Fall is here, which means harvest is underway for farmers in Missouri and Arkansas. Each year, farm hands or other motorists are seriously injured or die in accidents involving tractors and other farm equipment along roadways. In 2011 alone, the Missouri State Highway Patrol reports that there were 231 accidents in Missouri involving farm vehicles, including three fatalities.

Missouri law provides ways for drivers to safely share the road with farmers. For example, farm equipment traveling less than 25 miles per hour on a public road must display slow-moving vehicle reflector emblems and maintain lighting to increase visibility. Other safety rules exist under state law, as indicated by the University of Missouri Extension office in an article from earlier this year.

Motorists should be aware of the possibility they may encounter farm machinery on the roadways. Common sense and defensive driving will help to prevent these type of accidents. A recent editorial from the Missouri Farm Bureau provides several helpful tips for sharing the road safely during spring planting and fall harvest times.

Photo courtesy Flickr user “Caveman Chuck” Coker