Those harvesting need to help keep roads safe

For those who will be operating equipment in pursuit of this year’s harvest, please familiarize yourself and any operators you may have working for you with the most current laws pertaining to Implements of Husbandry and the lighting equipment required.

Make sure you have communicated with your local road authority regarding weight limits or the need for road closures. We have had an increase in presence by the State Patrol Motor Carrier Division this past summer, and we hope many opportunities for awareness of our laws took place which will make this fall a safer environment.

It never seems to fail that harvest and rain tend to be inseparable, which will result in mud being transferred from the field to the road. For those engaged in the harvesting, please be attentive to the material which you are displacing and make every effort to minimize the amounts left on the road. This may mean a piece of equipment left on site to clean in between each and every load.

The law that pertains to the placement of foreign material on the roadway is 346.94(5), Placing Injurious Substances on Highway, which states, “No Person shall place or cause to be placed upon a highway any foreign substance which is or may be injurious to any vehicle or part thereof.”

While we have taken an approach of education in regards to these responses and have issued warnings, there comes a time when warnings transition to citations.

As long as we are on the subject of state statutes, here’s another one which is quite relevant — 346.51(1), “Improper parking on/off roadway.” Whether you are using the road to offload a piece of construction equipment, or using the road to transfer loads from a field, it is your obligation to observe proper safety practices. This may mean putting out warning signs, cones, or even deploying flag persons.

Almost daily we receive complaints of roadways being obstructed by individuals or companies who have equipment on the road, creating a situation where vehicles are crossing into the opposite lane of traffic. Responding officers arrive and work with the business or individual to rectify the situation. Unfortunately, if the area cannot be made safe, the only other option is to shut down the operation until it can be made safe.

If you know you are going to be offloading or staging equipment on a roadway, please plan ahead by checking the area to see the level of warning devices you may need. Check with the town official for that area if you are going to be on a town road and the county Highway Superintendent if on a county road or state highway.

Again, we have approached this issue from an educational perspective for many years, and the time has passed where ignorance of the law will be accepted.

In the end the responsibility for a potential accident because of poor planning, or a failure to provide proper warning, will fall to the individual or business creating the hazard. If you are traveling the countryside and observe what you feel is a traffic hazard, please call law enforcement, and we will respond. Together we can keep our roads safe.

For those in the general public who may find themselves in proximity to the harvesting process, please use caution when operating around these pieces of equipment, as they have many blind spots and may be stopping or turning for movement in and out of field driveways and side roads.

Having been fortunate enough to have grown up in the farming community, I know the sense of urgency that comes with both planting and harvesting. However, no shortcut or increased speed will make a difference when someone becomes injured, and any potential savings will pale in comparison to the cost of tragedy.