NEWS RELEASE
ONTARIO PROVINCIAL POLICE
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The Nottawasaga Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) would like to take the opportunity to remind motorists that harvest season is upon us, and agricultural equipment is on the move. We want to remind drivers to share the road, and drive with extra care and attention around slow moving vehicles and farm vehicles. A little extra patience can go a long way to ensuring everyone gets to their destination safely.
Slow moving vehicle (SMV) sign means that the machinery can only travel at 40 km/hr, and for optimal safety, equipment needs to stay on the travelled portion of the road and not on unsafe road shoulders. Drivers also need to remember to pass with caution as large agricultural equipment could be making left hand turns or going around cyclists, mailboxes, signs, and or guard rails.
Motorists, when you come across farm equipment on the roadways, we encourage all drivers to do the following:
• When the path is clear, make sure the driver can see you before you pass
• Don't expect the vehicle to pull over on the shoulder - as this could be dangerous for a large piece of equipment
• Slow down and share the road
Farmers, please follow these rules to stay safe and stay visible while travelling from field to field:
• Although it's not illegal to drive farm equipment on the shoulder of the road, farmers are reminded to always drive on the travelled portion of the highway as the shoulder may not be able to support the weight of your farm equipment
• Be patient and take extra time to wait for an opening onto a main roadway that will give you enough time to safely pull onto the road and be visible
• Hand-held devices such as smartphones are banned from use while operating farm equipment on the road
• Farmers are obligated to have their lights on while driving farm equipment at night - the use of head and taillights is mandatory half an hour before sunset to half an hour after sunrise
• Farmers are required to use lights when their equipment or other vehicles on the road are not clearly visible due to inclement weather such as rain, fog or snow
• Farmers: be aware the minimum lighting requirements for farm equipment on the road are two white headlights and one red taillight
• Reminder: towed implements are required to have lights too - minimum of 1 red taillight
• All farm equipment travelling the roadways (farm tractors, combines, self-propelled sprayers, plus anything they're towing) must have a visible SMV sign
• A slow moving vehicle sign must be clearly visible on the back of the implement for all trucks towing farm implements
• All farm equipment on the road, plus trucks towing farm implements must not exceed the 40 km/hr speed limit
For more information, visit the Ontario Federation of Agriculture website.
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