By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot
Road safety isn’t very exciting until it is and no one ever calls the police for a good time which is why farmers need to follow the rules, no matter how desperate they are to get the crops off.
“I’m not here to harp on your guys because I am a farmer as well, " said Provincial Constable Kevin Bilyea at the S.H.E.D. Talks inaugural event held at the Brussels Four Winds Barn on December 2. “But let’s all think of the worst case scenario when we are on the road with our machinery and ask ourselves if breaking the law is worth it at the end of the day.”
Bilyea was one of three speakers at the event designed to encourage farmers to host their own S.H.E.D. (Sustaining Healthy Farms Through Empowerment and Dedication), an initiative of Gateway, the Centre of Excellence in Rural Health. These talks are a way for farmers to meet in their sheds or at a local restaurant to talk about their lives to stay mentally healthy via communication and connections. Bilyea and family have a cow/calf operation near St. Marys and he is a certified crop advisor. On this day, he was present in full uniform to discuss road safety.
“I’m hoping you will take something home from this talk to do a little better,” he said, before asking farmers not to abuse the privileges they have to use the shoulder and drive slowly with a Slow Moving Vehicle (SMV) sign.
“Farmers with SMVs are exempt from a lot of things but you still have to stop at stop signs, right of ways, etc,” he said. SMVs are what police get questioned on the most because the minute you put that sign on your tractors, wagons and machinery you cannot go over 40 kilometres per hour (kmh). “Your tractor may be able to do 60 kmh but you still have to drive 40 kmh.”
The sign should be placed near as possible to the centre of your tractor or implement and be two to six feet above the road.
Farmers are also allowed to let teens 16 and older drive tractors, even without a license but is it always wise? asked Bilyea. “So you have a 300 horsepower tractor with 40 tonnes of corn and you throw an 18-year-old in there. Maybe he has been driving since he was 12 but does that 18-year-old have enough experience?” he asked. “Please take that and think about it before you put someone in that situation.”
Bilyea said police do a lot of shift work and “we see a lot of interesting stuff at night”, he said. Bilyea said at night, plus 30 minutes before sunset and 30 minutes after sunrise everything should be lit up. Flashing lights are valuable and farmers should use them more, rather than less, even if they aren’t required. “Light that thing up and let them see it,” advised Bilyea. “I personally like to see an amber or red light flashing,” said Bilyea.
Lights can make all the difference in terms of visibility. “The moment you get in a crash, we show up and let’s say the person who hits you says he didn’t see you. I look at your tractor or wagon and see a faded SMV sign and two faded strips of reflective tape. What do you think is going to happen?”
Bilyea showed a photo of a tractor pulling six grain carts down the road. There are no rules about how many you can pull as there is no exemption on weight and length. Again, Bilyea asked if, when thinking of the worst-case scenario, would this be wise?.
Up until now, farmers have had a lot of leeway and been able to govern themselves within rules under the Highway Traffic Act. If they want to keep that freedom, they need to continuously adopt best practices, have well-lit equipment and make sure they don’t turn without checking that there is no traffic to the left or right.
Bilyea finished his talk with announcing the five most common questions he receives as a police officer:
● When I turn left across traffic and am cut off, who is at fault? A.”Make sure you use that shoulder, swing out, stay in your lane and always have a look. YOU are responsible for turning left and making sure traffic is clear in both lanes.”
● Am I able to drive faster than 40 kmh with a SMV. A. “Full stop, no.”
● Am I able to block traffic to unload? A. Farmers are not allowed to block traffic to upload. “You have to think of safety and farmer image. Also, what if there is an emergency and someone can’t get past you? Why do farmers think they are more important than the general public?”
● Am I able to get the road muddy? A. “No. I’ve seen parts of the road with three to four inches of mud and had farmers tell me ‘don’t worry. Drivers will slow down.’ Then I say, ‘How about we get a tractor in here and push that off the road.’ ”
● “Why are you giving me a ticket? Shouldn’t you be arresting drug dealers.” A. Bilyea said this is his personal favourite question and his answer is: “If we weren’t responding to so many farm calls, we would be arresting drug dealers.” ◊