Heads up, drivers!
Harvest season starts this week in Indiana, so expect to see slow-moving farm equipment on the road. Several state agencies have partnered to encourage drivers to share the road with farmers working to move their products.
“It is incredibly important to get this message out to ask all drivers to have patience and drive safely around slow-moving vehicles. I encourage all Hoosiers to be mindful and alert for farm equipment on roadways this harvest season," Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann said in a press release.
READ | Indiana farmers hit record-breaking harvest season
A press release from Indiana State Police lists the following safety tips:
• Most farmers will pull over when they are able to let you pass, but it may take time for them to get to a safe place to do so. Be patient.
• Farm equipment is wide, sometimes taking up most of the roadway. Be careful when passing.
• The red triangle on the back of an implement, farm machinery or other vehicle indicates a slow-moving vehicle.
• If you’re driving 55 mph and come upon a tractor that’s moving 15 mph, it only takes five seconds to close a gap the length of a football field between you and the tractor.
• Do not try to pass a slow moving vehicle on the left without ensuring that the vehicle is not planning a left turn. It may appear that the driver is pulling over for you to pass when it is actually preparing to turn. You will drive right into its path, endangering yourself and the farmer.
• Do not assume that a farm vehicle that pulls to the right side of the road is going to turn right or is letting you pass. Due to the size of some farm implements, the farmer must execute wide left-hand turns. If you are unsure, check the operator’s hand signals and check the left side of the road for gates, driveways or any place a farm vehicle may turn.
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