Many things stay the same and not necessarily for the good

Today as I write this column the two Beech trees in the garden have at last started to look at least a bit autumnal.

The leaves are no longer green or purple, they have now adopted that autumnal rust colour while some of the leaves retain the touch of yellow that they had last week. The green and purple leaves are gone till next year. However, like the swallow and the cuckoo they will return.

It might be the first week in winter, but these two trees seem to want to wait as long as possible before entering the seasonal change we associate with autumn.

The weather complied much earlier, in fact some would claim that the weather was anything but summery when it should have been and has been autumnal all year with heavy rainfall and land that is very wet.

Ah yes, the weather, where would we be without it to talk about? The thing that unites us all, the weather. The topic we converse about more than any other. If in doubt mention the weather, you’re sure of a reply.

Like the weather the seasons impact what happens in our lives. As winter approaches, we will see the adds appearing, warning us to be winter ready. Wipers on our cars should be checked, tyres and anti-freeze examined, and poor lights repaired or replaced and generally we should be aware of the impending bad weather. A torch and a high viz reflective vest are also important if we break down, they should be in every boot. Yes, the weather changes and impacts on us all, so we should take heed.

With the change in the time the evenings are darker sooner and people out walking need to be visible, also the people on bicycles and of course tractors and trailers need their lights and reflectors too. It frightens me when I see the number of pedestrians on the road who are unlit and as for cyclists many are also invisible on winter evenings. Why?

There has been talk about introducing an NCT type test for tractors and obviously it is not going down well with farmers and one can understand that too.

Some of testing we have in Ireland is seen as being just another way of regulating people and bringing in money. The fact that there are not that many NCT centres in the country - there is only one NCT centre in County Roscommon located in Castlerea - could also be part of the reason that there are so many reservations. Can we really expect a farmer to drive that distance on a small slow tractor to get the test done?

There is no doubt but there are many poorly lit tractors on our country roads this and every winter. The big new tractors have lights turned on and flashing beacons that warn of their presence but many of the smaller and older ones are almost invisible and as for trailers sadly many have neither working lights nor clean reflectors. They may have been working once but sadly no more.

As for the wrapped bales of silage, the black ones, do people realise how hard they are to see? Why are they sometimes to be found on the side of the road or on an unlit trailer on the road?

Way back in 1925 a James McMenamin was fined 21 shillings by Derry Petty Sessions for driving a steam tractor with no light, it has been a problem for 100 years and sadly we’re no closer to solving it!

Pedestrians and cyclists are often unaware of how invisible they are to the driver and if the driver happens to be meeting an oncoming car they can often be blinded by the approaching lights. Just because a car has lights on does not mean that your dark clothes are suddenly visible. Bright colours are vital all the time and reflective clothing especially when its dark makes you safer.

Too many pedestrians are involved in incidents with cars, accidents that could have been avoided perhaps if the person was visible. Yes, we talk a lot about drivers and vehicles, penalty points and the like but sadly pedestrians die too.

As we enter November, we usually remember those who went before us. The church tells us it’s the month of the holy souls. Sadly, too many of those souls have died on our roads.

Up to last Friday 157 people were killed on Irish Roads; 38 were pedestrians, 5 were pedal cyclists, 4 others were on E Scooters and 55 were drivers and 22 were motor cyclists. Obviously, I don’t have the facts behind each tragic death, but I wonder how many could have been avoided?

November may be a month of change but sadly many things stay the same and not necessarily for the good.