Farm vehicles (FVs) are not primarily designed for road transportation purposes, but often need to share the roads with other motorists. The interference of these large, slow-moving vehicles with the regular traffic can lead to hazardous situations and cause severe crashes. Farm Vehicle Crashes (FVCs) are rare compared to the total number of road crashes, and hence, have been neglected by many. This has been reflected in various aspects including data collection, education, legislation, and prevention. The number of FVCs in the U.S. has been steady over the last decade. This paper conducts a literature review to put forth a better understanding of this safety issue from a transportation standpoint. The main goal of this study is to identify the characteristics of FVCs, the unique contributing factors in FVCs, and possible strategies to mitigate the issues involved. It appears that despite their lower frequency, the rate of severe injuries and fatalities in FVCs is significantly higher than the average for all crashes. The percentage of fatal crashes in FVCs can be nearly five times higher than average for all road crashes. Further, it is estimated that FVs are overrepresented in road crashes considering their low exposure on the roads. The crash contributing factors including time- dependent variables, weather and road surface conditions, location, road classification, manner of collision, and driver’s characteristics are discussed based on the result of multiple studies in different states of the U.S. Several unique characteristics of FVCs distinct them from non-farm vehicle crashes which can result from the characteristics of FVs, rural roads, and the nature of farming tasks. Improvements in lighting and marking, equipping farm vehicles with Rollover Protective Structure (ROPS) and seatbelts, educating the public and farmers, and roadway improvements are recommended as potential safety improvement strategies for mitigating the frequency and severity of FVCs.
United States Department of Agriculture (2019) 2017 Census of Agriculture: Summary and State Data. Geographic Area Series AC-17-A-51, United States Department of Agriculture, Washington DC.
National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) (2004) National Agricultural Tractor Safety Initiative. National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health, Washington DC. https://nasdonline.org/static_content/documents/1906/d001837.pdf
Glascock, L.A., Bean, T.L., Wood, R.K., Carpenter, T.G. and Holmes, R.G. (1995) A Summary of Roadway Accidents Involving Agricultural Machinery. Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health, 1, 93-104. https://doi.org/10.13031/2013.19457
Greenan, M., Toussaint, M., Peek-Asa, C., Rohlman, D. and Ramirez, M.R. (2016) The Effects of Roadway Characteristics on Farm Equipment Crashes: A Geographic Information Systems Approach. Injury Epidemiology, 3, Article No. 31. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40621-016-0096-1
Maryland Soybean Board (2019) Maryland Rural Road Safety Study: An Analysis of Farm Vehicle/Farm Equipment-Related Accidents in the State of Maryland. Maryland Soybean Board, Salisbury. https://www.mdsoy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/MD-Rural-Road-Safety-Study.pdf
The Committee on Agricultural Safety and Health Research and Extension (2009) Agricultural Equipment on Public Roads. National Ag Safety Database. https://nasdonline.org/2065/d001906/agricultural-equipment-on-public-roads.html
Harland, K.K., Greenan, M. and Ramirez, M. (2014) Not Just a Rural Occurrence: Differences in Agricultural Equipment Crash Characteristics by Rural-Urban Crash Site and Proximity to Town. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 70, 8-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2014.02.013
Costello, T.M., Schulman, M.D. and Luginbuhl, R.C. (2003) Understanding the Public Health Impacts of Farm Vehicle Public Road Crashes in North Carolina. Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health, 9, 19-32. https://doi.org/10.13031/2013.12347
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (2017) Traffic Safety Facts 2017. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington DC.
Hanna, H.M., Schwab, C.V., Lehtola, C.J. and Steffen, R.W. (1997) Evaluation of Tractor and Grain Wagon Safety Marking at Selected Commercial Iowa Grain Elevators. Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health, 3, 91. https://doi.org/10.13031/2013.17749
Jaarsma, C.F. and de Vries, J.R. (2014) Agricultural Vehicles and Rural Road Safety: Tackling a Persistent Problem. Traffic Injury Prevention, 15, 94-101. https://doi.org/10.1080/15389588.2013.789135
Scott, E., Hirabayashi, L., Jones, N., Krupa, N. and Jenkins, P. (2019) Characteristics of Agriculture Related Motor Vehicle Crashes in Rural New York State. Journal of agromedicine, 25, 173-178. https://doi.org/10.1080/1059924X.2019.1623143
Johansson, R. (2009) Vision Zero—Implementing a Policy for Traffic Safety. Safety Science, 47, 826-831. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2008.10.023
Ecola, L., Popper, S.W., Silberglitt, R. and Fraade-Blanar, L. (2018) The Road to Zero: A Vision for Achieving Zero Roadway Deaths by 2050. RAND Corporation, Santa Monica. http://www.rand.org/t/RR2333
Volpe, J.A. (1971) Agricultural Tractor Safety on Public Roads and Farms: A Report to the Congress. Report No. 20402. United States Department of Transportation, Washington DC.
