50+ Lifestyles

Sharing the Road – Harvest Season

NEWS FOR YOU…. from the Iowa Department of Transportation

By Debra Carney
Driver’s License Supervisor
Driver’s License Services office
Davenport, IA

Every time you drive you share the road with someone – other automobiles, motorcycles, bicyclists, pedestrians and most noticeable this time of year is large, slow moving farm equipment.

It is important to identify these vehicles early and slow down when meeting them or coming up behind them. Slow moving equipment may make wide turns, either left or right at unmarked entrances. Some farm equipment is wider than the road itself. Make sure the driver of the slow moving vehicle can see your vehicle before passing. Always use extreme caution when passing.

The following are a few tips additional tips for sharing the road safety with farmers and their equipment.

SPEED AND CLOSING DISTANCE

• Always wear seatbelts and heed the road speed limit.
• Reduce speed when you see farm equipment on rural roads.
• Allow for short closing distances when approaching slow moving vehicles.
• Brake for orange and red reflective triangles that warn of slow moving vehicles.
• Slow down on gravel roads, hills, curves and turns.
• Keep a safe distance behind farm equipment so farmers can see you. If you can’t see his mirrors, he can’t see you.
• Yield to wide equipment on narrow roads.

PASSING FARM EQUIPMENT

• Be especially cautious of farm equipment turning left onto driveways or fields. They may first pull right for wide turns.
• Pass farm equipment only if conditions are safe and no on-coming traffic is present.
• Farm equipment operators may pull over on the shoulder of the road if safe to do so.
• Farm equipment operators may move to the center to avoid objects on the road shoulder.
• Do not pass farm equipment on the yellow line, curves or hills.

Every harvest season someone neglects to follow the above safety rules and tragedy occurs.

Remember, BE PATIENT and BE ALERT!