MALDEN, MO (WSIL) -- Being safe on the roads is a big topic.
You see it on the highways. The Department of Transportation signs read "SOBER DRIVERS ARE THE REAL MVP" - a sign in Missouri.
But how about staying patient and cautious when driving among farmers?
Farmers are driving to and from fields and tending to crops.
There are dangers they face being on roadways and most of them aren't from the occasional sign, tells one farmer.
"One of the other issues that we have is getting to and from the fields. People don't want to pull over or give us the time to get across the bridge or around a road sign or something , so that adds hardship to our daily functions on the farm, too."
Brandon Shelton is the owner of Shelton Farms in Malden, Missouri.
He tells News 3 he has had his fair share of close calls while trying to get from one crop to the next.
He also says there isn't a farmer he knows that hasn't had at least one close call when it comes to other drivers.
Shelton says speed is a factor.
"They need to slow down and be patient."
He adds it is difficult if there is a car behind him as he is driving farming equipment on the roadway and a car is trying to weave around him, meanwhile he is trying to veer to the left to avoid a street sign.
Shelton has noticed an uptick in farm equipment versus vehicles through the years.
He hopes the solution is awareness and to follow the rules of the road.
"Talk to a farmer. Get to see what they go through. You will understand the pain they go through trying to get back."
News 3 reporter Emily Pike tried the tractor out for herself.
"It was very hard to manage. I drove it in a circle and even breaking takes effort. I can't imagine what it's like for farmers when a car pulls out in front of them or they have to correct!"
Says Pike.
"Plus when people are always in a rush, they don't think of the actions impacting us on the roads." explains Shelton.
Overall, Shelton suggests that you :
-Look before you pull out on the roads
-Don't tailgate. Farmers have a lot of blind spots when it comes to farming equipment.
-Never assume a farmer can see you while behind them or to the side of you.
-Understand that farmers can't simply pull off to the side. "We are up from dusk until dawn trying to make sure crops get taking care of."
