MnDOT is reminding drivers and farm equipment operators to safely share the road this harvest season.
This time of year, farm operators are transporting crops to markets, grain elevators, and processing plants, using large, slow-moving equipment to get them there.
From 2019 to 2021, there were 374 crashes involving farm equipment, resulting in eight deaths and 133 injuries.
Inattentive driving and speed were the biggest contributing factors in those crashes.
Drivers should slow down and use caution when approaching farm equipment, watch out for debris, drive with headlights on at all times and wait for a safe place to pass.
Farm equipment operators should use lights and flashers to make equipment more visible, use slow-moving vehicle emblems on equipment, and consider using a follow vehicle when moving equipment, especially at night.
