When you're driving on a highway in a rural area during harvest, motorists are at significant risk of experiencing a collision with farm equipment. In Illinois, there are typically more than 275 motor vehicle collisions with farm equipment on public roadways each year. The highest percentage of these collisions occurs during the fall harvest.

One of the most important things you can do to be safer on rural roads is to slow down. Keep your speed at or below the posted limits. If you're driving in the country and don't see a posted speed limit sign, remember that the maximum legal speed on most open non-freeway and non-interstate highways is 55 miles per hour. Speed limits are often posted lower because of road conditions, construction, curves or hills.

Watch out for farm machinery when driving in the country. Combines, tractors and the implements they're pulling are usually traveling less than 25 miles per hour.

Keep an eye out for the red and orange fluorescent "slow moving vehicle" (SMV) emblem and adjust your speed accordingly. If you need to pass farm equipment on the highway, make sure the driver knows you are there. Many farm equipment operators will pull over if there is a safe area to do so. However, that's not always possible, especially if the edge of the roadway is steep or without a shoulder.

If you're a farmer, make sure your implements are as visible as possible. State laws regarding machinery lighting and marking require at minimum a SMV emblem that is visible to motorists to the rear of the equipment at all times. Also, as of September 1, 2004 the SMV emblem must meet ASAE (American Society of Agricultural Engineers) S276.5 standard. This is a significantly improved emblem over older ones because it is visible at 1,000 feet at night. If moving at night, Illinois law requires equipment to have two red taillights mounted as far right and left as practical, two white headlights visible for at least 1,000 feet to the front, and at least one flashing amber light mounted as high as practical. For enhanced visibility, mount an amber flashing light on both the far right and left of tractors and implements – make sure the lights are visible from the front and rear. When operating farm equipment on the roadway, all lights and flashing lights should be on during both day and night for enhanced visibility.

Recent research has shown that farm equipment visibility can be greatly improved by placing retro-reflective tape at the extremities on all sides of farm implements. This material can be seen from 1,000 feet, which dramatically helps motorists see the equipment and determine its width.

The FARM kit, a set of reflective materials, which includes a new SMV emblem, specifically assembled for farm equipment, is available from the Extension office and from many farm equipment and chemicals dealers in Illinois.

Also, if a farmer is operating a wide piece of equipment that takes up two lanes of traffic on a road with shoulders that will not allow them to pull over far enough to not block the left lane, they should use escort vehicles. An escort vehicle should be a truck or auto that operates to the front and rear of the wide equipment and uses its flashing warning lights to warn oncoming traffic. They should be at least 1,000 feet to the front and rear of the equipment. Farmers can legally operate wide farm equipment on public roads, but they have a duty to warn if their equipment is in the opposite lane of traffic. Farmers SHOULD NOT move farm equipment on public roadways when weather conditions due to rain, fog or snow limits visibility by less than 1,000 feet. Other motorists need 1,000 feet of visibility to be able to recognize a slow moving farm implement and its width in order to take collision avoidance actions.