Runyan, J.L. (1993) A Review of Farm Accident Data Sources and Research. US Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, Washington DC.
Gerberich, S.G., Robertson, L.S., Gibson, R.W. and Renier, C.B.S. (1996) An Epidemiological Study of Roadway Fatalities Related to Farm Vehicles: United States, 1988 to 1993. Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, 38, 1135-1140. https://doi.org/10.1097/00043764-199611000-00013
Peek-Asa, C., Sprince, N.L., Whitten, P.S., Falb, S.R., Madsen, M.D. and Zwerling, C. (2007) Characteristics of Crashes With Farm Equipment That Increase Potential for Injury. The Journal of Rural Health, 23, 339-347. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-0361.2007.00112.x
Zhang, X., Yang, Y., Chen, Y., Yao, H., Wu, M., Cui, M., et al. (2017) Road Traffic Crashes among Farm Vehicle Drivers in Southern China: A Cross-Sectional Survey. Traffic Injury Prevention, 18, 83-87. https://doi.org/10.1080/15389588.2016.1190840
Lacy, J.K., Hunter, W. and Huang, H. (2003) Study of Farm Vehicle Crashes in North Carolina. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1840, 178-185. https://doi.org/10.3141%2F1840-20 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.3141/1840-20
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (2018) FARS Encyclopedia. https://www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov/Vehicles/VehiclesAllVehicles.aspx
Karimi, K. and Faghri, A. (2021) Study of Farm Vehicle Crashes in Delaware. Delaware Center for Transportation, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA.
Gkritza, K., Kinzenbaw, C.R., Hallmark, S. and Hawkins, N. (2010) An Empirical Analysis of Farm Vehicle Crash Injury Severities on Iowa’s Public Road System. Accident: Analysis and Prevention, 42, 1392-1397. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2010.03.003
Iowa Department of Transportation (2015) Spring Is Here—Share the Road with Farm Equipment. https://www.transportationmatters.iowadot.gov/2015/04/spring-is-here-share-the-road-with-farm-equipment.html
Hughes, R. and Rodgman, E. (2000) Crashes Involving Farm Tractors and Other Farm Vehicles/Equipment in North Carolina 1995-1999. University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center, Chapel Hill. https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/4790
Pinzke, S., Nilsson, K. and Lundqvist, P. (2014) Farm Tractors on Swedish Public Roads—Age-Related Perspectives on Police Reported Incidents and Injuries. Work, 49, 39-49. https://doi.org/10.3233/WOR-131767
Costello, T.M., Schulman, M.D. and Mitchell, R.E. (2005) Risk Factors for a Farm Vehicle Public Road Crash. Psychology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh. https://repository.lib.ncsu.edu/bitstream/handle/1840.16/3424/etd.pdf?sequence=1
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) (2020) Agricultural Safety. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/aginjury/default.html
Houshyar, E. and Houshyar, M. (2018) Tractor Safety and Related Injuries in Iranian Farms. Safety Science, 103, 88-93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2017.11.018
Myers, M.L., Cole, H.P. and Westneat, S.C. (2009) Injury Severity Related to Overturn Characteristics of Tractors. Journal of Safety Research, 40, 165-170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2009.02.007
Abubakar, M., Ahmad, D. and Akande, F.B. (2010) A Review of Farm Tractor Overturning Accidents and Safety. Pertanika Journal of Science and Technology, 18, 377-385.
