Maple producers host annual ceremony heralding 2025 maple season
Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding, maple queen and ambassador all highlight annual ceremony Saturday to herald the maple season in the state.
- Spring planting season in Somerset County means increased farm equipment traffic on rural roads, urging drivers to be cautious.
- Drivers should exercise caution, be patient, and maintain a safe distance when following farm equipment.
- Farm equipment is often large, slow-moving, and may make unexpected turns.
Buds are coming out on the trees and the grass is turning green once again as springtime is welcomed in Somerset County. Farmers are heading to their fields for spring planting, along with the flowers and returning robins.
This means drivers should be alert for large farm equipment on rural roadways.
“Farmers make the safety of other motorists a top priority when we must move equipment on the roadway, and we ask that drivers help keep us safe as well,” said Pennsylvania Farm Bureau President Chris Hoffman in a press release.
“We don’t want to cause an inconvenience to anyone and will often pull over to allow others to pass when it’s safe to do so. We just ask that drivers remain patient when following farm equipment and keep a safe distance. By slowing down and using caution and common sense, drivers can avoid costly crashes and save lives.”
PennDOT does create and post signs with pictures of vehicles like farm equipment and horse-drawn buggies on rural roadways to alert motorists of an increased presence of equipment like tractors, balers, tillers or combines, as well as Amish buggies, on the roads, said Jay Knarr, PennDOT Transportation Community Relations Coordinator 2.
“In situations where traffic increases and the likelihood of farm equipment or horse-drawn buggies and motor vehicle interaction becomes higher – such as near the opening of a new business or after an influx of Amish to an area – PennDOT will conduct studies, which include public input, to re-evaluate the need for additional signage or even roadway modifications in the interest of safety,” he said in an email.
“Be extremely cautious on those back roads when you’re turning a corner or coming up on an intersection,” Pennsylvania Agriculture Bureau Director for Plant Industry Frank Schneider said in a press release. “Some of the equipment that is on the road nowadays takes up the whole width of the road, especially when we talk about rural and back roads, so be cautious.”
Somerset County has a lot of farms and equipment sharing the road with vehicle traffic.
“The farm equipment is much greater in size than it ever has been,” said Joel Landis, EMA director, Somerset County Department of Emergency Services, in an email. “Newer farm equipment is bigger for the farmer, so more work can be done in the same amount of time that a smaller piece of farm equipment would be able to do it.”
“PennDOT urges all drivers to use caution on rural roads, especially in spring and summer months when farm vehicles are most common. Safety on our roadways is everyone’s responsibility,” Knarr said. “Please slow down when approaching large farm equipment, always avoid distractions, and buckle up for a safe drive.”
Each year, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau partners with PennDOT, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and the Pennsylvania State Police to spread the message of staying safe on rural roads during the height of the spring planting season, Knarr said.
According to preliminary PennDOT data, there were 104 crashes involving farm equipment on Pennsylvania roads in 2024, resulting in three fatalities and 13 suspected serious injuries, the press release says. In total, there were more than 40,000 crashes on rural Pennsylvania roads last year, resulting in 576 fatalities, further stressing the need for safety on rural roads.
“We share the same concerns as PDA, Farm Bureau and state police not only for the safety of the farm community but the safety of all motorists,” said PennDOT Executive Deputy Secretary Larry Shifflet in the press release. “Rural Road Safety Week reminds us that we all need to take a pause and slow down.”
Watch for warning lights
Farm equipment can legally be operated on roadways, including at night, but farmers are required to follow certain safety guidelines depending on the size of the equipment moved. All farm equipment that travels at speeds less than 25 miles per hour is required to have a Slow-Moving Vehicle emblem –an orange triangle with red outline – on the back of their equipment.
They use “amber warning lights and a SMV (Slow Moving Vehicle) reflective sign,” Landis said. “Some farmers might even go as far as having an additional farmer spotting them in a pickup or UTV for crossing at a busy or blind intersection.”
Amish horse and buggies are also part of the slow-moving vehicles on Somerset County’s roadways.
“One would believe we have more of those types of collisions involving Amish vehicles than we do farm equipment involved collisions,” Landis said.
If drivers see the Slow-Moving Vehicle emblem, it is a sign to slow down immediately. It takes only five seconds to close a gap that is the length of a football field, if a vehicle is driving 55 miles per hour and a tractor is moving at 15 miles per hour, according to the press release.
Drivers should be alert that farm equipment may be turning at an unexpected place, such as into a field, and may be making a wide left turn if it pulls to the right. Always be sure the oncoming lane is clear and visible before passing large equipment and never pass in a no-passing zone or within 100 feet of any intersection, railroad grade crossing, bridge, elevated structure or tunnel.
“In all cases, these vehicles are slower than the normal flow of traffic,” Landis said. “Being aware of your stopping distance for the weather conditions and just paying good general attention to ones surrounding you will greatly impact your safety and the safety of others.”
PennDOT tips for sharing the road with slow-moving vehicles:
Vehicles designed to travel 25 mph or less and horse-drawn vehicles are required by law to display a fluorescent orange triangle surrounded by red bands. When you see this symbol on the rear of any vehicle, slow down immediately and maintain a safe following distance.
Everyone must use caution when driving on rural roads, especially in the spring and summer months when farm vehicles are most common on these roadways.
Do not pass a slow-moving vehicle if:
- You cannot see clearly in front of you and the vehicle you intend to pass.
- There are curves or hills in the road ahead.
- You are in a designated “No Passing Zone.”
- You are within 100 feet of any intersection, railroad crossing, bridge, elevated structure or tunnel.
- Do not assume that a vehicle operator who pulls the vehicle to the right side of the road is turning right or letting you pass. The vehicle operator may be swinging wide to execute a left-hand turn.
- Operators of farm vehicles usually are in a better position to see oncoming traffic. They are usually willing to signal drivers when it is safe to pass, provided they know there is a vehicle behind them. Use your vehicle’s horn to let the farmer know you are there.
- When approaching a horse-drawn vehicle, give it plenty of room when following or passing, use your low beams and never use your horn as it may spook the horses.
- Watch closure time while on rural roads. Closure time is the time a driver has in which to recognize and respond to a slow-moving vehicle. Farm vehicles usually travel less than 25 mph, while horse-drawn vehicles range in speeds between 5 and 8 mph. Be alert and prepared to stop.
- Watch the sides of the road for mailboxes, bridges, or road signs, which may cause a farm or horse-drawn vehicle operator to maneuver to the center of the road or cross the center line into the approaching lane of traffic to avoid these obstacles.
- Be especially watchful of farm vehicles in the spring and fall during planting and harvesting times.
- Farm and horse-drawn vehicles have the same right to use public roads as other motor vehicles.
- On many rural roads, there’s less room to maneuver, loose gravel or grassy berms, and there can be sharp dips and unexpected turns.
- Using extra caution is also important during dawn and dusk hours when farming equipment may not be as visible.
