05/29/2025
Such a scary event.
Please read, as some good thoughts, truth and advice.
It's the beginning of hay season and even before yesterday's miraculously-not-fatal accident in Hartland, I've been wanting to write something about what to do when you encounter farm machinery on the road. Here's the summary--be smart, be patient, and don't pass if you can't see.
If you see a tractor, ahead of you or oncoming, slow down.
If the tractor is ahead of you, you'll need to stay behind them until you can see far enough ahead to safely pass. That could be a long time, especially since it's hard to see around big machinery. Generally, farmers will notice and slow down or stop to let you pass, waving you ahead. If this doesn't happen as soon as you think it should, it's because the farmer knows something you don't. The road ahead could be too bendy, there could be overhanging branches that will damage the tractor if they pull over, or the tractor won't be able to pull the hill if it stops midway. There could also be a car coming, or a kid on a bicycle, that they can see that you can't.
If this seems like the most basic thing, it is. But every time we put in hay, people pass the tractors in situations that would be fatal if there was oncoming traffic.
If the tractor is coming toward you and you're not sure if there's room to pass, slow down and get as far to the side as you can. The tractor is not going to hit you, but an idiot trying to pass them might.
Here's the thing about farmers--they're kind of the opposite of selfish. They do a really hard job to feed people. They don't want to make you late for whatever you probably should have left earlier for. They don't want to block the road or scare up dust. They just want to do their jobs and get home safe to their families. They also want you to get home safe.
Please slow down, make room, and don't pass if you can't see.
Thank you.
