39 Follow us on @PrairieFarming Better Farming | November/December 2024 doors were left. Luckily, the driver leaned over as the horse went through and survived. I didn’t hear about the horse. Where to aim I learned this lesson too late for deer No. 3 or 4. The deer was crossing the highway in front of me, going from right to left. I wasn’t going too fast, and I saw that there was no oncoming traffic, so I swerved left to avoid it. Wrong! A customer told me a while later that if an animal is crossing in front of you, aim for its butt. Hopefully, the animal will continue on its route, and by the time you get to where the butt was, it will be safely across the road. Of course, if the animal changes its mind and turns around, you are out of luck. Other hazards Snowbanks: Snowbanks are light and fluffy, and very picturesque, right? Not always. If you are the first person on the road after a hard blow, or if you are taking that seldom-used back trail, those snowbanks could be as hard as concrete and launch you into the air, causing tens of thousands of dollars of damage. If it’s a well-travelled road and it’s been plowed in the last hour or two, those snowbanks should be fairly soft. However, even a high snowbank that is soft can cause a lot of damage if you hit it fast. If in doubt, go slowly into the snowbank and then proceed with caution. But if you go too slow, you will likely be stuck. Isn’t winter driving fun? Debris on the road: What’s that on the road ahead? A box? A bag? A rock? A box with a rock in it? Avoid hitting objects on the road, but always check oncoming traffic and your surroundings. It might be safer to hit whatever it is than to dodge it and cause a wreck. Traffic entering the road: Always watch for traffic entering from side roads. Watch to see if they're going to stop. Make sure you know who has the right of way. Maybe you are supposed to stop. If you are going down the highway and a vehicle is coming up to the highway, put your foot over the brake pedal and be ready to stop if needed. If a vehicle is waiting at a stop sign, watch its front wheel. If the front wheel starts to turn, be careful! It’s easier to see the wheel moving than it is to see the whole vehicle moving. Also, make eye contact with the driver of an approaching vehicle. Is he looking at you? Or is he looking at his mobile phone or messing with something that takes his eyes off driving? Blind spots: In the old days, before they invented windshields and roofs for vehicles, you didn’t have to worry about things blocking your vision. However, now with all these modern conveniences, we are blessed with blind spots. Mirrors, windshield pillars, all the junk hanging on the rear-view mirror, stickers on your windshield – all these things will block your vision. At times, an approaching vehicle will perfectly hide in your blind spot if the speed is exactly right. Just the other day, the right windshield pillar hid an oncoming truck from my right side. I saw it when I leaned ahead to check the blind spot. When approaching an intersection, make sure to look around for any blind spots in your vehicle. Newer vehicles have larger windshield pillars and mirrors that can hide another vehicle very well. If possible, raise the driver’s seat a bit. This helps on some vehicles. Slow down! If your vehicle is not moving, you will likely not hit anything. However, if you are going 100 m.p.h. (161 km/h), your chances of hitting things are much greater. The key is to find a safe speed for the driving conditions. Tractors, Trucks & Growing Grain WWW.GLENGARRY.CA Let's make it work. We'll help you get there. Maybe the weather didn’t cooperate. Maybe your plans changed. Maybe your partner wants out, or the kids want in. Whatever it is, it’s called farming. When others can’t see it… we do.
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