2005 Year in Review

New SMV Emblems

Farmers Must Equip ALL Farm Equipment That is Operated on Illinois Public Roads with New Brighter and Longer Lasting SMV Emblems.

A state law passed over three years ago requires the use of brighter and longer lasting SMV emblems on all vehicles designed and adapted exclusively for agricultural, horticultural, and livestock operations that are operated on Illinois public roads. This law went into affect September 1, 2004. Farmers should purchase and only use SMV emblems that meet American Society of Agricultural Engineers (ASAE) standard S276.5. Look for this standard designation on the emblem. You CANNOT use an SMV emblem that meets an older version of the ASAE standard such as S276.3 or S276.4 it must have a designation on the emblem that indicates it meets ASAE standard S276.5 or higher.

These new generation emblems, American Society of Agricultural Engineers (ASAE) standard S276.5, will last much longer and are ten times brighter than previous versions. These emblems enhance the visibility of farm equipment moving on public roadways, which will in turn help reduce the risk of collision with other motorists.

Although not required by current state law, University of Illinois Extension Agricultural Safety Specialist, Dr. Robert Aherin advises farmers to take safety emblems a step farther.

While motorists frequently take note of the reflective SMV emblem, they may be unable to gauge the width of farm equipment at night, occasionally clipping the extremities on an implement.

Some new packages of safety emblems contain additional red and fluorescent orange horizontal bars. Aherin recommends farmers place these two-by-nine inch markings alternately at the rear of each implement, red to the outside, orange to the inside. Similarly sized amber reflectors should be mounted on the front and sides and as far right and left of the equipment as practical.

These markings and the new required SMV emblem are included in a FARM (Fewer Accidents with Reflective Materials) kit and are available from county Farm Bureaus, some farm equipment dealers and farm supply stores in Illinois.

The Illinois Vehicle Code requires SMV emblems on all “implements of husbandry,” in other words, all vehicles designed and adapted exclusively for agricultural, horticultural, and livestock operations.

Enhancing the visibility of agricultural equipment on public roadways is an ongoing concern for the farming community. In recent years, there have been an increased number of accidents involving farm equipment or implements of husbandry. In a seven-year study, Illinois averaged 235 to 240 accidents per year, with 100 serious injuries and six deaths each year. Because farms are getting larger, farmers must often travel farther on narrow rural roads that were constructed decades earlier. New farm equipment is larger and can extend into the opposing lane of traffic. The markings on older farm equipment can be poor or non-existent. As a result, the driving public is often unaware of the need for caution, or does not see the equipment quick enough to react appropriately. The intent of this new law is helping improve the visibility of farm equipment on Illinois public roadways. Farmers are encouraged to take other measures to increase equipment visibility such as adding additional retro-reflective markings on the extremities of their equipment and make sure they have good and adequate lighting.

Also if a farmer is operating a wide piece of equipment that takes up two lanes of traffic on a road with shoulders that will not allow them to pull over far enough to not block the left lane they should use escort vehicles. An escort vehicle should be a truck or auto that operates to the front and rear of the wide equipment and uses its flashing warning lights to warn on-coming traffic. They should be at least 500 feet to the front and rear of the equipment. Farmers can legally operate wide farm equipment on public roads but they have a duty to warn if their equipment is in the opposite lane of traffic.

by  Editor, theCity1.com
April 22, 2005