WASHINGTON — Sometimes taking your farm equipment on the road is unavoidable, and many farmers may encounter drivers not familiar with sharing the road with farm equipment. While it may be easy to get flustered, it’s important to remain calm and remember that we’re all just trying to get somewhere as safely as we can.
The key to confidence for you and your neighbors on the roadway can start with a conversation. Pop by to chat or give them a phone call to let them know you’ll be moving equipment on the road, and share some tips to make you both feel safe.
1. Let them know your busy times of year
While spring and fall might seem like second nature to farmers, neighbors and other members of the community might not recognize those times as planting and harvest.
“We try explain what we’re doing so our neighbors can understand why we are on the roadways and sometimes blocking passing where roads are narrow,” says Cory Atkins, Delaware soybean farmer and soy checkoff farmer-leader.
“The ocean beaches in my area draw a lot of visitors during our growing season,” says Atkins. “It’s a lot harder to inform these drivers about safely driving near farm equipment.”
In 2019, the Delaware beaches saw 4.3 million visitors, with more than two-thirds of visitors coming from nearby metropolitan areas like Philadelphia, Baltimore, New York and Washington, DC, according to the Delaware Tourism Office.
Atkins says the increased travel and number of motorists on the road don’t go unnoticed. Farmers and locals have been around farming for years, but for many tourists, driving near farm equipment is a new experience.
“We have to be proactive when traveling roads with farm equipment, as many drivers don’t understand how driving near slow moving vehicles is different.”
2. Share some passing techniques
It’s not shocking that farm equipment goes slower than the average passenger vehicle, causing potential frustration to motorists stuck behind the equipment.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has shown that agriculture, forestry and fishing as an occupational group have the third highest rate of work-related roadway crashes.
“Our biggest worries are the people following us, that they will slow down appropriately or be patient enough to wait for a safe passing zone,” commented Belinda Burrier, a Maryland farmer and soybean grower-leader.
A study by New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health identified 203 agriculture-related vehicle crashes involving 381 vehicles and 482 people. Of those incidents, 91.6% caused property damage, while 36.0% caused injury. The fatality rate for roadway vehicle crashes was nearly five times as great for agriculture versus non-agriculture crashes.
“We use a follow vehicle with flashers on whenever possible,” stated Burrier. “The better we can be seen, the less likely of a rear end collision happening.”
Find Me Driving, a road education resource, encourages drivers to think “SAM” when they encounter a slow moving vehicle. The site shares safety tips you can use to chat with your fellow drivers:
- Find the sign. The orange triangular Slow Moving Vehicle sign warns drivers of a vehicle traveling under 25 mph. The sign is exclusively for SMV vehicles and acts as a warning for motorists to to slow down.
- Slow down. Rear-end collisions are the number one cause of farm vehicle crashes. When a driver sees a SMV, they should slow down immediately and increase following distance. If a driver is driving 55 mph and comes upon a SMV moving at 25 mph, it only takes 8 seconds to close a gap the length of a football field.
- Assess your surroundings. SMV operaters often pull equipment behind them, which could impact their visibility. It’s important for motorists to remain vigilant of farm driveways, field roads and other places a SMV driver might be ready to turn into.
- Move with care. SMVs are typically large and can be difficult to see around. Keep to the basics: Pass only if you can clearly see ahead of both you and the SMV. Check to see if the SMV’s turn signal is on or if the vehicle slows down before passing. Don’t pass in a designated “No Passing Zone” or within 100 feet of any intersection, railroad crossing or tunnel, or if there are curves or hills ahead that may block your view.
“I encourage people to think twice before passing. Is it worth the risk of a crash and injury for the sake of getting somewhere a minute or two faster?” Burrier says. “We all have work to get to but also want to arrive home safely.”
3. Explain hand signals
While hand signals might be thought of as a thing of the past, they can be helpful to tell your fellow motorists what you’re about to do next — as long as they understand.
“When I don’t have turn signals showing on my tractor, I still use hand signals to let the car behind me know I’m making a left turn,” said Craig Biese, checkoff farmer-leader from Virginia. “Whatever it takes, I want the drivers around me to know my next move.”
A straight-armed gesture to the left indicates a left turn. A right-angled gesture pointing up indicates a right turn, while pointing down indicates driver is stopping. These are a few easy things to explain and demonstrate to your neighbors, giving them a heads-up on the road.
Taking farm equipment on the road all boils down to confidence for everyone involved — confidence behind the wheel and confidence sharing these tips with your neighbors.
“Talking to your neighbors about safe driving around farm equipment just makes sense,” says Biese. “We all need to be considerate of the other driver and do what we need to do to get safety where we are going.”
This program is supported by the soy checkoff and multiple Qualified State Soybean Boards in an effort to make rural roads safer for all drivers. For more information on road safety, visit findmedriving.com/resources.
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- Sometimes taking your farm equipment on the road is unavoidable, and many farmers may encounter non-agriculturalists. While it may be easy to get flustered, it’s important to remain calm and remember that we’re all just trying to get somewhere as safely as we can. Check out some tips to talk to non-farmers about working together on the road:
- The key to confidence from you and your neighbors on the roadway can start with a conversation. Check out some tips to talk to non-farmers about sharing the road:
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- Hitting the road for #harvest21? Check out some tips to talk to non-farmers about sharing the road:
- Taking farm equipment on the road all boils down to confidence for everyone involved. Check out some tips to talk to non-farmers about working together on the road:
–Soybean Checkoff