Reminder to share the road with farm vehicles

Whitby, Ontario – The Regional Municipality of Durham would like to remind residents that harvest season is coming soon. Drivers may experience temporary delays on rural roads due to slow moving farm machinery. Motorists are asked to be patient and cautious when sharing the road with these vehicles.

When: Harvest season starts in the fall and will continue until the ground is frozen.

Where: Rural roads in Durham Region, including Regional roads. For a full list of Regional roads, visit durham.ca/RegionalRoads.

Why: Farmers have the important task of transporting the food that feeds our communities, and as part of that transportation they often use public roads to get from field to field, both day and night. It’s important for motorists to be patient and cautious around farm vehicles to ensure safety for everyone.  Durham Region farmers provide us with a safe, reliable and nutritious food supply.

Safety tips to observe when coming across farm machinery on Regional roads include:

Be aware

Watch for farm machinery and recognize slow moving vehicles on the road. Farm machinery can appear in a variety of shapes and sizes. Follow these tips for everyone’s safety:

• Look for an orange triangle emblem on the back of any vehicle you do not recognize. This emblem means it’s a slow moving vehicle. Use caution.
• Most farm equipment travels under 40 kilometres per hour. Slow your vehicle as soon as you see farm equipment on the road and be prepared to stop at all times.
• Farm vehicles don’t always have brake lights or turn signals. Operators may not always be visible to demonstrate standard hand signals to show their intentions.  

Pass with caution

Be patient and wait for a safe opportunity to pass. When approaching a farm vehicle, consider the following:

• Farm vehicles with long or wide equipment must sometimes swing wide to make turns. For example, if a tractor swings to the right, do not attempt to pass. It may still be turning left.
• Farmers may be unable to pull off the road due to equipment weight or road shoulder conditions.
• Some farm vehicles take up more than one travel lane. Machinery that is half on the road and half on the shoulder may suddenly move completely onto the road to avoid mailboxes or other obstructions on the shoulder. Often, there are protrusions from the tractor, which can be difficult to see.
• Do not pass and then slow down or stop directly in front of the farm vehicle. Remember that large equipment cannot brake as quickly as a car. Give farmers a wide berth when passing.
• Do not pass farm machinery at intersections. Vehicles may turn without the ability to signal or see traffic behind them.

Note: The Regional Municipality of Durham would like to thank motorists for their co-operation in making our roads safer for all users. Please be courteous when encountering farm equipment, just as you would with any other vehicle on the road. Common sense will ensure safe travel on our road system.

Durham Vision Zero is our long-term plan to ensure a safe transportation system that envisions a future that sees no serious injuries or lives lost on Durham’s roadways. Learn more at durham.ca/VisionZero.