With the start of harvest season, you’ll likely come across farm equipment on highways and grid roads in Saskatchewan.
Jeremy Pilon, communications consultant with SGI, reminds motorists to pay attention when they encounter slow-moving machinery on highways. “You come up to that machinery really quickly – especially at highways speeds.”
“As soon as you see farm machinery, start slowing down, maybe come off your cruise control and get ready to approach that equipment.”
He added that encountering farm equipment is more likely on grid roads. “There’s less space to pass, and the roads are a little slippery – so if you’re on a grid road, it’s even more important to slow down.”
Whether you’re on the highway or on a grid road, Pilon urges that you make sure it’s safe to pass equipment. “Take it easy. Slow down. Enjoy the beautiful Saskatchewan vistas around you.”
Give farmers an opportunity to see you by keeping further back and out of any blind spots. “Farm machinery is really wide and can be deceptively long, so if you do decide to pass, you want to give yourself plenty of room [and] plenty of time to get past them.”
Pilon added that farm machinery might not have signals, so motorists should pay attention to where the farmers could be heading.
Farmers also need to be aware of rules for farm equipment.
Farm equipment has been involved in 107 collisions over the last five years, with 37 people sustaining injuries, and six people dying.