With fall harvest expected to move into full swing during the next week or two – opening with corn, then closing with soybeans around Halloween – here are some tips for drivers as they encounter slow-moving agricultural equipment and vehicles on area roads:

¢ Slow down. Top speeds for combines, tractors and trucks can be little more than 20 mph. Speeding up to pass can accelerate the chances of trouble, especially with visibility already reduced by the oversized vehicles ahead. “There’s not much room there, and it’s scary for both the combine driver and the, um, idiot,” said Bill Wood, of K-State Research and Extension. Solution: When you pull up behind a farmer, peek out and look for the farmer’s eyes in the farmer’s rear-view mirror. “If a farmer knows you’re there, then he can get over the right-hand side,” Wood said. “That’s what they do.”

¢ Don’t get dusted. Harvesting activities, especially for soybeans, can generate plenty of dust in an area, including adjacent roads. “If there’s dust blowing around, slow down – just like any other time it’s raining or it’s a snowstorm,” Wood said. “Don’t drive any faster than you can see ahead.” You don’t want to run into a vehicle that might be obscured from view.

¢ Stop means stop. Corn stalks are especially tall this year, and with prices so high people have stretched their fields to the limit. That means some intersections have reduced sight distances. “The corn’s done well this year – it’s tall; it’s beautiful – but when you pull up to an intersection, even in a big SUV, you can’t see over the top,” Wood said. Take care in venturing out from behind a stop sign. Among the main intersections to be especially careful at, he said, is North 1500 Road and Noria Road, near the East Hills Business Park.