The Westmoreland County Farm Bureau is recognizing Rural Roads Safety Week April 13-19 by encouraging county motorists to travel safely on roadways this spring and throughout the year.
As the new season gets underway, tractors, farm trucks, wagons and other large equipment are once again traveling on Pennsylvania roadways. To the typical motorist, vehicles such as these can pose a threat when safe driving practices are not observed. For example, if a car is traveling 55 mph and comes upon a tractor moving 15 miles per hour, it only takes five seconds to close a gap the length of a football field between the car and the tractor.
Don’t forget to reduce your speed when driving on roads where you might encounter large farm machinery. Also make sure to slow down immediately when you see the slow-moving vehicle (SMV) emblem, which is an orange triangle with a red border, attached to farm vehicles.
Drivers of slow-moving farm vehicles often pull onto the shoulder of a paved roadway to give other motorists a better view of road conditions and enough room to pass. If the farmer is unable to safely pull his or her vehicle off the road, and you feel you must pass, do so with extreme caution, realizing that these types of vehicles often make unexpected turns into nearby fields or field access roads.
By working together, we can make the trip safe for motorists and farmers.
Amy McChesney
Derry Township