Harvest Season In Maryland Means More Heavy Farm Equipment On Rural Roads

Motorists are urged to be extremely cautious when trying to pass these vehicles.    Frederick, Md (KM) With harvest season underway in Maryland, the State Highway Administration, the Maryland Department of Agriculture and the Maryland Farm Bureau are reminding motorists who drive through rural areas to share the roads with farm equipment. “They can be slow, and sometimes they can be combines and very large hay balers. So it makes it difficult to see,” says Charlie Gischlar, SHA spokesman.Gischlar says there have been accidents involving large farm equipment. “Between 2020 and 2024, there have been more than 235 crashes involving farm equipment on Maryland Roads. So folks be careful out there this time of year,” he says.Because farm equipment  doesn’t move very fast, Gischlar urges motorists to be extremely careful when trying to pass combines, hay balers and other equipment. “Some of these are huge. So due  to the  size of these farm implements, the farmer must execute wide left turns. And if you’re unsure, check the operators’ hand signals and check the left side of the road for gates, driveways or anyplace a farm vehicle may be turning into,” he says.He also says watch for a farmer’s hand signal to let you know the road ahead is clear, and you can safely pass. “If they put their arm out to stop, that means don’t try to pass, They’re somebody coming. So pay very close attention to the hand signals of the farmers on the roadways,” he says.”Many of the farmers are cognizant that folks need to get from Point A to Point B. So it’s important to watch their hand signals. They’re trained to do that when they’re operating these large pieces of equipment,” says Gischlar.By Kevin McManus