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April 30, 2025 - Smooth, Successful and Safe Spring

Increased agriculture traffic on roadways during spring field preparation.

With the arrival of early spring, farmers are heading to the fields. Oversized, slow moving farm equipment has started appearing on highways and back roads throughout the county. 

Distinctly different from the days of the small family farm, today’s farms are larger, and equipment is wider and longer, with more distance between widespread fields.

At the same time, recreational and industrial traffic has increased with each passing year. 

Recreational vehicles and trailers are no longer the 15-foot variety of years gone by. Today, they are more likely to be 30 feet and larger. Motor homes and trailers are completely self-contained units that are taller, wider and longer.   

Accident potential grows as irritated motorists and frustrated farmers contend for space on congested highways and backroads. Everybody has an agenda and a place to be, with campers hoping to reach their destination to set up before nightfall and farmers wanting to capitalize on good weather conditions while they last.

The situation can be dangerous for everyone using public roads. For the farmer working multiple fields, there are no other options when it comes to moving equipment from place to place. 

To reduce the risk, most producers move equipment in the daylight during periods of light traffic whenever possible. By preplanning the route, they generally avoid narrow bridges and tight corners, as well as the challenge of steep hills and railway crossings.

And yet the Canadian Agricultural Injury Surveillance program (CAIS) reports that 13 per cent of farm related fatalities are traffic related and most involve tractors. The most frequent type of accident is a tractor rolling into the ditch because of driving too close to the shoulder of the road.

The most common type of multiple collision is a farm machine being struck as it turns onto a public road. There are also a high number of rear-end collisions occurring at intersections caused by motorists underestimating the size and speed of farm equipment. CAIS reports that the worst time of year for collisions occurs during the busy harvest months from July through September.

Few motorists realize that farm implements are often as large as four and a half metres wide and nine metres long, with a combined weight of up to 30 tonnes, which makes stopping a slow process. All too frequently drivers fail to recognize that stopping quickly in front of farm machinery can greatly increase the potential for an accident.

A lack of maintenance can also be a contributing factor in farm equipment accidents. Implements or tractors with poor brakes, worn or underinflated tires and improper connections can lead to a loss of control. Failure to lock brake pedals together for highway travel may also put a tractor into a dangerous skid when braking.

Farmers should make sure they wear a seatbelt, that tractors have roll-over protection and that they are equipped with rear-view mirrors. Slow moving vehicle signs (warning triangles) must be securely placed on implements and equipment must be clearly visible with the use of proper lighting and signage. Dust covered lights and signs seriously reduce visibility.

Motorists are not usually stuck behind a tractor for long. Using common sense and slowing down will go a long way toward reducing accidents. In the end it boils down to exercising mutual respect for all parties involved by sharing the road in a responsible manner.

It is easy to forget that the farmer a frustrated motorist may be honking at is in fact the same person who produces most of what they eat and wear every day.

For further information or details regarding farm safety or regulations and guidelines for moving farm equipment, agricultural producers may refer to www.agric.gov.ab.ca.

The Agriculture Services Department wishes all producers a smooth, successful and safe spring season!