Dennis
J. Murphy and Jennifer
L. Shufran
Pennsylvania State University Cooperative Extension
Most agricultural producers need to move production equipment
on public roads for planting, cultivating,and harvesting crops.
Safely traveling roadways with agricultural equipment requires
an extra degree of caution from the equipment operator and
from general vehicle drivers sharing the road. For the relatively
small number of miles traveled by slow moving vehicles (SMV),
there are a disproportionately high number of highway accidents
(Bean and Lawrence,1992). Many of these accidents are worse
than a typical fender-bender.
Greater visibility plays an important role in roadway accident
prevention by providing increased sight distance for decision
making and stopping. In an effort to increase visibility of
agricultural equipment on roadways, the American Society of
Agricultural Engineers (ASAE) has developed new recommendations
for lighting and marking equipment.
The following information identifies "rules of the road "
for machinery lighting and safety marking. These rules are
established by Pennsylvania law,as well as the new recommendations
developed by the American Society of Agricultural Engineers.
Conspicuity material does what it says:it makes the equipment
stand out or be more conspicuous. The reason you want your equipment
to stand out when on roads is to give motorists lots of time
to notice you and avoid you. Fluorescent material aids
daytime visibility and reflective material aids nighttime
visibility, but the materials don't last forever. The orange
fluorescent center portion of the SMV emblem will fade and turn
color over time,changing from orange to yellow, pink or white.
This portion is the most vulnerable to light and moisture degradation
because fluorescent dyes decompose. Maintaining fresh emblems
with maximum fluorescence makes a big difference, especially
in early morning or late evening hours.
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New
SMV meeting old ASAE standard
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New
SMV meeting new ASAE standard
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Used
SMV
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Retroreflective
material as found in the outer border of the SMV emblem
is intended to reflect the headlights of vehicles approaching
from the rear at night. Retroreflective material holds up
longer than fluorescent material. Of great importance is the
fact that retroreflective readings on SMV emblems meeting
the new ASAE standard are over ten times greater than most
of the readings on SMV emblems currently in use. Most SMV
emblems tested in Successful Farming 's SMV overhaul project
had retroreflective readings in the 20s whereas the average
retroreflective readings on new enhanced SMV emblems was 278.
This showed up as nearly 14 times brighter in a nighttime
visibility test than the old emblem with a reading of 20.
The new retroreflective border material in the SMV is made
differently than the old and can be detected as far as a mile
away. Typical site distance from old SMV reflector tape was
only a few hundred feet. Which one do you want on your slow
moving agricultural equipment?
Table 1. ASAE recommendations and PA requirements for lighting
and marking of agricultural equipment on highways.
Title
|
ASAE
Recommendations
|
Pennsylvania
Requirements
|
|
# |
Color
|
Mounting |
|
Headlights |
2 |
White |
Red
retro-reflective & red-orange fluorescent Yellow retro-
reflective |
Same
as ASAE recommendation 1 |
Taillights |
2 |
Red |
Symmetrically
mounted to rear between 3. 3 ' &&10 ' high from 2 ' to
5 ' on left && right of machine center |
1
mounted at each side on rear 1 |
Hazard
Flashers |
2
or more |
Amber |
3.
3 ' to 12 ' high & spaced as widely apart as practicable
to be visible from front & rear |
2
if double-faced with amber to front &red to rear. 4 if
single faced - amber on front corners & red on rear 1 |
Turn
Indicators |
2 |
Amber
& Red |
Hazard
flashers to also function as turn signals |
Not
required |
SMV
Emblem |
1 |
Fluorescent
orange for daylight & red retroreflective border for night |
On
rear center or rear left for maximum visibility of six
hundred feet 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 |
Red
on rear 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 |
1
red reflex reflector or reflective tape at rear on each
side &1 amber reflex reflector or reflective tape at front
on each side with size of reflector to be 3 square inches
or more 1 |
2 |
Yellow
on front of machine |
Conspicuity
material to better define size and to increase visibility |
Red
retro- reflectors & fluorescent markers on rear corners
6 foot apart on rear. Front: change reflector color to
yellow 2 |
Red
retro- reflective & red-orange fluorescent
Yellow retro- reflective |
Visible
to rear
All mounted as 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 |
Rotating
Beacons |
Not
Addressed |
2
yellow rotating beacons required if transporting perishable
crops |
1
between sunset &sunrise &during reduced visibility
2 for trailing equipment >16. 4 ' behind hitch point,,display
amber/yellow reflectors spaced <16. 4 ' apart on sides. .
Typical Accidents:facts and figures
For years 1994 through 1996,Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
(PA DOT)figures for farm equipment crashes show:
- 319
crashes with the highest number involving equipment moving
straight ahead and the next highest involving equipment
entering a driveway.
- Angle
collisions predominated. Rear-end crashes were second.
- Crash
numbers peaked between 3:00 and 6:00 P.M.
- Peak
months were June and November.
Ohio highway
accident data for 1989 through 1992 show similar findings:
- accidents
peaked between 3:00 and 6:00 P. M.
- sideswipe
and angle collisions predominated
- rear-end
collisions were major crash cause
PA DOT accident
records for years 1994 through 1996 show:
- 226
horse and buggy crashes - 89 rear--end and 79 angle
- Highest
number of crashes were between 2 and 6 P.M. and in December
Use of the
newly developed retroreflective material is recommended to help
prevent farm equipment and buggy accidents. County farm bureau
offices have Saf-Pak T FARM T Kits available at discounted prices.
Kits are also being marketed through farm equipment dealerships.
Animal-Drawn
Vehicle Lighting & Safety Marking
-
Upgrade the SMV emblem to the new emblem made
with the better retroreflective material that can
be detected over a mile away.
- Place
a red reflex reflector or red reflective tape
3 square
inches on vehicle rear at each side if traveling roads
at night or during periods of reduced visibility. Do
the same with amber reflex reflectors or amber reflective
tape on the front of each side of the vehicle.
- Equip
buggies with headlamps and tail lamps ,one
on each side of vehicle centerline,and with hazard
lamps, red to rear and amber to front,if you will
be on the road at night or during reduced visibility.
-
Consider safety extras such as additional retroreflective
tape in silver on the buggy and harness to increase
visibility at night and reflective horse leg wraps
to help protect your animals and you
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For
more detailed information, refer to ASAE Standard 279. 10,
Lighting and Marking of Agricultural Equipment on Highways
and ASAE S276. 5, Slow-Moving Vehicle Identification
Emblem. |
Disclaimer
and Reproduction Information: Information in NASD does not represent
NIOSH policy. Information included in NASD appears by permission
of the author and/or copyright holder. More
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