Farming season is underway, be prepared to share the road with Slow Moving Vehicles

By Casandra Turnbull

Did you know that farmers/ranchers are among the top 10 most dangerous jobs in Canada?

According to the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, farm workers are five times more likely to be killed on the job than any other industry workers. One of the leading causes of fatalities for farmers are traffic accidents involving motor vehicles and farm equipment; it’s proven there are two deaths a week in Canada involving collisions, and 74% of accidents take place between summer and late harvest. With spring in full swing, you may have noticed a distinct smell in the air. That’s right, the manure is down and farmers are busy preparing for another seasonal crop. With that preparation comes a lot of movement of equipment between farms and you might notice more farm workers on the road.

“This season’s planting window is getting tighter because of the excess moisture, farmers will be pushing longer hours in shorter time frames to get the crop in It will be a busy spring on Ontario roads,” explains Will Stoneham, Member Service Representative with Ontario Federation of Agriculture.

Statistics show that 7% of accidents on Ontario roadways involve farm equipment. It doesn’t seem like an alarming number, but when you live in a community that is surrounded by agricultural land, it should be a statistic you think about often when you approach a slow-moving tractor on your way home from work.

“Slow moving vehicles are 3.8 to 4.8 times more likely to be involved in a fatal collision per kilometre on the road than other motor vehicles These occur while entering, existing or crossing roadways, veering off the shoulder and accidents involving a motor vehicle passing while large machinery is making a turn,” said Stoneham.

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74% of all accidents involving motor vehicles and slow moving farm equipment takes place between now and late harvest. Ontario Federation of Agriculture pictures