Tractors vs. Vehicles: Tension on Rural Roads during Harvest Season
Harvest season is upon us. For those of us in congested Cook County, we might not be aware of this, but if we head down south to Kankakee County or west out to DeKalb County, one need only drive down a rural road to see farmers out gathering their crop. Farmers use these same rural roads to get to their various fields and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) along with the Illinois Department of Agriculture are encouraging motorists to be on alert for tractors and farm equipment sharing the roads.
IDOT reports that last year there were 267 vechicle-farm equipment collisions. Of these, 98 injuries and 4 fatalities resulted. The 2007 collision rate represents a marked increase from the collision rate of 2006 when there were only 239 crashes. The majority of these accidents were rear-end collisions, and it is not the farmer who gets injured.
Drivers from the city or suburbs don't always understand or acknowledge that tractors usually don't have brake lights, or that they run at less than 20 miles per hour, or that most farmers can't see what's behind them if they are pulling something. As such, it is up to motorists to proceed with caution.
At The Law Offices of Jeffrey Kroll, we have litigated hundreds of automobile accident cases and have recovered millions for our clients. If you or a family member has been injured, please contact us.
