The recent crash southwest of Des Moines of a bicyclist and a farmer pulling nitrogen tanks with his pickup truck on a rural road highlights the need for everyone to use public roads safely. The farmer was ticketed for illegal passing as the tank struck a 45-year-old man riding a bicycle, and the bicyclist ended up in the hospital with a broken pelvis and other injuries.

Improving safety on roads that farm equipment share with other vehicles needs greater attention from governmental entities, according to a newly-released report produced by a committee that includes Iowa State University ag safety specialist Charles Schwab.

"Federal, state and local government bodies rarely give this area of roadway safety major attention because agriculture-related collisions comprise a low percentage of all vehicle collisions," says Schwab. "However, when viewed by the ag community, these collisions become a dramatic and alarming percentage that tragically alters our agricultural workforce."

Crash fatality rates nearly double in rural areas

Schwab, a professor of ag engineering, served on the North Central Regional Committee on Ag Safety and Health Research and Extension convened by USDA. The committee issued a report in early 2009 addressing the rural/urban traffic interface, state and federal regulations, higher-speed tractors and the transport of workers on public roadways with farm equipment.

The report cites a study of Iowa crashes in rural areas, published in 2007, that found:

Engineering design standards, safety education

"The committee believes engineering design standards should be used to incorporate automatic and passive protection for drivers and riders of ag equipment during public-road use," says Schwab.

The report emphasizes that safety-education programs are needed to educate both the public and farmers on best practices for operating agricultural equipment on public roads, approaching slow-moving vehicles on public roads and the effects of excluding agricultural equipment from road weight and use restrictions.

The report also recommends policy changes for a consistent source of funding for research into hazards, risks and best safety practices, and for the development of a Uniform Vehicle Code that reflects uses of modern ag equipment, which should be adopted by all states.

The full text of the report is online at www.csrees.usda.gov/about/white_papers/pdfs/ag_equipment.pdf.