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It’s growing season in Washington County’s rural farmland. That means you may see more slow-moving farm equipment on county roads. It’s your job to safely share the road so our farmers can do their jobs.
If farm equipment is travelling on the road at 25 mph or less, it needs to have an orange, triangular slow-moving vehicle sign on the back. When you see equipment with the orange sign on it, slow down right away. If you’re at highway speed, it takes just five seconds to overtake a tractor traveling at 15 mph from a distance of 100 yards (football field).
You can pass farm equipment when it is safe to do so. Make sure the oncoming lane is clear of traffic and check that wide farm equipment leaves enough room to pass. Farm-vehicle crashes happen most commonly when a vehicle tries to pass while the farm equipment is turning left. Farm equipment operators may pull to the right to line up with a driveway on the left. Drivers may believe the farmer is moving over to let them pass. Look for driveways or gates to the left before trying to pass.
Oregon sees up to 35 serious crashes involving farm equipment every year. Keep our roads safe year-round by being patient and staying aware around slow-moving farm equipment.
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