Frye: Slow Down During Harvest Season

Please remember to be alert, slow down and share the road with slow moving equipment.

Shutterstock photo.

INDIANAPOLIS - Indiana is home to nearly 57,000 farms, and every year from October to November, Hoosier farmers are hard at work harvesting crops. During the coming month, you will likely encounter farm equipment on the roadways. Please remember to be alert, slow down and share the road.

To keep everyone safe, it's important – especially in our rural communities – to be on the lookout for heavy machinery. Avoid following farm equipment like combines and hauling trucks too closely in case they make sudden stops on the road. Give yourself ample time to get to your destination, and consider alternative routes to avoid slow-moving farm machinery. Any vehicle that travels at a rate of 25 mph or less should have a designated slow-moving vehicle sign – an orange triangle with a red reflective border that serves as a warning to other drivers.

When attempting to pass farm equipment, always look for oncoming traffic, and make sure the vehicle is actually pulling over to let you pass and not making a wide left turn. Watch for the driver’s turn signals and don't assume the farmer can see you. Don't attempt to pass a vehicle if you are approaching an intersection, railroad crossing, bridge or tunnel. More often than not, farmers will pull over to the side of the road to allow motorists to pass when they can do so safely.

Our farmers are working hard this season, so let’s do all we can to follow these precautions and keep everyone safe. For more information about road safety during harvest season, visit in.gov/isda.