State policies that increase lighting and reflecting
recommendations for farmers can significantly reduce accidents involving
tractors and other farm vehicles
Newswise, October 24, 2016 — A new study from the University
of Iowa College of Public Health has found that traffic accidents involving
farm vehicles in the Midwest would decrease by more than 50 percent if state
policies required more lighting and reflection on those vehicles.
The study by the college’s Great Plains Center for
Agricultural Health (GPCAH) compared rates of farm equipment–related crashes in
nine Midwestern states in the context of the states’ policies on lighting and
marking vehicles.
Those states report an average of more than 1,100 farm
vehicle-related crashes each year, often causing severe or fatal injuries.
The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers
(ASABE) has issued standards on lighting and marking farm vehicles to promote
safety among all roadway users.
The standards suggest certain numbers of headlights,
taillights, turn signals, and other exterior lighting visible to other drivers,
as well as the number and size of reflective markers.
The organization’s standards are not all required by state
laws, but many of the nine states in the study have adopted some of them or
have their own policies that address the same issues.
The researchers found fewer crashes in states with more
stringent lighting and marking policies, in particular those that adhered to
ASABE’s standards.
States with greater compliance with ASABE standards had 11
percent fewer farm equipment road crashes than states with lesser compliance.
Illinois law and policies were most compliant with the standards,
whereas Missouri's were the least.
Using data from 2005 to 2010, researchers estimate the number
of accidents annually would be cut 60 percent, from 972 to 385, if states
implemented policies that increased compliance with ASABE standards by 25
percent over current policies.
In Iowa, the study estimates crashes would decrease from an annual average of 164 to 65, or by 60 percent
.
Marizen Ramirez, UI professor of occupational and
environmental health and lead investigator on the study, says most farm
vehicle–passenger vehicle collisions occur because most passenger vehicle
drivers are not familiar with farm vehicles and cannot correctly gauge the
speed at which they are moving. This often leads to vehicles approaching too
quickly and attempting to pass in unsafe conditions, which can result in a
crash.
She says the likelihood of a crash is greater in October and
November, when more farm vehicles are on the road for the harvest and the sun
sets earlier.
“We know that farmers spend a lot of time on the roads,
especially during planting and harvest,” she says. “Our research shows that
lighting and marking—like reflectors, slow-moving vehicle emblems, and
taillights—can help farm vehicles stand out on roadways so passenger vehicle
operators are more likely to see them. It helps to do all that you can to
increase your visibility on the road, especially when farmers may be driving
during and after dawn or dusk.”
