MnDOT: Share the road safely with farm equipment

(Mankato, MN) – The Minnesota Department of Transportation is reminding motorists to safely share the road with farm equipment this spring.

“Planting equipment is ramping up across Minnesota and farmers need the highways to access their field,” said Brian Sorenson, state traffic engineer.

Farm equipment is large and heavy, making it difficult for operators to accelerate, slow down, and stop.  The equipment also makes wide turns and sometimes crosses over the center line.

According to the last three years of data, there were 386 crashes involving farm equipment in Minnesota resulting in 166 injuries and six deaths.  Inattentive driving and speed were the biggest contributing factors in those crashes.

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