In order to make sure everyone stays safe during this time of year, Mary Cox, manager of the Coles County Farm Bureau in Illinois, recently noted there are a number of steps drivers can take when meeting farm equipment. On the jg-tc.com website - which is a joint venture between the Illinois papers the Journal Gazette and the Times-Courier - Cox said that drivers need to keep their cool.
"When it comes to sharing the road with slow-moving vehicles, the bottom line is patience, slow down immediately and pay attention," Cox wrote.
Drivers should give farm equipment plenty of room and should wait until there is a safe passing lane if they want to get around. When passing farm equipment, Cox said that drivers should make sure the operator of the equipment knows that they are there.
According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, in 2007 there were 267 crashes involving vehicles and farm equipment. Those resulted in four deaths and 98 injuries.
