cruise control set at 55. He thought the tractor would continue going straight, but it suddenly left turned in front of him and he had no where to go. His 60 year old wife was killed. The man suffered head and internal injuries and was treated and released.

When I saw the interview with family members of the victim, none of them said anything bad about the 14 year old. They just said they would like to see some form of training or permits/licensing to be able to drive large equipment on the public roads.

Again, very sad. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[Gatorboy]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( all the legal permits and licenses in the world don't mean anything if the operator has no common sense or a lapse of judgement. )</font>

Just watch one episode of America's Funniest Videos and you will see many people with no common sense.