It’s harvest season, and that means local farmers are hard at work. The Franklin County Extension, Franklin County Farm-City Committee, Women’s Leadership Committee and Franklin County Farmers Federation are joining forces to encourage extra safety as tractors join the roadways in greater numbers.

Slow-moving vehicles should be identified by an orange triangle on the back of the machine, meaning it’s designed to travel at 25 miles per hour or less. According to the Farmers Federation, it only takes five seconds for a car moving 55 miles per hour to close a gap the length of a football field with a tractor moving 15 miles per hour.

Safety tips for drivers include:

SMV signs have been in use since 1971; yet, many motorists do not know that the reflective triangle means the vehicle they are approaching is not capable of going any faster than 25 miles per hour. Many times, the vehicle will be moving even slower than that.

Motorists will find SMV signs on farm tractors and other farm equipment, such as combines, harvesters, wagons and more and on road equipment.

Alabama law requires that the triangular red-and-orange SMV sign be affixed to all farm tractors, self-propelled farm equipment or any other vehicle designed for speeds of 25 miles per hour or less whenever it travels any highway in the state. The sign is restricted to such vehicles; its use on any other type of vehicle or stationary object is prohibited.

If the slow-moving vehicle is towing an implement, trailer or wagon, the SMV sign must be displayed from the rear of the towed unit, not less than three feet nor more than five feet above the ground, measuring to the lowest portion of the device and as near the center of the vehicle, implement or mobile equipment as practicable.

Alabama law recognizes the right of farm tractors and other farm machinery to use public roadways and does not require slow-moving vehicles to pull to the shoulder.