What do you need to know?
Help to Prevent Collisions
You play a vital role in helping to
prevent roadway collisions by insuring
that your equipment is as visible as
possible to other motorists. The more
visible you are, the less likely you are to
be involved in a collision. Protecting
yourself and others can make the
difference between life and death.
Protect Yourself
According to the National Safety
Council, approximately 15,000 farm
vehicles are involved in highway crashes
annually. Studies of collisions between
slow moving vehicles and motor vehicles
conclude that nearly 90 percent occur on
dry roads during daylight hours and two thirds
are rear-end collisions.
When a fatality occurs, the victim is
usually the tractor operator.
Tractors, with or without trailed
equipment, and self-propelled
implements are large enough to be
clearly visible on the highway, especially
during daylight hours. So, why are there
so many accidents involving farm
vehicles?
Many rural residents have no
experience with farming, yet they share
the roads with tractors and implements.
Lack of familiarity with farm equipment
may be responsible for their poor
judgment when gauging distances and
speeds of slow moving vehicles.
Additionally, the recognition of “something different” on the roadway may
not be apparent due to poor lighting and
marking. Tractors generally travel at less
than 20 miles per hour (mph), compared
with cars cruising at 55+ mph. A typical
driver does not instantly recognize this
difference in speed and may apply the
brakes too late to avoid a collision.
Motor vehicle drivers need to be able to
identify slow moving vehicles in time to react
safely. Protect yourself by installing the
proper lighting and marking to your
agricultural equipment. A small investment in
materials and time can help to prevent
common
roadway
collisions.
Follow the law
All self-propelled vehicles (tractors,
combines, haybines, etc.) operated on
public roadways in NY State after dark
have to comply with the lighting
specified in Table I. These lighting
requirements are in addition to the
SMV emblem requirements and do not
replace those requirements. It should
be noted that while it is recommended
to utilize the specified lighting at all
times throughout the day, NY
requirements only apply when the
agricultural equipment is used on the
public roadways from one-half hour
after sunset to one-half hour before
sunrise. At other times, no lighting
equipment is required on agricultural
equipment in NY.
How to Comply?
Lighting
Extremity lighting and reflective
material marking combined can be a
very effective guard against roadway
collisions. Used together, other
motorists can quickly and accurately
identify that a large, slow moving piece
of equipment is on the road. Without
this type of effective protection farm
equipment operators may be more at
risk of injury or even death.
The lighting requirements of both NY
state law and ASAE S279.11 can be
found in Table I. ASAE
recommendations should be followed
whenever possible since these include
some safety components that are not
included as part of the NYS law.
These additional recommendations are
standardized through a national
consensus and have been adopted by
new equipment manufacturers.
It should be noted that when rearward
facing work lamps or general service
lamps are present, that they should be
aimed downward and that they shall
not be illuminated during highway
travel. Motorists can be blinded and
confused by the illumination of
rearward facing white lights, thus
becoming a detriment to safety.
Marking
Reflective marking material is a low
cost effective tool to identifying
agricultural equipment. Properly
placed reflective material helps the
equipment stand out on the roadway.
This conspicuous feature leads the
naming of this material to be called “conspicuity material”. Ideally,
agricultural equipment on the roadway
should be conspicuous since other
motorists will notice the equipment
immediately and have sufficient time to
avoid a collision.
Reflective materials can include:
Fluorescent material which is visible in
both daytime and low-light conditions.
The fluorescent orange material in the
center of the new ASAE standard SMV
emblems is visible at twice the distance
as the former material. Fluorescent
color materials are comprised of
fluorescent dyes which are bright, but
unfortunately decompose and lose their
brilliance (fading) over time.
Fluorescent materials, such as the
center of SMV emblems, should be
replaced when their brilliance fades
thus reducing their effectiveness.
Retroreflective material is designed to
redirect light directly back towards its’
source. In the case of an SMV sign,
the triangular border is made of red
retroreflective tape that reflects the light
of motorists’ headlights directly back,
creating a visible warning effect. The
retroreflective border of the new SMV
signs is over 10 times brighter than the
design of the older SMV signs.
Typically the older style SMV reflective
tape was only visible from a few
hundred feet where as the new
retroreflective tape used on SMV
emblems is visible for over a mile.
Retroreflective tape can also be used
as reflectors and conspicuity material to
meet ASAE standard recommendations
at the equipment extremities. This
retroreflective material is very durable
and generally more weather resistant
than the fluorescent materials.
Silage Wagon Diagram:
Note proper location of SMV sign, Red
Retroreflective tape at rear corners, and
Orange Fluorescent tape inside next to Red
Retroreflective tape. Side and Front corners
have Yellow Retroreflective tape.
Tillage Implement Diagram:
Note proper location of SMV and Marking
tape as diagram above, although the
location on Tillage implement is directly to
frame member.
Note: Diagrams courtesy of Gempler’s
Table I: ASAE Recommendations and New York State Requirements
Lighting and Marking of Agricultural Equipment for Travel on Public Roads
Item | ASAE Recommendations
#279.11 & S276.5 |
NEW YORK Requirements | ||
# | Color | Mounting | ||
Headlights | 2 | White | On either side of vehicle centerline at same height. | Same as ASAE recommendation1 |
Tail lights | 2 | Red | Symmetrically mounted to rear between 3.3’&10’ high from 2’to 5’ on left & right of machine center | 1 Red as far to left as possible |
Hazard Flashers | 2 or more | Amber | 3.3’to 12’ high & spaced as widely apart as practicable to be visible from front & rear. | Combined hazard, warning, and turn signal lamps. 2 amber, at least 42” high, at same level, as far apart as practicable and visible front & rear. |
Turn Indicators | 2 | Amber & Red | Hazard flashers to also function as turn signals. | |
SMV Emblem | 1 | Fluorescent orange for daylight & red retroreflective border for night | On rear center or rear left for maximum visibility of 600’ day or night; 2’ to 10’ above ground. | All implements of husbandry designed to operate at 25 mph or less shall display the SMV on rear of vehicle at all times on highways |
Reflectors which may be part of tail lamp lens or conspicuity material | 2 2 |
Red on rear of
machine Yellow on front of machine |
Size to be 2” wide by 4.5” long for machines =6.7’ wide. Size to increase to 2” by 9” for wider machines. | 2 Red On rear, same level, as far apart as practicable. |
Conspicuity material to better define size and to increase visibility. | Red retroreflectors & fluorescent markers on rear corners & =6’ apart on rear. Front: change color to yellow2 | Red retroreflective
& reorange
fluorescent Yellow retroreflective. |
Visible to rear Horizontal & in line as practicable Visible to front Reflectors to be within 16” of outside corners and fluorescent material within 25” of outer corners. |
SMV only, but additional recommended. |
|
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