Lehtola, C.J. (1992) An Investigation of Tractor-Related Farm Accidents in Iowa during 1988-1990. Retrospective Theses, Iowa State University, Ames. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd/10326
Karsky, T. and Jaussi, A.K. (1998) Highway Transport of Agricultural Equipment: Preventing Public Road Accidents. https://research.wsulibs.wsu.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/2376/7180/pnw512e.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Murphy, D.J., Myers, J., McKenzie, E.A., Cavaletto, R., May, J. and Sorensen, J. (2010) Tractors and Rollover Protection in the United States. Journal of Agromedicine, 15, 249-263. https://doi.org/10.1080/1059924X.2010.484309
Cole, H.P., Lehtola, C.J., Thomas, S.R. and Hadley, M. (2000) Facts about Tractor/Motor Vehicle Collisions. University of Florida, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering. https://nasdonline.org/static_content/documents/1010/TMVC%20doc.pdf
Cole, H.P., Piercy, L.R., Heinz, K.L., Westneat, S.C., Arrowsmith, H.E. and Raymond, K.M. (2009) Safety Status of Farm Tractors That Operate on Public Highways in Four Rural Kentucky Counties. Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health, 15, 207-223. https://doi.org/10.13031/2013.27406
Quiros, L. and Shaver, B. (2003) Rural Road Links: A Review on Current Research Projects & Initiatives Aimed at Reducing Vehicle Crash Fatalities on Rural Roads. University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley. https://escholarship.org/content/qt7280d52g/qt7280d52g.pdf
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) (2005) AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan: A Comprehensive Plan to Substantially Reduce Vehicle-Related Fatalities and Injuries on the Nation’s Highways. AASHTO, USA.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (2019) Rural/Urban Comparison of Traffic Fatalities. DOT HS 812741, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington DC. https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/
Lord, D., Brewer, M.A., Fitzpatrick, K., Geedipally, S.R. and Peng, Y. (2011) Analysis of Roadway Departure Crashes on Two-Lane Rural Roads in Texas. http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-6031-1.pdf
Deng, Z., Ivan, J.N. and Garder, P. (2006) Analysis of Factors Affecting the Severity of Head-On Crashes. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1953, 137-146. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0361198106195300116
Preston, H. and Schoenecker, T. (1999) Safety Impacts of Street Lighting at Isolated Rural Intersections. Brown Reynolds Watford Architects, Inc., Minneapolis. https://www.lrrb.org/pdf/199917.pdf
Bonifas, C. (2020) Rural Connections: Challenges and Opportunities in America’s Heartland. A National Transportation Research Nonprofit. National Transportation Research Nonprofit, Washington DC.
Hughes, W.E. (1995) Investigation of Crashes with Animals. FHWA-RD-94-156, Federal Highway Administration, Research and Development, Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center, McLean. https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/humanfac/94156.cfm
Whitford, F. and Lester, D. (2011) Farm Truck Accidents: Considering Your Liability Management Options (PPP-91). Purdue University, West Lafayette.
Luginbuhl, R.C., Jones, V.C. and Langley, R.L. (2003) Farmers’ Perceptions and Concerns: The Risks of Driving Farm Vehicles on Rural Roadways in North Carolina. Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health, 9, 327-348. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ricky_Langley/publication/ 8955444_Farmersa_Perceptions_and_Concerns_The_Risks_of_Driving_Farm_ Vehicles_on_Rural_Roadways_in_North_Carolina/links/561d63e408aecade1acb3bda.pdf https://doi.org/10.13031/2013.15461
Finkel, E., McCormick, C., Mitman, M., Abel, S. and Clark, J. (2020) Integrating the Safe System Approach with the Highway Safety Improvement Program. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Washington DC. https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/hsip/docs/fhwasa2018.pdf
Jaarsma, C.F., Botma, H. and Beunen, R. (2005) Passing Bays for Slow Moving Vehicles on Rural Two-Lane Roads. Transport Reviews, 25, 491-509. https://doi.org/10.1080/01441640500038805
ASABE (American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers) (2019) ASABE Publishes Standards for Highway Marking of Ag Equipment. American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, St. Joseph. https://www.asabe.org/News-Detail/asabe-publishes-revised-standards-for-highway-marking-of-tractors
Reynolds, S.J. and Groves, W. (2000) Effectiveness of Roll-Over Protective Structures in Reducing Farm Tractor Fatalities. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 18, 63-69. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0749-3797(00)00142-2