Although Mother Nature hasn’t been too kind to us, the reality is — harvest is slowly starting to come to an end. This means more equipment will be seen on the roads and highways in the coming weeks.
Unfortunately, there have been multiple crashes across Canada involving farm equipment and regular motorists lately. Rob Gobeil, safety and health specialist with the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA), shares five tips from his organization to prevent crashes. These include:
- Motorists should watch for slow moving vehicle signs and slow down when approaching farm machinery. Chances are that piece of equipment will be off the road in no time
- Don’t ride the tail end of a tractor as you might not be visible to the driver of the machinery
- Producers must stay on the road even if they have a wide load, so there is potential for sudden stops or slow downs
- Be alert and keep your head on a swivel for obstructions on the sides of the road
- It’s ok to take breaks. Take a cat nap if needed to avoid fatigue while driving in high traffic areas
Listen to RealAgriculture’s Jessika Guse speak to Rob Gobeil all about road safety as harvest begins to (slowly wrap-up). (Story continues below)
Gobeil also points the biggest cause for collisions with farm equipment are left hand turns.
“Often what will end up happening is — especially with wide pieces of equipment — the equipment will veer to the right slightly to take a 90 degree bend to the left, and the people behind the machinery often mistake that for the operator pulling over to allow the motorist to pass, so again it’s important to be mindful of that situation,” Gobeil explains.
Bottom line, he says the key to road safety is mutual respect between both the motorist and the farm equipment operator.
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