HANCOCK COUNTY — The harvest season is a busy time for farmers, and it can be one of the most dangerous seasons of the year for the agriculture industry. To ensure a safe harvest for farmers and area residents, officials with the Indiana State Police and Purdue University have offered safety tip reminders to folks driving Indiana’s roads.
“There is a shared responsibility for making sure our roadways remain safe,” a Purdue University professor of agricultural and biological engineering said in a release. “There are certain times of year when farm vehicles will be more prevalent, such as spring planting and fall harvest, and motorists need to recognize that and exercise patience.”
Officials say modern farm vehicles have more safety equipment than previous models, including better lighting, but the individual vehicles are much larger and pose a greater danger in a collision. Tractors and other farm harvesting equipment can be two to three times the height of passenger vehicles, weigh up to 40,000 pounds and take up more than a lane of traffic.
“What appears to be happening is that we are seeing more severe injuries to motorists who run into vehicles much larger than their own,” the Purdue official said. “For many drivers, speed is of the essence, and that is not a good match for these slower-moving farm vehicles.”
Farm vehicles typically travel at 20-25 mph, about half the speed of passenger vehicles on state and county highways. Slamming on the brakes to avoid a slow-moving farm vehicle could cause a chain-reaction collision.
The first and biggest reminder for drivers will be hard to miss. Drivers can expect to see large farm implements traveling on the roads and should immediately slow down to avoid issues.
Farm implements need additional roadway space, so drivers need to be prepared to slow down, pull to the side or come to a complete stop. Drivers in rural areas must remain alert to the possibility of encountering slow-moving farm machines and be prepared to slow or stop to avoid a rear-end collision or striking a farm machine that is turning into a field or driveway.
Farm machinery can unexpectedly turn onto a public road from a field or driveway. It is important for everyone’s safety to have patience and share the road, officials said.
Another warning, farm machinery travels slower than normal traffic, often at speeds of 25 miles per hour or less. Automobile drivers must quickly identify farm equipment and slow down immediately to avoid rear-end crashes.
While drivers are asked to do their part, so are farmers. For the slow moving farm machinery traveling at less than 25 miles per hour, farmers are required to display a slow-moving vehicle emblem on the back of the equipment. This is a quickly identifiable sign to other motorists. Plus, all lighting should be working properly and be highly visible on the farm equipment.
Slow-moving vehicles are required to pull off to the right when three or more vehicles are blocked and cannot pass on the left. Machinery that is half on the road and half on the shoulder may suddenly move completely onto the road, so drivers need to beware. Machinery may take up more than one lane to avoid obstacles such as road signs.
Drivers need to be mindful when they come upon farm machinery with the intention of passing it. If so, drivers need to check to be sure the machinery is not turning left. Look for left turn lights or hand signals. If the machinery slows and pulls toward the right side of the road, the operator is likely preparing to make a wide left turn. Likewise, sometimes to make a right turn with wide equipment, the driver must fade to the left.
Drivers need to stay back and determine if the road is wide enough for them and the machinery to safely share. That means looking for roadside obstacles such as mailboxes, bridges, or road signs that may cause the machinery to move to the center of the road. Be sure there is adequate distance for you to safely pass.
While the fall harvest can actually last into December, most fields are cleared in late September, October and into November, but drivers should always be mindful when they see large machinery in the road.
