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Sheriff Dept. urges extra caution during harvest
Published 12:00pm Thursday, October 2, 2008Otter Tail County Sheriff Brian Schlueter and members of his department always urge driver caution. That’s especially true this time of year, during the fall harvest.
“In addition to following the speed limit and driving defensively, drivers this time of year also should pay attention to debris dropping off trucks during the harvest season,” Schlueter said. “Drivers should watch for mud buildup on the roads, fallen sugarbeets and other situations this time of year.”
In last year’s fatal crashes, three deaths occurred among farm vehicle drivers or occupants.
“It can be deadly for drivers who lose patience and pass, improperly, farm vehicles,” Schlueter said. “
More than 90 percent of the crashes, according to the Minnesota State Patrol and county sheriff departments, occur in the state’s rural areas. Most accidents involving farm vehicles take place in May during the spring planting season or during the fall harvest.
Bob Winter, Minnesota Department of Transportation’s operations director, also urges drivers to use special caution this time of year.
“The increased severity and higher number of crashes show clearly that motorists must drive with greater care,” Winter said. “During the harvest season the state’s highways are busy with trucks hauling goods to markets or to processing plants — at all hours of the day.”
He said that traffic often swells with wagons, combines and other slow-moving equipment that motorists may encounter.
Officials from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) urge motorists to buckle up, drive at safe speeds and pay attention to avoid death or serious injury behind the wheel.
“Motorists need to give farm vehicles and trucks that haul the harvest some extra space. They also need to recognize that these larger vehicles often travel at slower speeds,” said Cheri Marti, DPS traffic safety director. “Take extreme caution passing these vehicles; their size can obstruct oncoming traffic, especially on two-lane roads where they most often travel,” she said.
Other suggestions include driving with headlights on at all times during the fall harvest season and avoid distractions such as cell phones. In addition, give farm equipment operators a little extra room, stay alert for slow-moving vehicles and watch for trucks making sudden stops.
