BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (AP) — Three state agencies are teaming up to keep drivers and farmers safe on central Illinois roads during the harvest season.
The (Bloomington) Pantagraph reports that the Illinois Farm Bureau, Illinois Department of Transportation and Illinois State Police will promote a program called “Caution, Slow Down, Share the Road,” which encourages rural road safety.
Transportation department spokesman Brian Williamsen urges motorists to be alert, give farm vehicles plenty of space and use caution as farm equipment moves at slower speeds.
Bart Bittner, a farmer east of Bloomington, advises drivers not to drive directly behind farm equipment because farmers won’t be able to see them.
Transportation department data show nearly 250 crashes involving farm equipment occurred in Illinois in 2014. Five people died and nearly 60 were injured.