Springtime farm work makes roadways more dangerous

A state traffic safety specialist says this is one of the most dangerous times of the year for travel on Iowa’s rural roads. Scott Falb of the Iowa Department of Transportation says spring planting season means many large, lumbering farm vehicles are out there and motorists need to take heed.Falb says motorists need to be alert for slow moving vehicles, particularly in areas where their view is blocked. Falb says farmers and hired hands who are on the road with their tractors and other machinery are obligated to follow some rules, too. Flab says to make sure signal lights are working, and to stay close to the edge of the road with over-sized vehicles. The most recent year statistics on farm vehicle-related crashes are available is 1999. Falb says there were 290 crashes during that year that involved agriculture-related vehicles. Seven of the crashes involved fatalities, 137 involved injuries and 146 involved property damage. The most common time of day for the collisions was between four and eight p-m.