SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — Ahead of the fall harvest season, the Illinois State Police and the Sangamon County Farm Bureau issued reminders on Friday to drivers on how to share the roads with farmers and their equipment.

“Agriculture is one of the leading industries in Illinois and farmers across the state will be moving equipment along roadways throughout the upcoming months,” State Police officials said in a news release. “As farmers travel between fields, ISP reminds motorists and farmers alike to share the road to help reduce crashes involving tractors and other farm equipment.”

The Farm Bureau said the best advice is simple: slow down and give farmers space. Tractors and combines are hard to miss, but drivers should still be on the lookout for the bright orange triangles on the backs of farming equipment. That means it’s moving slowly.

But it’s not just drivers who have to keep their heads on a swivel.

“We have farmers on the other hand, they’re part of the safety equation as well,” said Farm Bureau member Jim Birge. “We asked them not to bunch up all the equipment going down the road, leave space for vehicles to pass in between. That just provides congestion, makes people upset and then they do something that causes an accident.”

The machines farmers drive are big, but their visibility is poor. So if drivers do pass them, they should give the machines plenty of space.

State Police provided the following tips and reminders for both drivers and farmers to follow while on the roads:

• For drivers:
  • Share the road and be patient. Allow for extra travel time.
  • Increase following distance to improve sight lines when driving behind wide, slow-moving vehicles.
  • Reduce speed when encountering farm equipment on public roads.
  • Flashing amber lights mean ‘caution’ and orange and red reflective triangles warn motorists that farm equipment travels at slower speeds.
  • It is illegal to pass in a no passing lane or within 100 feet of an intersection, railroad crossing or bridge. Improper passing, including around farm equipment, can be deadly. Be cautious when pulling back into the lane of traffic.
  • Watch for the farmer’s indication of a turn. Newer equipment may have turn signals, but older equipment may not, so watch for the farmer’s hand signals.
  • Be prepared to yield to wide equipment.
• For farmers:
  • Avoid rush hours and busier roadways when possible.
  • Avoid driving tractors on roadways during bad weather, low-visibility and when dark.
  • Use reflective marking tape and reflectors at the extremities of equipment.
  • Take time to wipe off reflectors, flashing lights and any other warning devices on equipment before entering the roadway. Equipment covered with dust/mud/debris from the field can make warning devices difficult to see.
  • Pay attention for traffic backing up while traveling between fields and look for opportunities to ease them. If road and shoulder conditions are safe, pull over to the right to temporarily allow traffic to pass, giving backups time to clear.

“By sharing the road and making safety a priority, motorists and farmers can work together to keep Illinois roadways safe this fall,” State Police said.

Some farmers are already in the fields, but there’s a lot of harvesting left to do this fall.