Media
B Roll in support of this story can be found at this link:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/0aoebci9jhb3920/AADCJkdnJtCEaeERgbz2yFWta?dl=0A
blue pick-up truck driving 55 mph slams on its brakes and comes within feet of a
giant tractor slowly making its way down a rural road in Marion County. The
truck blares its horn and sharply swerves left, aggressively speeding past the
tractor and into a blind curve. Thankfully, this was only a staged scene for a
video organized by Oregon Farm Bureau and the Marion County Sheriff's Office to
demonstrate what NOT to do.
Together the Farm Bureau and the Marion
County Sheriff's Office are working together to alert motorists that summer
harvest is in full swing in the Willamette Valley -- meaning large, slow-moving
farm equipment will occasionally travel on rural roads, moving from farm to
field. Marion County Farm Bureau President John Zielinski, OFB Health &
Safety Committee Vice Chair Anne Rigor, and representatives from the Marion
County Sheriff's Office met at Pearmine Farms in Gervais, owned by Molly
Pearmine McCargar and Ernie Pearmine of Marion County Farm Bureau, and talked
safety.
"We're reminding drivers to slow down, be patient, and use
caution when encountering a tractor on the road," said John Zielinski, president
of Marion County Farm Bureau. "This is the time of year when you'll see large
combines moving between grass seed fields and smaller tractors driving between
fruit orchards." Farmers do their best to avoid moving equipment during
high-traffic times, said Zielinski, but during peak harvest season, when the
fruit is ripe or the grass seed is at the right dryness, sometimes there's no
choice.
With Oregon's ever-increasing population, more people are driving on
rural roads than ever before, said Sergeant Todd Moquin, of the Marion County
Sheriff's Office Traffic Safety Team. For example, he estimated that the once
lightly traveled McKay Road between Newberg and I-5 sees over 10,000 cars a day.
Sergeant Moquin's message for drivers: "Slow down. If you're going to pass a
tractor, make sure you're making a legal pass, not on a curve, and with plenty
of room."
Whether a giant combine or a small orchard-sized tractor, farm
equipment is designed to travel at speeds of no more than 25 miles per hour
(mph) and must display a reflective, triangular, orange-and-red,
slow-moving-vehicle sign if going out on public roads. It can be surprising just
how slow 25 mph is on a highway. A tractor that appears to be far on the horizon
can end up directly in front of a fast-moving car within seconds.
"If
you're driving 55 mph on a highway and come upon a tractor that's moving at only
25 mph, it takes only 8 seconds to close a gap the length of a football field
between you and the tractor," said Anne Rigor, vice chair of the OFB Health
& Safety Committee and member of Benton County Farm Bureau. "In low light,
it's even harder to judge how fast you're approaching a slow-moving farm
vehicle," said Rigor.
Promoting rural road safety is a personal matter
for Zielinksi, who lost a friend and fellow farmer in a deadly accident. Scott
Miller, who served with Zielinski on the Marion County Farm Bureau Board of
Directors, was killed in 2014 when a car rear-ended his tractor, which was
pulling a trailer. "Too many people underestimate how dangerous it is when you
don't slow down or try to pass a tractor recklessly," said Zielinski.
In
fact, in 2015, there were 54 traffic accidents involving farm equipment,
resulting in 30 serious injuries and one death, according to the Oregon Dept. of
Transportation. In 2014, there were 40 accidents with 34 injuries and three
deaths.
To provide safety tips for both farmers and motorists, the OFB
Health & Safety Committee offers its Rural Road Safety brochure. "The
brochure provides tips that help save lives," said Rigor. "It's heartbreaking to
hear about injuries or deaths involving tractors that could've been avoided if
drivers had simply slowed down or farmers took a few simple steps."
Tips for
motorists include:
* If you decide to pass farm equipment on the road,
please do so with caution.
* Be watchful of vehicles behind you that may also
try to pass.
* If you must enter the oncoming lane of traffic, do not proceed
unless you can see clearly ahead of both your vehicle and the vehicle you will
pass.
* If there are any curves or hills ahead that may block your view or
the view of oncoming vehicles, do not pass.
* Do not pass if you are in a
designated "No Passing Zone" or within 100 feet of any intersection, railroad
grade crossing, bridge, elevation structure, or tunnel.
* 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
make wide left-hand turns. If you are unsure, check the operator's hand signals
and look at the left side of the road for gates, driveways, or a place the
vehicle might turn.
Safety tips for farmers include:
* Oregon law requires
a slow-moving vehicle reflector on any machine that travels the road slower than
25 mph. Always point the triangle up, keep the SMV emblem clean to maximize
reflectivity, and replace the emblem when it fades, normally every two to three
years.
* Mark the edges of tractors and machines with reflective tape and
reflectors. Consider installing retrofit lighting on older machinery to increase
visibility.
* Turn on your lights, but turn off rear spotlights when going
onto the road. From a distance spotlights can be mistaken for headlights.
*
Be aware of heavy traffic patterns.
* Consider installing mirrors on
equipment so you can see motorists around you. Be careful where the mirrors are
placed.
* When moving multiple farm vehicles down a highway, drive in a tight
convoy to dissuade cars from pulling in between equipment.
Download a PDF
of the OFB Rural Road Safety brochure at oregonfb.org,
or request as many
free copies as you'd like by contacting annemarie@oregonfb.org or
503.399.1701.
Story by Oregon Farm Bureau in
cooperation with the Marion County Sheriff's Office.
Media B Roll in
support of this story can be found at this link:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/0aoebci9jhb3920/AADCJkdnJtCEaeERgbz2yFWta?dl=0