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With developments inching closer to agricultural areas, and county roads growing busier than ever, local farmers are increasingly witnessing risky behaviour on rural roads — such as not leaving enough room for or trying to overtake agricultural traffic, according to the president of the Brant County Federation of Agriculture.

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Mark Eddy, a local cattle and cash crop farmer, told The Spectator he’s seen motorists do whatever they can to get around his slower moving farm equipment — including passing into quickly approaching oncoming traffic.

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“It’s dangerous every time you go out on the road with a tractor,” he said.

It’s not just something Eddy has faced. He said talk around the BCFA board table of late frequently revolves around how to make rural road travel safer — for all users.

“As the county gets more populated, there’s definitely more traffic on the road and people are travelling faster all the time,” he said.

As more land is developed, farmers are travelling further to expand and keep their operations viable, Eddy said, and coexisting safely on the roads will continue to be vital for agricultural businesses and motorists.

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Some farm tractors are without turn signals, have reduced visibility, and are unable to stop quickly, Eddy said.

When a motorist pulls a risky move, like trying to overtake a tractor turning left — something Eddy said happens to farmers regularly — they might not be aware of the danger they’re putting themselves in.

In the OPP’s West Region, there were 594 recorded collisions involving farm vehicles over the last six years.

Based on OPP data, there were 92 collisions in 2023, up from 89 in 2022 and down from 103 the year before that. In 2020 there were 95 collisions, preceded by 116 in 2019 and 99 in 2018.

However, Eddy said he — and other farmers — have witnessed many near-crashes.

The BCFA hopes to collaborate with the county and the Ontario Federation of Agriculture on signage to help spread awareness in highly agricultural areas in Brant County, and beyond.

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In the meantime, Eddy said that motorists can help by slowing down, staying patient, and knowing that many farmers pull to the side of the road to let traffic overtake them, “when it’s safe,” he said.

“You might be three minutes later than you could have been if you had taken some chances, but at least you’ll get there,” Eddy said.

The OPP recommends motorists in rural areas be aware of:

• -Slow-moving vehicles: Farm vehicles will often be travelling below posted speed limits.
• -Visibility challenges: Large farm vehicles may have — and create — visibility challenges, particularly at intersections and when changing lanes.
• -Wide turns: Due to the size of many agricultural vehicles, ample space is often required when turning.
• -Unpredictable movements: It may be difficult to anticipate the movements of farm vehicles, requiring other drivers to be particularly vigilant.
• -Signal awareness: As some farm vehicles are without turn signals, drivers should pay attention to hand signals an operator may make to communicate their movements.
• To ensure safety for all vehicles on rural roads, the OPP said they urge drivers to be patient, maintain a safe distance and pass safely, when the way is clear.

Celeste Percy-Beauregard is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter based at the Hamilton Spectator. The initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.

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