KY Legislature to Debate Oversized Farm Implement Escort Requirements

When the Kentucky legislature returns in January for its 2012 session, one topic on lawmakers’ plates will be whether to exempt oversized farm implements from the vehicle escort requirements. The KY Transportation Cabinet, concerned about highway safety when farmers move large farm equipment on Kentucky roadways, currently requires items wider than 12 feet to be accompanied by a front and rear escort vehicle. 

Many members of the farming community oppose the requirements, arguing that the large farm equipment is typically only on the roads for a short period of time, and that the costs are an undue burden placed on the farmers. 

However, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is so concerned about the farmers’ safety, and that of others sharing the roads, that in August 2010 officials issued an emergency regulation that beefed up the escort requirements. They proposed the front escort have mounted flashing lights, a top-mounted “oversize load” sign and identification signs showing the name of the pilot car escort business and the state of business operation on both sides of the vehicles. This regulation expired and was never implemented. 

According to “Issues Confronting the 2012 Kentucky General Assembly” issued by the Legislative Research Commission, there were 194 collisions involving tractors and other farm equipment on Kentucky roadways in 2010. This is in comparison to 8,564 collisions involving trucks weighing greater than 6,000 pounds. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that agriculture ranks among the most hazardous industries, and farmers are at a very high risk for fatal and nonfatal injuries.The CDC reports that in the U.S. in 2009, 440 farmers and farm workers died from work-related injuries for a fatality rate of 24.7 deaths per 100,000 workers. Further, of the leading causes of fatal injuries to youth on U.S. farms, 23% percent involved machinery, including tractors, and 19% involved motor vehicles. In a 2004 study, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health found that roadway crashes were the leading cause of occupational fatalities in the U.S.,making up 22% of all workplace deaths. 

A Purdue University safety expert, Bill Field, says producers should take extra efforts to guard against accidents on the roads. Field said that farmers can protect themselves by making sure their equipment is in good working condition and that all lights, tires and brakes are checked often. 

Farming is a critical industry to the state of Kentucky. In September, Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer announced that Kentucky farm cash receipts totaled more than $4.44 billion in 2010, a 2.2 percent increase over the adjusted 2009 total of $4.34 billion and the third-highest total on record. 

Our Kentucky transportation accident lawyers encourage our farmers to do what it takes to be visible when traveling our KY highways. In addition, we urge the General Assembly to weigh all options when determining whether to exempt farm vehicles from vehicle escort requirements.