With harvest season quickly approaching, the Wood County Farm Bureau offers some safety reminders as Farm Safety Week (Sept. 17-23) kicks off.
“Please slow down when you are approaching farm equipment from either direction,” said Amanda Barndt, president of the Wood County Farm Bureau. This includes but is not limited to combines, semis, tractors, grain carts, and tillage pieces.
If attempting to pass, be cautious and make sure the operator sees you and acknowledges your passing. It’s important to remember to triple-check oncoming traffic as well. “That large piece of machinery cannot stop on a dime, she said.
Logan Riker Chamberlain, vice president of the Wood County Farm Bureau, recommended drivers who are pulling off the road should check for mailboxes or telephone poles that the farm machinery may not be able to navigate through. “When it is dark out, use even more caution in passing as pieces and parts of the farm equipment might extend past the visible edge of the equipment and could catch you if passing too closely,” she said.
Be aware of slow-moving vehicle (SMV) signs—those reflective, red and orange triangular signs that signify a vehicle going 25 mph or less. “It’s important to keep a distance when following behind farm equipment or other vehicles with SMV signs,” Barndt explained. “The operators often have blind spots from the seat of those vehicles.”
Source: bgindependentmedia.org
Photo Credit: istock-tillsonburg
Categories: Ohio, Rural Lifestyle, Farm Safety