WV Farm Bureau Magazine April 2015 | Page 6

Road to Safety Matt Nicol Sponsor Relations Account Executive Nationwide 614-359-7342 [email protected] Larger, faster equipment used by farmers combined with increased traffic flow by the public and other factors have created increased risks for both farmers and motorists. Consider these statistics: Rural Road Crash Facts • The National Safety Council estimates that 15,000 collisions involving farm vehicles occur on U.S. roadways each year. • Though 19 percent of Americans live in rural areas, 55 percent of highway deaths occur on roads considered rural. • More than half of the 32,885 traffic fatalities in the U.S. occur on rural roads. • The fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled is 2.5 times higher in rural areas than in urban areas. • Crash victims are five to seven times more likely to die if arrival time to a hospital exceeds 30 minutes. • The time between a crash and arrival at a hospital averages 36 minutes in urban areas and 53 minutes in rural areas. • It takes more than twice as long for EMS personnel to arrive at a crash scene in a rural community as compared to an urban community—19 minutes versus seven minutes. Not to be overlooked is the fact that farm machinery is getting larger—much larger—and often extends dangerously over the center line. Farmers are also acquiring more land, requiring additional road time to travel to distant fields. 6 West Virginia Farm Bureau News Plus, to get the most from every acre, crops are planted closer to roadways, sometimes visually obstructing intersections. Add to that the disrepair of many rural roads and bridges and travel on America’s rural roadways has become more dangerous than ever. Sharing the road with motorists unfamiliar with large, slow-moving farm equipment makes for a very dangerous situation. According to the National Safety Council, accidents involving a farm vehicle are five times more likely to produce a fatality than any other type of motor vehicle accident. Preventative Measures Here are a few commonsense tips to help you avoid farm-vehicle accidents: 1. Clearly mark your vehicle. Make sure your vehicle and equipment are well marked with reflective tape, lights or flags, particularly if your equipment is oversized or extends beyond one lane of traffic. 2. Use your lights. Keep headlights, reflectors and turn signals clear of any dirt or debris that may have accumulated during work, and always use turn signals when turning and changing lanes. Consider installing magnetic, battery-operated lights that can be purchased relatively cheaply. 3. Install proper signage. Properly install slowmoving vehicle (SMV) emblems so motorists see SAFETY, page 22