Stay safe during harvest season

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October 1, 2009

Anonymous The Commercial-News Thu Oct 01, 2009, 07:13 PM CDT

No one needs to turn a calendar page to October to know a new season takes over. Days are shorter, nights are cooler and acre after acre of crops — soybeans and corn alike — turn yellow to welcome autumn.

With the ripening of the crops comes annual rite of the season — harvest.

Anyone who has driven rural roads lined with tall corn knows the feeling of coming to an intersection where sight lines are blocked.

Inching forward slowly to be sure another vehicle isn’t barreling along can be a stressful experience.

Coming upon huge harvest machines filling a narrow country road also can test any driver’s skills — and patience.

Crawling along at a few miles an hour until the farmer can safely pull aside to allow traffic to pass can be a frustrating experience.

Impatience, limited ability to see far ahead and little room to maneuver can create dangerous situations for all involved.

But it’s much better to be frustrated and alive than the alternative. Impatience, carelessness and excessive speed can be a bad combination on rural roads this time of the year.

Toss in the potential for farmers’ reflexes to be a little slower after hours of bringing in crops, and the high level of danger is easy to understand.

City folks aren’t immune to these potential problems.

As fewer farmers take care of more acres, the necessity of moving huge machines along highways becomes more common.

Coming upon a combine all lit up along a highway can be a somewhat frightening experience.

Paying attention, patience and taking it slow can go a long way toward avoiding accidents during the harvest season.

Farmers and drivers alike need to watch out for one another.

Harvest is a great time of the year. Don’t let frustration and impatience cause a tragic incident.

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