FACTS
- Tractors and other slow-moving self-propelled farm equipment to transfer goods from the farm to a market or distributer. Increased roadway exposure has led to a growing concern on the occurrence of farm equipment crashes.
- State and local governments maintain the roadways and the lighting fixtures on them. If a roadway lighting failure causes an accident, the injured plaintiffs must file a claim against the government agency responsible for the road’s maintenance.
- Trucking companies have a duty of care to the public to ensure their drivers have the appropriate licenses and skill to operate their trucks. They must also ensure those trucks are safe to drive, and lighting is an important part of this.
- Reflectors and reflective tape help other drivers notice trucks on the road at night. Depending on the location, the color of the truck, and the available light in the area, a truck and its trailer can be extremely difficult to discern at night.
STATS
- About 335,000 farm deaths are reported worldwide every year, according to the International Labour Organization.
- Dangerous pieces of farm equipment include choppers and hay bailers. The silos and grain bins are hazardous places for farm workers, although they claim a tenth of the number of victims as tractors. Farm workers have been suffocated and crushed with the weight of grain in these accidents.
- Farm machinery accidents are often terrible and grisly by their nature. In some cases, the farm owners or operators fail to provide safe working conditions. Tractors may be poorly maintained or lack lights. Workers often lack the correct safety equipment.
- Farm workers are young or they may be poorly paid, undocumented immigrants. According to Farm Bureau Georgia, as many as one in seven workers are employed in agriculture in the Peach State.
- Agriculture puts more than $73 billion into the economy of Georgia every year. The state has more than 42,000 farms.