Harvest season has arrived for Hoosier farmers.
With fall officially here and a slight chill in the air, many families may soon hit the road on the way to the pumpkin patch.
But the family car isn’t the only vehicle to hit the roads of rural Indiana this time of year. Indiana State Police are warning drivers to be aware of slow-moving agricultural traffic.
Farmers are harvesting corn and soybeans, often driving tractors, grain wagons and combines on county roads between fields. They travel and average of 25 miles per hour and officials are asking drivers to be patient, careful and courteous.
If it has been a while since you picked up a driver’s ed manual, here are some rules for sharing the road with farming vehicles:
Farm equipment is wide and may take up the whole road. If there is an opportunity to pass, be sure to proceed carefully and not in a designated “no passing zone”, or near an intersection, railroad crossing, or bridge.
Avoid tailgating as farm equipment makes frequent stops. Be aware of alternate routes and give yourself plenty of time to get to your destination.