Safety
AROUND YOUR HOME

Increasing visibility of agricultural equipment

Each year there are traffic accidents in Illinois involving agricultural equipment. According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, there were more than 2,300 farm-related highway accidents between 1989 and 1996. And in these accidents, 43 people lost their lives.

The odds for any individual to be involved in a farm machinery accident are increasing for several reasons. Motor vehicle traffic increases each year, and fewer people have farm backgrounds and know how to use caution when approaching farm equipment on the highway. Also, farms are larger now, so operators are on the road more and traveling greater distances. Equipment has become larger and can extend more into the opposite lane of traffic.

Bill Brink

Many times there is very little that can be done to change these factors, but farmers can make a big difference by making sure their farm equipment is highly visible on the highway. Some of the safety equipment includes a clearly visible slow-moving vehicle emblem (SMV), proper lighting and newly enhanced reflective material.

The Illinois Vehicle Code requires the SMV emblem on all slow-moving farm equipment when on public roadways. The emblem is a fluorescent orange triangle with reflective borders that warns approaching vehicles to slow down. To be effective, the SMV should be clean and visible; faded SMV emblems should be replaced.

Tractors and self-propelled equipment must have lights on 30 minutes before sunset to 30 minutes after sunrise. At least two white lamps visible from at least 1,000 feet must be on the front of the vehicle. On the rear of the vehicle, at least two red lamps must be visible from at least 1,000 feet. At least one flashing amber signal lamp must be mounted on the rear of the vehicle and visible from at least 500 feet.

Towed equipment is also required to have the lighting 30 minutes before sunset to 30 minutes after sunrise. If the towed implements obscure the tractor lights, the rearmost implement or wagon must have the red lamps and the flashing amber light.

Reflective material is not required by state law, but research has shown that it dramatically improves visibility. An Illinois State Police program known as Fewer Accidents with Reflective Materials (FARM) offers a complete reflective material kit. It includes 14 pieces of the highest quality safety material, including a SMV emblem.

To mark the edges and sides of the equipment, the kit includes several types and colors of 2" by 9" reflective strips. Six yellow and two red reflective strips increase the visibility of equipment at night. For daytime visibility, the kit contains two red-orange fluorescent strips. Reflective material can be especially useful to mark the sides of the equipment. Without side markings on equipment, the risk of an accident increases when making a left turn or crossing the highway. Kits containing the above reflective materials and instructions to mark one implement cost approximately $20 and may be available from your local Farm Bureau Office, equipment dealer, or chemical supplier. The Illinois State Police would be a good source of information also. Contact them for a copy of the Illinois Vehicle Code.

If farmers increase the visibility of their farm equipment and drivers slow down and take precautions on the highways, hopefully the number of farm accidents will decrease dramatically.

Bill Brink is an Extension Educator, Crop Systems, at the Springfield Extension Center, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Illinois. You can write to him in care of Illinois Country Living, P.O. Box 3787, Springfield, IL 62708. Telephone: (217) 782-6515. E-Mail: brinkb@idea.ag.uiuc.edu

14 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING OCTOBER 1998