If there’s one more thing farmers could do during harvest season, they might like to talk with drivers of passenger vehicles to let them know what it’s like to drive large equipment on roadways.
To emphasize the serious nature of what happens when passenger vehicles make contact with farm equipment, safety professionals are now using the word “incident” rather than “accident.” “Accident” implies that the situation could not have been prevented or anticipated. “Incident” more accurately describes something that occurred due to negligence.
“Roadway incidents involving agriculture happen at all times of the day, but most happen in the afternoon,” said Dr. Edwin Brokesh, assistant professor, biological and agricultural engineering, Kansas State University. “The highest percentage of roadway incidents occur during what many of us think would be the best time of day for people to be aware of what’s going on.”
Incidents tend to happen when farmers are the busiest in the field – between May and October. Most incidents involve a passenger vehicle or over-the-road trucks. Passenger vehicles usually take the brunt of the impact, and most injuries affect people in those vehicles. Younger, less experienced drivers are typically operating the passenger vehicles.
To help farmers understand the increased risks of driving on public roadways, Brokesh explained that there are more vehicles on the road with drivers who have less understanding of agriculture. Societal impact, such as more development around farmland, is also a factor.
There’s often more through traffic in rural areas when passenger vehicles take shortcuts rather than using main roads. This puts drivers on unfamiliar roads where ag equipment operators aren’t expecting traffic, leading to increased incidents.
Farmers are spending more time on the road traveling to and from fields. “The typical production farm has greater distances to travel,” said Brokesh. “Some farmers travel 30 or more miles.”
Some roads originally intended for access to farm fields are seeing more vehicle traffic, adding to the risk.
Areas with growing populations have higher traffic and more incidents. Roads in suburban areas with new construction may not be suitable for handling ag equipment, which means drivers unfamiliar with rural roads are forced to navigate around large equipment they don’t understand. Many long-time residents must adjust to new drivers, new roads and new thought processes. In many cases, long-time residents had become accustomed to much smaller farm equipment, while modern equipment is much larger.
Challenges for farm equipment drivers are many. Roadways without shoulders and obstacles such as protruding mailboxes and roadway signs can prevent large equipment from moving over, and passenger vehicles attempt to pass when there isn’t enough space. In many cases, depending on hazards, the ag equipment driver must move toward the center of the road.
Hills and curves in rural areas create limited sight lines for drivers of passenger vehicles. This can result in drivers not seeing farm equipment until they’re too close. Mature field crops can also reduce sight lines.
Passenger vehicles often pass farm equipment despite road markings that indicate otherwise. Farmers should always be alert for drivers who attempt to make such passes. Photo by Sally Colby
Brokesh said left turn incidents are common and often the most serious. A typical incident involves a left-turning farm vehicle struck by a vehicle attempting to pass. The farm vehicle is usually a tractor towing an implement, but such incidents also involve combines, sprayers or farm trucks. Left turns to enter farm fields are also problematic because passenger vehicles may not be expecting someone in front of them to make a left turn off the road at that location.
Another safety challenge is that producers tend to keep older equipment in service for as long as possible. It’s important to update equipment with appropriate lighting and marking for road use. The Association of Equipment Manufacturers developed a downloadable, graphic guide to the ASABE standard for lighting and marking. Find it at tinyurl.com/AgEquipLighting.
Proper lighting and marking of farm equipment are major factors in safe road travel. Brokesh said a standard for marking ag equipment was developed in 1954. In 1962, the SMV (slow-moving vehicle) emblem was added – a measure that helps prevent incidents. Standards are upgraded as ag equipment is updated.
“The SMV has been around for over 60 years,” said Brokesh. “It became a standard but since then, people have been misusing it. They put it on things that don’t move or move at higher rates of speed than what the SMV is made for.”
SMVs are often put on gates and posts and used for art and driveway signs. The SMV is only to be used on slow-moving vehicles, and Brokesh noted that it’s illegal in some states to put SMV signs on fixed objects.
The SMV emblem must meet ASABE standards and be mounted two to 10 feet above the ground so it’s visible to the rear. The emblem should be securely fastened with one triangle point facing upward and be visible from 500 feet. Equipment traveling over 25 mph should have an SIS (speed identification symbol) that indicates the maximum speed at which the vehicle can operate.
Updated standards protect both agricultural operators and the public. “The law states ‘any piece of equipment that is manufactured and sold after June 22, 2017 has to comply with the ASABE standard for lighting and marking of ag equipment,’” said Brokesh. “This applies to agricultural tractors, self-propelled machines, implements and combinations designed primarily for ag field operations. It does not apply to homeowner equipment such as lawn tractors.”
Farm owners should ensure employees who operate equipment on the road have adequate training. Although many farm youth drive equipment prior to having a license, Brokesh said the minimum requirement for driving farm equipment on the road should be a valid driver’s license.
Brokesh believes producers can improve road safety. “Obey traffic laws, don’t run stop signs, yield when you should, practice defensive driving,” he said. “Maintain equipment that goes on the road and make it road-worthy so it doesn’t break down. Fix lighting and markings to make sure you can be seen on the road. Build a safety mindset and think about everything on the road.”
Obvious but still worth noting is that drivers shouldn’t drive under the influence of alcohol, illegal drugs or prescription drugs that cause drowsiness.
“We need to do a better job communicating with the driving public,” said Brokesh. “We need to train drivers about the realities of ag equipment. There are fewer people who understand agriculture, and ag is more specialized with farms that raise only livestock or only hay and may not be familiar with all ag equipment that’s on the road.”
by Sally Colby
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