October 12, 2011
www.gfb.org
Vol. 29 No. 41
GFB, STATE AGENCIES WORKING TO PROMOTE SAFETY ON THE ROADS Georgia Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall, Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black, Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) Director Harris Blackwood will visit farm communities in Marion, Early, Tift, Bulloch and Houston counties on Oct. 14 to promote road safety through a series of media events. The state agencies and GFB are also issuing a series of news releases highlighting the precautions drivers should take to avoid collisions, part of a campaign titled “Improving Georgia’s Yield Behind the Wheel.” “Georgia Farm Bureau appreciates the effort our state leaders are making to highlight road safety in rural areas and to educate motorists about what they should do if they encounter farm equipment on the highway,” Duvall said. “Farmers and motorists can work together to help prevent needless accidents if we all follow the recommendations of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.“ Georgia’s harvest season is in full swing, which means there will be more farm equipment on public roads as farmers bring in their fall crops, increasing the chances of roadway collisions between farm equipment and passenger vehicles. According to the GOHS, there were 300 crashes involving passenger vehicles and farm equipment in Georgia last year, and there were five deaths from these accidents. The GOHS gave the following tips to avoid accidents: For motorists: Don’t pass unless you can see clearly ahead of both you and the vehicle you are passing and don’t pass if there are any curves or hills ahead that may block your view or the view of oncoming vehicles. Don’t assume farm equipment that pulls to the right side of the road is turning right or is letting you pass. Farmers must sometimes pull to the right to execute wide left turns. Check the operator’s hand signals and check the left side of the road for gates, driveways or field entrances the farmer may be turning into. For farmers: Georgia law requires you to place a slow moving vehicle reflector on equipment that travels the road slower than 25 mph. Always point the triangle reflector up, keep the emblem clean to maximize reflectivity and replace the emblem when it fades. Mark the edges of equipment with reflective tape and reflectors. Install retrofit lighting on older machinery to increase visibility. Turn on your lights but turn off spotlights when traveling on roads. Don’t drive before sunrise or after sunset. Use warning flashers to caution approaching motorists to slow down. Use signal lights or proper hand signals to let motorists know your intention to turn in advance. Equipment drivers should not encourage or signal motorists when to pass but should pull over when it is safe to allow traffic to pass.