09/23/2024
It's harvest season! When driving along our rural roadways, be aware of farm vehicles like tractors, combines, maintenance vehicles and others that share the road. Leave more time for your travels and remember the following tips from the Maryland State Highway Administration to help ensure the safety of motorists, passengers and operators of slow-moving farm equipment:
🚜 When encountering farm equipment along the road, do not assume the farmer can immediately move aside. If safe, the farmer may pull over to allow drivers to pass. However, road shoulders may be soft, wet or steep, and this can cause a farm vehicle to tip over, or the shoulder may be unable to support a heavy farm vehicle.
🚜 Pass farm equipment with extreme caution and do not pass while navigating turns, on hills or where sight distance is limited.
🚜 Be mindful of vehicles behind you that may also try to pass.
🚜 Do not pass if you are in a designated “No Passing Zone” or within 100 feet of any intersection, railroad grade crossing, bridge, elevation structure or tunnel.
🚜 Do not assume a farm vehicle that pulls to the right side of the road is going to turn right or is letting you pass. Due to the size of some farm equipment, the farmer must execute wide left- turns. If you are unsure, check the operator’s hand signals and check the left side of the road for gates, driveways or any place a farm vehicle may be turning.
For more safety tips on sharing the road with slow-moving vehicles, visit https://ow.ly/W8Tt50TmZpF.
