Our View: Fall harvest season reminder for motorists to be cautious when sharing road with farm equipment | COMMENTARY

Fall harvest season is again upon us, even if the coronavirus pandemic has eliminated most of the accompanying festivals that ordinarily take place at this time of year,

Here in Carroll County, with its rich agricultural heritage and its many working farms, that will mean an increased presence of combines and other massive, slow-moving equipment on the roadways throughout harvest season, which extends to the beginning of November. This can be frustrating to drivers in the cars and trucks and SUVs stuck behind farm equipment, but, remember, it’s just a temporary inconvenience. Much worse would be a permanent injury from trying to pass said equipment in an unsafe manner.

The Maryland Grain Producers Association, citing a 2018 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, called working in agriculture one of the most dangerous jobs in America in a recent news release that reads: “Keeping the people who produce our food, fuel, and fiber safe is important. For those traveling in Maryland, please keep an eye out for our farmers on the road."

The slow-moving equipment will have an orange reflective sign, also known as a slow moving vehicle sign, and, according to the release, taking note and slowing down is critical because “it only takes 8 seconds to close a gap the length of a football field when traveling 30 mph more than the slow moving vehicle in front of you.” The release suggests that the operators of such equipment will do their best to wave back to motorists when it is safe to pass. The MPGA recommends to farmers to be sure slow moving signs are on all pieces of equipment traveling 25 mph or under, that signs are properly positioned and that, when traveling on the road, four-way flashers are on.

The Maryland Department of Transportation has previously offered guidance for drivers sharing the road with equipment from one of Maryland’s more than 12,000 farms, reminding that “farmers are legally allowed to operate farm equipment on public roadways and there are times when farm vehicles must operate on highways to move between farm and field," and encouraging drivers to be patient and cautious in rural Maryland.

As we have done before in this space, at this time of year, we urge all motorists to take heed of the big, slow-moving equipment so common on many Carroll roadways during fall harvest season. Drivers of equipment are likely to pull off the road at the first available safe location to allow drivers to pass, but an’t necessarily move aside immediately. Here are some reminders, reprinted for everyone’s safety: