Stupid Drivers!!

[MoKelly]

Was the driver of the car texting on the phone? My guess is the driver just wasn't paying attention. It happens all too often.

MoKelly

 

[Pitch1]

To begin with,I grew up on a farm,my family farms,I work in a farm related industry.
Like it or not this is no longer 1950,life is a much faster pace than it was and most people have no inkling of what a farm is.
Like it or not convenient or not the person(farmer) obstructing free flow of traffic has a duty to be as visible as possible and as cautious as possible.
I can't tell you how many times the BTO's around here are tooo lazy to spend the twenty minutes to drop the header before they decide to drive 5 miles down the road,or how many time I have come up behind someone hauling a baler and a couple of hayracks with only a faded SMV sign on the back
Sorry but even though there are millions of careless cluelss drivers out there many of the farmers are their equal.

 

[Ken]

It is the dodge neons causing the problems.
For myself driving steady and brake lights all light up for several cars ahead so startted to slow also and a neon popped into the open space I was trying to keep . took the cars plastic and tin to the rear window mashed it all in made cadiliac fins of the rear fenders. Driver said saw opening and changed lanes. his fault my dodge 1 ton just a front tire.
ken

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I road equipment regularly, anything from 5' wide vineyard tractors to my larger tractors with 14' wide equipment. I have no choice but to run the busy State Route 20 to get from the base farm to some of my other fields 3-4 miles away. I have come close to being hit numerous times as people just do not know how to drive around farm equipment on the road. I get cars that sit behind me going 20 mph because their scared to pass which only makes it harder for others to pass behind them (safely). I regularly have cars pass me when they shouldn't and force oncoming cars off to the shoulder. I also have cars that pass me while I am parked in the road trying to turn left. I have my left turn signal on and am just sitting there because the cars never slow down and just keep whipping around me at 60mph. I have been giving the one finger salute numerous times just because I am out on the road. It is not a great experience but it is part of farming. It is also why I try to manage things so I don't need to run back and forth on the roads too much. When I get to the field I leave the tractor and either get a ride back or if I know I am going to be leaving the tractor I haul my bike with me so I can just ride it home and bring the truck back the next day.

It doesn't matter if you have the SMV and all the proper lighting on the tractor. The majority of the other drivers just don't want to slow down when they approach slow moving equipment or any type of equipment on the road. New York State had to actually pass a law to make cars slow down if there are flashing lights from emergency vehicles or construction vehicles on the side of the road. You now need to slow down and move over so as to not risk hitting anyone along the side of the road. It is a common sense thing but our state had to make it a law because people just don't care. For a tractor all the SMV and proper lighting does is protect you from being faulted if you are in an accident. Well, it will help prevent you from being faulted.

 

[RBA50]

I moved out of NY state about a year and a half ago. The year before I did, I drove across the country twice. Most states already had the "Slow down and/or move over" law in place. NY is a little slow on some things, except raising taxes. I think it was the charter bus that hit the concrete truck and pushed it into the back of a dump truck, killing the three workers between them that got that law passed finally. That happened on I81, just north of Binghamton.

 

[Deere Dude]

I told him then....NEVER just try to pass ANYTHING moving that slow....match the speed first, assess the situation, determine IF it's safe to pass, then when you can see it's safe - do it. And NEVER pass ANYTHING going that slow when there are driveways appraoching on the left.

You are right on. Driveways and tractors take a lot more consideration than people realize. Plus, tractor drivers or car drivers can be distracted by cell phones and nonchalantly pull out or turn while being oblivious to anyone else around, which is a recipe for disaster.

Because of what happened to me, one other thought. If passing someone on a two lane road make sure there isn't an intersection coming up with a car on the right sitting at a stop sign. You may be hidden from his view as you pass and he might pull out in front of the car you are trying to pass and turn right toward you. Wait until the intersections are clear and the car or tractor in front cannot do anything except go straight and nobody can pull out on you.

 

[Gator6x4]

The farmer has a right to move his equipment from one work location to another. This I accept and enjoy looking at the different equipment when I pull up behind one of them. What makes it hazardous is the people who will only pass another vehicle if they are on a four lane highway, or who cannot actually see something as large as a tractor, yet are driving a motor vehicle.

 

[MIKE R]

I had a lady in a little sports car following me for over a mile when I was hauling a wagon of round bales. I passed her at a intersection and thought she went straight through. I didn't even know she was behind me until I looked in the mirror and here she comes up beside the wagon in the oncoming traffic lane with a pick up coming towards her. I pulled to the shoulder of the road as did the oncoming car and she sailed right on through like it didn't even happen. Although most around here are fine with equipment on the road there is always one or two that aren't. Best we can do is have all our safety devices working and try to anticipate what others will do. I too pull into the oncoming lane 500ft before the intersection I plan on turning at when turning left.