The Tractor Factor

This photo was in our local paper recently.  Fortunately, and incredibly, the driver saw it coming, quickly slipped over to the passenger side and got out of the car.  Amazing.

This incident came as no surprise to me.  The thing that surprises me is that it doesn't happen more often. Farm tractors on public roads is common here . . . and everywhere else.   And it's perfectly legal.

You may have heard me tell this story . . . a few years ago I encountered a farm truck, like the one above, on Tech Drive.  I was so shocked that I immediately dialed 911 only to be further shocked by their response . . . it's perfectly legal.

And you may have heard me tell this one . . . when I called 911 on my way to work one day in El Dorado because there was a boy in the back of a pickup truck on a 4-lane highway . . . only to find out that's perfectly legal too.  Shocking.  It's not okay to ride in the cab without a seatbelt, but no problem flailing around in the bed of the truck.

I couldn't believe it so I looked it up myself and, at that time, Arkansas had no law prohibiting riding in the back of a pickup truck.  Maybe that has changed.  Hopefully.  

However, in Louisiana . . . be at least 12 years old and you can be hauled anywhere but on the interstate. Flail around all you want on any 4-lane highway as long as your 12. Just not on I-20.

I try to picture myself sitting around the table when these rules were pondered.  Hmmmm . . . how far do we really want to go with this safety thing?

So back to the farm tractor . . .

In Texas, there's a whole set of rules and it is sooooo worth reading.  I've also put a link below for your reading pleasure.

Here are just a few of the "gems" within this legal Texas document for operating a farm tractor.

"use a turn indicator or hand signal when changing lanes"

"equip the tractor with turn signals if driving after dark"
"all Texas traffic laws apply to tractor operators using public roads even though a driver’s license is not required"

Unbelievable, right?  Don't worry about a license to drive and stick your arm out the window to turn, but not when you're farming on the highway at night.

Jim and I have sold both our cars and will have to buy at least one car when we move back to the States. I'm thinking farm tractor.  Jim's always wanted a garden.  As long as we stay off the interstate, we won't need a license, we'll save on insurance, and we both have arms for turning.

Farm Tractor Road Safety