MELVILLE, Sask. – With farmers working long hours to bring in this year's crop, motorists are being reminded to slow down and stay alert for large farm equipment travelling on roads and highways.
The message comes after the Aaron Buckingham, chief of the Melville Fire Department, responded to a collision involving a vehicle and farm equipment on Sept. 25.
Buckingham said the incident serves as a timely reminder that harvest season creates additional hazards on rural roads as farmers move machinery between fields.
"Farmers are in full swing trying to get that crop in the bin, and there's large pieces of equipment moving around rural roads," he said. "Keeping an eye out for them is going to be paramount for safety for both the traveller and our farmers."
While collisions involving farm equipment can occur at any time of year, Buckingham said spring seeding and fall harvest are periods when motorists are most likely to encounter agricultural machinery on roadways.
"I think this time of year has the highest potential for this type of accident," he said. "Certainly spring and fall are big times of year for farm equipment on roadways."
A farmer's son who grew up operating equipment on Saskatchewan roads, Buckingham said he understands the frustration some drivers express when they encounter slow-moving machinery, but he urged motorists to be patient.
"It's not a new problem," he said. "The amount of times not only do you need to be slowing down and looking out for them, maybe slow down as you pass them as well."
"There's lots of roads where it's wide enough to pass a piece of farm equipment, but take that time and slow down to go by," he said.
The fire chief also encouraged drivers to remain vigilant for wildlife, saying the Melville Fire Department has responded to an unusually high number of wildlife collisions over the past year.
"The last year for us here in Melville has been an astronomical amount really of wildlife strikes in our area," Buckingham said.
He noted these collisions can have serious consequences and said the recent increase has not appeared to be tied to any specific season.
"There used to be during rut season and animals were moving around and it seemed to spike those calls, but we've had a consistent run of wildlife strikes over the last year," he said.
While some encounters with wildlife cannot be avoided, Buckingham said awareness remains one of the best tools motorists have to prevent collisions.
With combines, grain carts and other large equipment expected to remain on Saskatchewan roads throughout harvest, Buckingham said drivers should reduce their speed, allow extra space and exercise patience to help ensure everyone reaches their destination safely.
