RICHMOND—Spring is when drivers will be sharing the road with farmers moving oversize equipment. And when normal traffic meets up with larger, slower vehicles, there’s an increased risk of accidents.

That is one of the reasons the Virginia Farm Bureau Farm Safety Program started a new initiative—Safety Awareness for Farm Equipment on Roadways, or SAFER.

The initiative kicked off with a contest to raise awareness of slow-moving and large farm equipment on the roadways, and the potential dangers involved in transporting them.

The Farm Bureau safety program is inviting community groups and civic and youth organizations to create visual displays depicting the size difference between farm equipment and regular vehicles. The goal is to have displays in high-traffic public areas that will help make drivers more aware of farm equipment on the roadways.

“If you can’t see a farmer, then they can’t see you,” noted Matt Nuckols, chair of Farm Bureau Farm Safety Advisory Committee. “And besides, it’s illegal to pass on a roadway with a double solid line—even if the driver ahead of you is going extremely slow.”

Additionally, one contest category is for educational campaigns that don’t involve a physical display, and another is for the most effective use of media channels to educate drivers about the presence of farm equipment on roadways.

The contest runs through Oct. 31, and winners will be eligible for thousands of dollars in cash prizes. 

Many Virginia farmers don’t have the luxury of cultivating all their acreage on one farm. They often have to move equipment from field to field as they plant, tend and harvest crops.

Springtime in Virginia is when farmers are planting corn and soybeans while also harvesting barley, rye and wheat. Some of them also start cutting hay in May, Nuckols explained. The equipment needed for planting and harvesting includes applicators, balers, combines and sprayers, some of which can be up to 16 feet wide. When the average highway lane is 10 to 12 feet, that means there’s not much room for maneuvering.

Drivers shouldn’t assume that a farmer can pull over to let someone pass. Shoulder conditions may make it unsafe to pull heavy equipment to the side of the road.

But make sure you know the farmer’s intentions before passing.

Farmers with large equipment are usually easy to spot. Virginia law requires vehicles that travel slower than 25 mph and are being driven on public roads to be equipped with rear-mounted triangular slow-moving vehicle emblems. These reflective orange signs act as a warning to approaching drivers to slow down.

Farm equipment can’t stop quickly. For example, if the equipment is traveling 15 mph, it would take a car traveling 55 mph 5 seconds to brake 300 feet—the length of a football field—to avoid a collision.

Often drivers think they can quickly pass farming equipment, but what if the farmer is planning to make a left-hand turn while you’re passing?

“It could be disastrous,” Nuckols said. “And because farm equipment is so large, the car may take the brunt of the damage.”

Media: Contact Nuckols at 804-938-2043.