Do You Know the Signs?

WARNING!
WARNING!
Do you know what this emblem (sign) means when it's affixed to the back of a vehicle or machinery?

It's a warning that the equipment is going less than 25 mph.

More importantly it is telling you how to proceed:

When traveling behind a vehicle that has this sign, reduce your speed, be very cautious, stay well back, and be patient.

Very soon our rural roads and highways will be full of farm machinery setting about the task of harvesting crops. This is not something we only see this time of the year, but, it increases dramatically in the fall.

How often have we seen someone come speeding up behind a slow moving vehicle, whip around madly or tailgate closely, and otherwise act the dangerous driver? Occasionally, they get angry and threatening.

The law aside, it is very dangerous to everyone and falls within the "totally clueless" category of driving.

The orange and red triangle is a signal for all drivers to slow down and be cautious. When you see one, reduce your speed and stay well back. Why?

• Farm machinery often must make wide turns, taking both lanes to accomplish the move.
• If it is a horse-drawn, the horse may be startled when a motor vehicle approaches and passes.
• Some vehicles are longer and wider and turn at places that are not well marked such as field entrances.
• Not only are these vehicles difficult to pass, but often they do not travel very far along the road before turning.
• Turns can be quick and unexpected making passing dangerous.
• They often take up the better portion of the road because getting in a ditch can cause the top heavy equipment to tip.
• Tailgating puts your vehicle in a blind spot.
• Because of the many things that must go into operating the machinery, the driver may not be aware you are behind them - you must be aware for you both.

Lest we forget, our farming community are our gardening soul mates - just on a much larger scale. Where we may garden only for pure enjoyment, they also do it as their means of support.

Join me in respecting the farmers as they go about harvest this year - drive carefully in the presence of slow moving equipment. Relax those few moments or miles as they maneuver from one field to the next. Take the time to count your blessing that our neighbors are part of the bigger picture of "feeding the world."

“No race can prosper until it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem.” Booker T. Washington, American author, educator (born 4/5/1856)