Safety has to be top priority

Soon the calendar will turn to October, the beginning of the fourth quarter and one of the busiest seasons of the year for farmers.

The shift of the busy season from summer to fall has been well-documented as producers plant more spring crops and that means more harvest activity in the fall for the High Plains region.

As the sun goes down a little bit earlier in the evening the harvest activity means more dust in the air and combined with early morning or late night haze or fog can make for tragic circumstances for an unsuspected driver of farm equipment or motorist.

If you live in rural areas it also means large traffic on county or township roads that can have little traffic most of the year. All of this can be a recipe for serious or tragic accident.

The warning to stay vigilant must be assigned to motorists, farmers and anyone else who is sharing rural highways and roads at any time of the day or night. In this profession, I have covered too many fatalities and serious accidents and attended too many funerals to count. Nearly all of the accidents were preventable.

I am not alone as I know many rural readers have attended those unfortunate gatherings too.

What can one do to avoid an accident?

• Stay alert for the unexpected and never assume it will be an uneventful day;

• do not text and drive and do not be talking on a cell phone while driving;

• slow down and look both ways when coming up on an unmarked intersection;

• if traveling behind farm equipment do not assume the driver can see you so keep a reasonable distance;

• stay patient;

• when facing the sun wear sunglasses to reduce glare;

• never take an unreasonable risk in trying to pass;

• drivers of farm equipment also must be aware if lines of vehicle are starting to add up behind, they should look for an opportunity, if possible, to pull over to let traffic go by; and

• in all cases make sure hazard lights and signs are in place.

What good does it do to have a large harvest if someone gets seriously injured or killed? Ultimately, a safe harvest season is the most important indicator of a successful fall season. If a loved one is missing from the picture the harvest loses all of its meaning.

I hope everyone has a safe harvest and over the next two months and you and I won’t have to read about any accidents.