NEWS RELEASE

For further information please contact: Capt. J. Tim Hull
(573) 526-6115
Q3088
March 26, 2008
EMPHASIS: Seat Belts Protect Farmers, Too!

Seat belts save lives. It takes three seconds to buckle your seat belt. But, taking those few seconds to protect yourself is the smart thing to do. Operating farm machinery is serious business that comes with a certain amount of risk, especially on a highway.

Missouri has a proud agricultural tradition. Agriculture has been Missouri’s leading industry since 1725, when the first farms were established in the Ste. Genevieve area. The statue adorning the dome of Missouri’s capitol is that of Ceres, goddess of growing vegetation. Farming and our farmers are important, which makes farm safety a priority.

Whether you are working your fields, crossing the road between fields, or traveling down the highway, use the seat belt available on your tractor, combine, other farm implement, or your pickup truck. The Missouri State Highway Patrol investigates hundreds of traffic crashes each year involving farm tractors and similar machinery. If you are in a crash involving farm machinery you could be seriously injured or killed. Wearing a seat belt could save your life!

Let’s put it into perspective using physics. Even at a slow speed, multiplying the speed of your vehicle by your body weight will give you the approximate pounds of force exerted in a crash. Regarding a farmer who is unrestrained when driving an implement: In a crash, his body would strike the steering wheel, the implement itself, or the ground with this amount of force!

Drivers of farm machinery are no different from drivers in any other group -- there are good ones and careless ones. Every driver, no matter what group, must comply with safety rules, obey traffic laws, exercise common sense, and practice courtesy to ensure his chances of driving and living are the best. As the agricultural season begins, remember to include safety in your list of “to dos”. Whether you are driving a pickup truck or a piece of farm machinery -- buckle up!

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