The fall harvest means increased slow-moving traffic on rural roads.
Heavy farm equipment can be a traffic hazard to the unsuspecting and inexperienced motorist.
As Eric Shangraw explains, the Woodford County Farm Bureau is trying to get young drivers to use extra caution.
Ron Underwood is harvesting his 50th crop this year. And for the next five weeks, his element of danger on the job increases exponentially. His crew makes twenty trips a day to the grain elevator. It is only a mile and a half away. But on the blacktop, other motorists rarely have patience for his slow-moving equipment.
"When they come up behind you, when you want to make a left turn, we have signals on the wagon, but they don't see them. They don't pay attention. It gets scary," said Underwood.
"For a teenager, it is probably the most fun thing you can do, is to drive. You get more freedom. And I just like to drive," said Eureka High School Freshman Kent Hinrichsen.
To add an element of fear and caution to the perceived fun, the Woodford County Farm Bureau explained the physics of car versus tractor to Eureka High School students Wednesday morning.
"If you don't pay attention enough, you might miss that a farmer is making a turn. He may be slowing down. And as they slow down you think, oh he's letting me pass. When actually the farmer is trying to make a left turn and then we have a T-bone collision and it is not a pretty sight," said Woodford County Farm Bureau Manager Jolene Neuhauser.
Deb Hodel feels like the wife a police officer this time of the year. Her husband is a farmer who's in constant danger on the road. She often follows his tractor in a pick up truck.
"They'll say why is she in the middle of the road? Well, she's trying to tell me something. I will be shaking my head. Anything to try to get them to see something out of the ordinary is going to happen," said Hodel, who spoke to students about her experiences on the road during harvest.
For any motorist in a hurry, it is tempting to dart around a slow-moving farmer. These students are learning it can be a deadly split second decision, if not executed with caution.
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