Harvest Season Requires Special Attention From Motorists

The wheat has turned in much of the state, and although we’ve had a lot of rain the past week, harvest will soon be underway. Living in a state where farming is a staple in our economy, all travelers need to be aware of increased farm implement and farm vehicle traffic on Kansas roads in the coming weeks.

Each year around this time, troopers and other officers are called to the scene of crashes involving farm implements and other vehicles. Oftentimes, it’s a matter of another vehicle not stopping in time before striking a farm implement. These crashes can be very bad, with severe injuries, and in some unfortunate instances—fatalities. One of the main things to remember in dealing with these crashes is that many are preventable. If drivers slow down, pay attention, and keep in mind the special requirements of farm vehicles, they can keep themselves, their passengers, and the farmers safe during this year’s harvest.

Last week, we issued a press release with some important safety tips for motorists sharing the road with farmers, and because of their importance and safety benefits, please take a few moments to review these tips.

• Don’t assume the farmer knows you’re there. Most operators of farm equipment regularly check for vehicles behind them, however most of their time must be spent looking ahead to keep the equipment safely on the road and to watch for oncoming traffic. Farm vehicles are also extremely loud, often hindering the farmer’s ability to hear your vehicle.

• Pass with extreme caution. Do not pass a farm implement unless you can see clearly ahead of both your vehicle and the farm equipment you are passing. If there are any curves or hills blocking your view of oncoming traffic, wait to pass until you can clearly visualize the area you’re passing in. Another important thing to remember is that you should not pass in a designated “No Passing Zone,” even if you are stuck behind a farm vehicle. Do not pass if you are within 100 feet of any intersection, railroad grade crossing, bridge, elevated structure, or tunnel.

• Allow extra room when following farm equipment. With slow moving vehicles, a passenger vehicle can close in on the empty space much more quickly than you close in on a regular vehicle. Just because a farm vehicle pulls to the right side of the road does not mean it is turning right or allowing you to pass. Due to the size of some farm equipment, the farmer must execute wide left turns, so when following a farm implement, allow it plenty of room and time to turn, and be alert to the surroundings to see if there might be a driveway or field they are turning into.

• Be patient. Don’t assume that a farmer can move aside to let you pass. Shoulders may be soft, wet, or steep, which can cause the farm vehicle to tip, or the shoulder may not support the weight of a heavy farm vehicle. The farmer understands you are being delayed and he or she will move over for you to pass at the first safe location available.

• Think of the slow moving vehicle emblem as a warning to adjust your speed. When you see the slow moving vehicle emblem, you should immediately slow down. While the emblems are visible from a long distance away, it is often difficult to judge the speed at which you are closing in on a vehicle, especially at night.

• Pay attention. Don’t allow yourself to be distracted by the radio, cell phones, other electronic devices, or anything else while you are driving. When you are not focused on the road, you increase your chances of a collision, especially if you should come upon a slow moving farm vehicle.

• Always wear seatbelts and use child safety seats. This is the best defense against injury and death should you be involved in a motor vehicle crash.

2010 Kansas Law Enforcement Torch Run Kicks Off Special Olympics Summer Games

The 2010 Kansas Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics is underway! The Special Olympics Torch, or the Flame of Hope, has passed through many Kansas communities on its way to the 40th Annual Special Olympics Kansas Summer Games in Wichita June 4-6. Special Olympics is an international, year-round program of sports training, education, and athletic competition for more than one million children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

The Law Enforcement Torch Run is a series of statewide runs that travel throughout the state during a week-long journey, culminating in Wichita for the annual Special Olympics Kansas Summer Games. This year’s Torch Run began in all four corners of the state and ran from May 22 - June 4. Torchbearers relay the "Flame of Hope" as they travel to the Summer Games. The Law Enforcement Torch Run began in Wichita in 1981 with six runners, and has grown to an international program that involves thousands of law enforcement personnel raising millions of dollars annually to benefit Special Olympics programs in the United States and abroad. A special thanks goes to everyone who came come out and cheered on their local law enforcement officers as they passed through the streets of their communities carrying the Flame of Hope.

Multiple Kansas agencies from all levels of law enforcement have put in countless hours of preparation for the annual Torch Run. Preliminary numbers from Special Olympics Kansas indicate that several hundred law enforcement participants will have carried the torch over 1,000 miles across Kansas. The Flame was carried by runners, walkers, bicyclists, and horseback riders. Kansas Law enforcement officers volunteer hundreds of hours each year, and in 2009, raised more than $353,000 in support of Special Olympics Kansas programs. This remarkable feat was accomplished by holding numerous fundraisers, including the statewide torch run, special events (i.e. Polar Plunge, truck convoy), sponsorships, and donations.

The fundraising goal for the 2010 Kansas Law Enforcement Torch Run is $385,000.00. That goal appears within reach. Nationally, officers raised $35 million in 2009, making the Law Enforcement Torch Run the Special Olympics’ largest grass-roots fundraiser and public relations vehicle.

Please join me in recognizing the fine efforts of the many men and women in Kansas law enforcement for their efforts in supporting, and touching the lives of over 5,580 Kansas Special Olympic athletes who train and compete year-round in 22 various sporting events. Through their efforts and the partnership with Special Olympics Kansas, these athletes are given the opportunity to improve physical fitness, acquire new skills, develop lifelong friendships, and encourage widespread community understanding and acceptance.

I would also like to wish the best of luck to all athletes competing in the Special Olympics Kansas Summer Games this weekend in Wichita! Their spirit, enthusiasm, and sportsmanship is something many can learn a lesson from.

For more information on Special Olympics Kansas, go to: http://www.ksso.org/.


Do you have questions or suggestions? If so, please send them via e-mail to: KSHighwayPatrol@khp.ks.gov.

Memorial Day Holiday Activity

The Memorial Day holiday weekend marks the beginning of the summer travel season for people across the nation. Last weekend, the Patrol and other law enforcement personnel from throughout the state worked to help ensure motorists reached their destinations safely. The Patrol’s preliminary figures from the holiday weekend activity are in, and for the Memorial Day 2010 holiday reporting period (6:00 p.m. Fri., May 28 until 11:59 p.m. Mon., May 31), the Patrol worked no fatality crashes on Kansas roads.

Over the holiday, troopers reported the following:
• Total Fatal Crashes 0
• Total Fatalities 0
• DUI-Related Crashes 4
• DUI-Related Fatalities 0
• DUI Arrests 43
• Speed Citations 1,336
• Speed Warnings 1,387
• Adult Seatbelt Citations 154
• Adult Seatbelt Warnings 104
• Teen Seatbelt Citations 7
• Teen Seatbelt Warnings 0
• Child Restraint Citations 57
• Child Restraint Warnings 8
• Motorists Assisted 1,280
This is KHP data only, not results for all law enforcement in the state.

Also during the holiday weekend, members of the Patrol participated in the Special Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP), sponsored by KDOT. The Memorial Day STEP campaign is the Click It or Ticket mobilization, with the principal focus being adult and teen seatbelt use, and child restraint. STEP campaigns are conducted during high-volume travel holidays in an effort to help reduce the number of impaired drivers on the roads, encourage safety restraint use, and promote safe driving habits.