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New York Farm Bureau Launches Annual Safety Campaign
Reminding Drivers to Share the Road in Effort to Reduce Farm Vehicle
Accidents
Published: April 28, 2026 at
12:15 p.m.
By: Press Release
from NY Farm Bureau
NEW YORK FARM BUREAU LAUNCHES ROAD SAFETY CAMPAIGN TO
REDUCE FARM VEHICLE ACCIDENTS
Public service campaign reminds
drivers to share the road, especially during busy spring planting season
Farm-related vehicle crashes are five times more
likely to be fatal
New York farmers
are gearing up for spring planting season — and that means more large farm
equipment, like tractors, will be on the roads. New York Farm
Bureau reminds drivers to be cautious and share the road as the
organization launches its annual road safety campaign.
In New York
State, crashes involving farm equipment are among the deadliest. A New York
Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health (NYCAMH) study conducted in
2019 found that crashes involving farm vehicles are five times more likely
to be fatal than non-agricultural crashes.
Of the
agriculture-related incidents, the most common was a collision with another
vehicle. This event comprised more than 80 percent of the crashes. NYCAMH
attributed many of these incidents to non-agriculture vehicles attempting
to pass slower-moving agriculture machinery on straightaways.
To remind drivers
to be aware of slow-moving vehicles and take careful steps to avoid a
crash, New York Farm Bureau created and produced two public service
announcement videos. One video features a reenacted accident, made in
partnership with Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck, which can be viewed
at bit.ly/SharetheRoad25. The other video features Joe
Tyler, a farm employee from El-Vi Farms in Wayne County who was seriously
injured in 2019 when another vehicle struck the tractor he was driving.
That video can be viewed at bit.ly/SharetheRoad25-2.
New York Farm
Bureau President David Fisher said, “This is the time of year when
farmers are planting their fields, so there are more tractors and large
equipment on the road. I urge drivers to be patient and follow the rules of
the road. Pay attention, approach farm vehicles slowly, and pass them only
when safe to do so. We all want to get where we’re going safely and on time, but remember: A little patience can save a life.”
Joe Tyler of
El-Vi Farms in Newark, NY, said, “The biggest thing with tractors is to be
patient. The extra 30 seconds you want to gain to pass us could cost a life
or hours of your time if there is an accident. I was hit by a dump truck as
I was turning left. I sustained serious injuries, and it was traumatic for
me and my family. Please be respectful for us and the rules of the road. We
will get out of your way as soon as we can. We’ve got a job to do, and we
all have families to go home to.”
Tips for drivers:
- Slow down and increase following distance if
you come upon equipment with a Slow Moving
Vehicle (SMV) emblem, an orange triangle.
- Never pass with limited visibility or in a
no-passing zone.
- Be alert for farm
equipment that may be turning. Tractors not only turn onto roads or
into driveways but can also turn into fields. They may swing out wide
in the opposite direction to prepare to make a turn. This action can
make those following the farm equipment believe the farmer may be
turning the other way.
- Look down the road as far as possible to be
aware of what is coming and avoid distraction, like a cell phone. At
60 mph, a vehicle is covering 88 feet per second.
Tips for farmers:
- Farm equipment must display a slow-moving
vehicle emblem when traveling under 25 mph. In addition to the SMV
emblem, tractors and machinery must also display a speed-appropriate
speed identification symbol (SIS) when travelling between 25 and 40
mph.
- Never exceed the top-rated speed of any
trailed implement.
- Use proper lighting on farm equipment,
including flashing amber lights in the front and rear. Use lights and
flashers at all times of the day for increased visibility.
- Stay in the lane; do not drive equipment half
on the shoulder and half on the road. A tractor can easily lose
control on a soft shoulder. Ditches common to most rural New York
roadsides can cause potentially fatal rollovers for tractors.
- Be alert for vehicles behind you, especially
when turning.
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New York Farm
Bureau is the state’s largest general agricultural advocacy organization.
Its members and the public know the organization as “The Voice of New York
Agriculture.” New York Farm Bureau is dedicated to solving the economic and
public policy issues challenging the agricultural community.
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