TEXAS NEIGHBORS | SUMMER 2022 By Julie Tomascik Editor It’s that time of year again, when Texas farmers are harvesting their crops. That means more tractors and large equipment are on the road with you. We’ve all seen them. They’re large, wide and slow. Your car is fast—much faster than the 25 miles per hour of the farmer’s equipment. But public roads are often the only way to move it. And because Texas is a top agri-cultural state, every Texan—urban, suburban and rural—will eventually encounter large farm equipment on the road. Your fast cars and farmers’ slow tractors can be a recipe for disas-ter. Accidents involving farm equip-ment and cars happen every year. And families are forever changed. Farmers respect your right to the road, but they’d like that same courtesy returned to them. It seems, however, that aware-ness is often the toughest thing to grow. Awareness about what farmers and ranchers do, but also about farm safety—on and off the road. That’s where we all come into play. It can be frustrating, but those farmers are just trying to get to and from their job, too. Only it’s a little different. Their office is that tractor you’re stuck behind. Their hours are likely sun up to sun down, and they’re trying to beat whatever Mother Nature is throw-ing their way. But they get it. They know 25 miles per hour isn’t the fastest or most ideal speed. They under-stand you have places to be, dead-lines to meet and families to see. They can relate. But one accident, one moment, one day—all could be life changing. So slow down, and enjoy some good tunes on the radio, catch up on a podcast or listen to an audio book. Being behind a slow-mov-ing vehicle will only add a little extra time to your commute. But being a responsible and courte-ous driver could save your life and the farmer’s. 5 things you can do when you meet farm equipment on the road 1. Be alert and cautious. Give large farm equipment and other slow-moving vehicles space. 2. Do not pass if you are in a space designated as a “No Passing Zone” or in any area that is not safe to do so—intersections, bridges and railroad crossings, among others. 3. Make sure the tractor isn’t trying to make a left turn before you pass on the left. 4. Don’t tailgate. 5. Be careful when you do get the chance to pass. And often, farmers will move their equipment over when it is safe to do so. WWW.TEXASFARMBUREAU.ORG