Illinois GOP Congressman Seeks Farm Equipment Safety Standards

Illinois Congressman Aaron Schock says he wants to improve the safety of rural roads by standardizing lights and markings on farm equipment that travel on public streets.

The Peoria Republican says legislation he proposed last week would ensure the lights and markings on new machinery have been scientifically proven as effective in warning other drivers.

Schock says 55 percent of all traffic fatalities occur on rural, two-lane roads where agricultural equipment is moved from field to field at dawn or dusk.

University of Illinois Extension safety specialist Bob Aherin agrees that safety is an issue when it comes to farm machinery on rural roads. He says there is an average of about 200 crashes a year with motorists and farm equipment in Illinois.