Minnesota/Wisconsin Engineering Notes

August 2001 Saving Fuel in Corn Drying Assessing and Alleviating Soil Compaction After a Wet Spring What's a Good Combine Operator Worth this Season? HVLS Fans for Free Stall Barns Healthy Farmers, Healthy Profits Project Tip Sheets Available Tractor Headlights and Flashers Prevent Collisions-Even During Daytime Hours Planning for Construction Projects on a Small Farm Old Agricultural Building and Equipment Plans Book Details How to Develop Swine Breeding and Gestation Facilities Burning Shelled Corn to Produce Heat Energy Calendar

Tractor Headlights and Flashers Prevent Collisions--Even During Daytime Hours Mark Purschwitz, Wisconsin Farm Safety and Health Specialist Personal observation indicates that few tractor operators use their headlights and amber flashers as they travel on public roads during daytime hours. Operators need to remember two things: Most roadway collisions involving farm machines occur during the day; and part of the responsibility of the operator of a slow-moving vehicle is to make the vehicle as visible as possible to other motorists. Use of headlights and flashers at all times during roadway travel is an important part of visibility. Of course, SMV emblems and other markings are important, but lights and flashers help a tractor or other machine stand out against a background of fields, trees, or anything else, and give the motorist extra time to make a safe approach. Extremity lighting or marking has the same intent--to make the outer edges of a machine more visible. Additionally, if a collision occurs, tractor operators have an additional defense by showing that they used their lights and flashers. Not using them, when they were available with the flip of a switch, can raise questions about who was to blame, especially in litigation. Using lights and flashers to make equipment as visible as possible removes the excuse that the equipment could not be seen soon enough to avoid a collision. Day or night, a smart operator wants to show he or she made every reasonable effort to be visible and is committed to roadway safety.

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