04/03/2024
Watch out for farm equipment! 🚜
Farmers are continuing to prepare fields for this year. That means that farm implements will need to be moved from one field to another. To do that, many county and state roadways are used for farm implement travel.
Here are some tips for motorists to help safely share the road with farm implements:
• Slow down when you see farm equipment ahead. Most farm equipment is only designed to travel at speeds of up to 15-25 mph.
• Watch for hand signals. The large size of farm equipment indicates a necessity for extra space when making very wide turns. Be alert to hand motions that signal the direction of the turn.
• Watch for the triangular Slow-Moving-Vehicle (SMV) sign. These signs are only legally allowed on vehicles traveling less than 25 mph. They will provide an immediate warning to those who are focusing on the road ahead.
• Watch for amber flashing lights. Also look for reflective tape that may mark the edges of farm equipment.
• Do not speed past farm equipment. Equipment can have parts projecting outward that are difficult to spot at first glance. Also, the turbulence caused by a fast-speeding vehicle could cause the machinery to sway and become unstable.
• Do not pull out in front of a slow-moving vehicle, then slow down suddenly. Tractors and machinery do not have the same ability to maneuver the road as smaller cars and trucks. It also takes the equipment much longer to come to a stop than a regular sized motor vehicle.
• Do not expect equipment to run partly on the soft shoulders of the road. Driving with one set of wheels on the road and another on the road shoulder can increase the chance of an overturn. Having to avoid obstacles on the roadside and abruptly swerving back over can easily cause an overturn for the equipment operator.
• Always use caution and patience! Never take unnecessary risks.
