Accidents involving crashes and/or rollovers of farm equipment are relatively common on-the-job, and unfortunately, many of these accidents can result in serious injury or death. According to one study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the farming industry has the third-highest crash fatality rate among American industries, and tractor rollover accidents account for about one-third of fatalities among farmworkers.
The driving of large farm equipment on highways is increasing, for reasons such as higher-speed equipment and general lack of regulations, and these accidents can be quite severe due to the vehicles’ size and closer proximity to higher-speed rural roads and highways. According to the Department of Agriculture:
- Crash fatality rates in more rural counties can be as much as double the rate in more urban counties;
- Accidents in rural areas are typically more severe and likely to be fatal than accidents in urban areas;
- Traffic accidents involving farm equipment commonly involve higher-speed motor vehicles and slower-speed tractors, often with railing equipment;
- Operators of farm vehicles are significantly more likely to lose their lives in a motor vehicle accident than the passengers of the motor vehicle.
Accidents involving equipment-rollovers are also especially dangerous due to a common lack of rollover protection structures (ROPS) on older tractors: an estimated 50% of the nearly 5-million tractors used in the U.S. today do not have ROPS structures or even seat belts. Rollover accidents are especially common when:
- Turning curves, using brakes, or shifting gears;
- Working near steep slopes, embankments, or edges of roads;
- Loading or unloading machines onto or off of trailers;
- Compacting soil due to the risk of softer areas collapsing under the equipment’s weight.
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