It’s Harvest season across the Midwest and Southeast Iowa. Farmer safety on roadways involves both farmers operating equipment and motorists sharing the road. Farmers should ensure equipment is well-lit, marked with a slow moving vehicle emblem, and kept clean, limiting travel during peak hours and using escort vehicles for large equipment. Motorists should slow down, maintain a safe following distance, never assume the farmer’s intentions before passing, and provide ample space for the large, slow-moving vehicles.
More than 1,100 motor vehicle crashes involving farm equipment occur in Midwest states each year. The Iowa DOT offers these tips for motorists for driving in areas where farm equipment on the road is common:
- Be alert and always watch for slow-moving vehicles.
- Don’t tailgate.
- Watch for turns. A farmer may use hand signals as well as blinkers. Farm machinery makes wide turns, and often directly into a field, where there is no obvious road.
- Be patient. Don’t assume the equipment operator can move aside to let you pass. The shoulder may not be able to support a heavy farm vehicle.
- Slow down as soon as you see farm equipment.