Safe Travels

Someday soon the rain will stop, the sun will shine, and we can begin planting!  It’s so exciting for us to get started with one of the busiest times of our year.  Most modern farmers in our state don’t have the luxury of having all of the land they farm located in one area.  This means that farmers spend a lot of time traveling from field to field with their equipment on the roads.  



Farmers take all precautions to make traveling on the roads as safe as possible, but vehicles that meet farm equipment also need to be observant.  So I wrote this as if you were driving a car down the road and came into contact with farm equipment.

If you have come across farm equipment on the roads before you know that most farm equipment is large and may take up an entire lane or on narrow roads may take up most of the road!  Not only does farm equipment take up the majority of the road, but generally equipment can go 25 miles an hour or less.  So you may get frustrated when meeting farm equipment on the roads since you have to slow down and move over.  I assure you, farmers don’t drive their equipment down the roads to frustrate you.  It is a necessity to get from field to field. 



You can see the triangle slow moving vehicle sign
on the back and the lights on the cab of the tractor.

As you approach farm equipment from behind you will see a slow moving vehicle sign and usually some flashing lights too.  That is making an effort to alert you that you will momentarily have to slow down.  Don’t take this lightly.  If you are going 55 miles per hour, it will take about 300 feet of braking distance to avoid colliding with farm equipment moving 15 miles per hour! 



·         What should you do?  Slow down, and watch for an opportunity to safely pass the equipment.   Be wary not to follow too closely; farm equipment may change speed or direction with little warning. 

·         What not to do?  Get mad at the farmer, and tailgate.  Even though following cars closely is a technique used by many drivers to get a slow car to speed up, that will not work for farm equipment since the equipment cannot go any faster than it already is.

You can see how if you met this equipment on the road you would only see
the front of the tractor, but the implement behind the tractor is very large.

As you approach farm equipment coming toward you in the opposite lane you will see flashing lights.  What you may not see is a large implement that may be trailing behind.  Sometimes the equipment behind the tractor is larger and wider so take extra care when approaching this equipment; you may not see the whole picture initially. 

·         What should you do?  Slow down, and watch to see what the farmer is doing.  The farmer may pull over to let you by, or if the road is wide enough they may just continue on.  If you choose to generously pull over to let the equipment pass the farmer will appreciate that!  But, be mindful that you don’t pull over while positioned across from a mailbox, bridge, or something else that may narrow the path the equipment can pass through. 

·         What not to do?  Don’t continue on without slowing down; this could be dangerous for you and the farmer.

Other food for thought is that often several pieces of farm equipment are moved all at once by many people in caravan style.  This may make it extremely difficult to safely pass.  It is very dangerous to pass just one piece of equipment then cut into their line. 

·         What should you do?  Be patient and wait for the opportune time to pass all the equipment in one sweep.

I know that most of the time you aren’t just out for a joyride; a specific destination and time are in mind.  But, I encourage you to keep your eyes open, slow down, and be safe when approaching farm equipment.  Farmers are just trying to get their job done, not inconvenience you.  So I hope that information makes you feel more comfortable as you meet farm equipment on the roads this spring.