Rural Roads Safety Week is officially observed every spring to remind drivers to be cautious and patient when they encounter farm vehicles on roads in planting season.

But autumn is another hectic time as farmers drive trucks, tractors and large equipment to the fields to harvest crops.

The Butler County Farm Bureau and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, which promote Rural Roads Safety Week, are asking drivers to use caution and patience now because farmers are in the midst of harvest season.

“People need to slow down when they see farm equipment on the road. It’s a busy time of year right now,” said Evelyn Minteer, farm bureau information director. “They’re harvesting corn and soybeans. They use big tractor trailers to carry shelled corn to grain bins and soybeans to storage.”

Farm equipment has slow moving vehicle placards, orange triangles with red borders, attached as warnings for motorists to slow down.

“It’s a slow moving vehicle making a trip to a farm. It may be just going from the farm to another field,” Minteer said.

Farm vehicles are primarily designed for use in fields and have top speeds of only 15-25 mph, but they are allowed on roads, according to the farm bureau.

SMV placards must be visible from 500 feet away to give faster traveling traffic enough space to slow down.

Some farm vehicles are wider than a traffic lane and have to be pulled to the right side of a road to execute a left turn.

Farmers try to let motorists see past their vehicles or pass them by driving on the shoulders of paved roads, but they can’t if the shoulder is wet, soft or steep because those conditions can cause a tractor to tip over, said Larry Voll, farm bureau president.

Mailboxes along shoulders can also prevent a farmer from accommodating traffic, Minteer said.

Drivers can pass a farm vehicle on a two-lane road, but only in passing zones with broken yellow center lines.

“You can’t pass on a double yellow line. You must pass in a passing zone. Traffic rules apply,” said Deborah Casadei, PennDOT spokesman. “That’s a large, slow-moving piece of equipment. We need people to slow down when they see that placard.”

Following too closely behind a farm vehicle and then trying to pass can be dangerous because drivers can’t see oncoming traffic and the farm vehicle could turn left across the road.

“People passing when equipment is trying to turn left can lead to an accident. Plus they get right up behind the piece of equipment and they can’t see around them a lot of times. Leave extra space and allow them to make turns and be cautious when passing and only pass when its safe to do so,” Casadei said.

“All you have to do is be patient for a few minutes,” she added. “Agriculture is one of the top industries and employers in state. There’ a lot of farms in Pennsylvania. Being patient is the key.”

Minteer, a farmer, said most motorists seem to understand. “I’ve been driving tractors since I was 6 years old. Most people are patient. We’re not driving long distances,” she said.

Casadei said patience could be more important now because there is less daylight than in the spring.