Ag News

Drivers encouraged to use seatbelts, be patient around farm vehicles.

Recent events hosted by the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) at the Georgia National Fair on Oct. 7 and at Sunbelt Ag Expo on Oct. 15, highlighted the fact that during harvest season, there are typically more large farm vehicles and equipment on rural Georgia roads.

Officials at each event urged both motorists and farm vehicle operators to do their part to prevent potential catastrophic accidents.

At the Oct. 15 event at Sunbelt Expo, those messages were reiterated and professional NASCAR driver Ross Chastain, an eighth-generation watermelon farmer, stressed the importance of wearing seat belts. Chastain has partnered with multiple state highway safety departments in the “Use Your Melon” campaign to promote sound decision-making behind the wheel, whether you’re driving a car, a pickup or a tractor.

“It’s easy to get in and leave the show today and not wear your seatbelt,” Chastain said. “You’re busy. We’re busy. We’re tired. We’ve walked the show. Our knees hurt and we’re just ready to go home. But taking those two seconds to buckle up could be the difference in getting home and not getting home at the end of the day. That’s all we want; we want everybody to be safe.”

Chastain urged drivers to avoid driving with any kind of impairment, whether it’s being intoxicated, using a cell phone or becoming otherwise distracted.

“It’s wild now to see and hear that there are real-life implications happening out there and people are getting injured on tractors. When you get on a tractor, you never think that’s going to be the last thing that you do,” Chastain said.

The Oct. 7 gathering focused on sharing the road. GOHS Director Allen Poole noted Georgia agriculture’s economic importance, pointing out that farm production and related industries contribute $91.4 billion to the state’s overall economy and provide more than 381,000 jobs.

“Without them, we couldn’t feed Georgia, nor could we participate in feeding the rest of the country and the world,” Poole said. “So, it’s imperative that we bring awareness to this very issue – and that’s please be responsible and share the road with our friends and neighbors.”

Poole preached patience, saying the time it takes to wait for a safe time to pass a farm vehicle on the road is a rough equivalent to sitting through two traffic lights in urban areas.

Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper said 43% of traffic fatalities happen on rural roads, and over a five-year period, farm equipment was involved in more than 300 accidents and 10 fatalities.

“It’s real. It happens,” Harper said. “We know it happens and there’s a lot we can do working together to ensure that we address these issues.”

Georgia Department of Public Safety Commissioner Col. William Hitchens added that as of Oct. 7, there had been 131 crashes involving slow-moving vehicles in Georgia in 2025. Those incidents resulted in 36 people being injured and four being killed. Hitchens noted that crash data indicates that Wednesday is the day of the week with the most crashes, and the greatest percentage of the crashes happen between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., followed closely by 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.

“I’m asking Georgians to put safety first and prioritize patience when passing farm equipment,” Hitchens said. “Wait for a clear, safe time to pass, and only do so when it’s legal, and you have full visibility of what’s ahead. Never let frustration lead to a dangerous decision.”

While saying farmers want to get out of the way, Harper stressed that motorists need to give them a little extra time considering the size of many pieces of farm equipment. He asked drivers to pass with caution, avoid passing on double lines and in no-passing zones.

“Watch out for farm equipment. Obey speed limits. Park your phone and wear a seat belt to help protect our farmers,” Harper said.

 

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