As the spring planting season begins, we need to watch out for slow-moving equipment on Iowa’s roadways. Iowa Department of Transportation data shows 158 Iowa crashes involved farm equipment in 2014, including seven fatalities, dozens of injuries and lots of property damage.
Drivers: be alert and slow down as soon as you see the triangular-shaped slow-moving vehicle emblem. Be patient because the equipment operator may not be able to move aside to let you pass.
Farm vehicle operators: use signal lights or the appropriate hand signals when turning, drive slow-moving vehicles in the right-hand lane as close to the edge of the roadway as safely possible, pull over where it is safe to let traffic go by, and proceed through a highway-rail grade crossing only if you can clear the crossing without stopping.