Stay safe during harvest season

Editorials

Discussion

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.

Text Only

Editorials

Statistics deserve watching

Officials with the Vermilion County Health Department continue to watch the statistics regarding sexually transmitted diseases, and with good reason.

February 12, 2012
Celebrate with Old Abe
Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky all lay claim to part of Abraham Lincoln’s legacy, and justifiably so. But few cities can claim as close association as Danville can with the 16th president.

February 11, 2012
WYSE winners earn honors
No cheerleaders. No team mascots. No stands filled with spectators. Yet Danville Area Community College recently served as host for one of the biggest competitions of the year.

February 10, 2012
History is for all of us to share
Vermilion County students know February traditionally kicks off Black History Month in their classrooms, a time when teachers concentrate on the contributions African Americans made to our nation’s greatness.

February 5, 2012
Quinn fails to deliver

Officials with Vermilion County’s schools and local government surely hoped Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn’s State of the State address Wednesday contained some good news for them.
It didn’t.

February 3, 2012
Ease pressure on prisons
In his almost frantic effort to cut state costs, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn reportedly plans to revisit a topic that caused him considerable political damage last year — early release of convicted felons.

February 1, 2012
Jury duty is a big deal
January 29, 2012
Open local courtrooms to recordings
Members of the Illinois Supreme Court, including Danville’s Justice Rita Garman, recently announced a change in the policy against allowing public court proceedings to be recorded. It’s a good decision.

January 27, 2012
Take advantage of advice on healthy kids
Parents can hear good advice tonight from a national expert about making sure their children eat in a healthy way.

January 25, 2012
Programs help more than just veterans
Danville Area Community College and the Department of Veterans Affairs Illiana Health Care System both offer special programs to help our country’s military veterans receive additional training and find a jobs after their days in uniform are done.

January 22, 2012
More Editorials Headlines

Editorials

Search Results

Discussion

Stay safe during harvest season

Site Map

Contact Us