A Word To The Wise When Driving On Rural Iowa Roads

We're coming up on one of the most active times of the year across the country, harvest time.  Farmers have been fine tuning their equipment making sure everything is ready for the big haul, while the rest of us have been watching the crops grow taller.  Of course, that brings on bigger concerns, especially at rural intersections.
With taller crops, there's been a major loss of visibility with crops obstructing views along rural roads.  This is especially true at intersections and railroad crossings. I know myself, having almost gotten in an accident taking back roads the other day. For this time of year, unfortunately, that's not uncommon.

Last year, the Linn County Secondary Road Department stepped up safety measures.  After looking over uncontrolled 4-way intersections where speed limits exceed 55 mph, they placed 19 stop signs.

“We made an investment in safety by installing the stop signs, and our rural intersections are now better controlled, but caution is still necessary because of obstructed views due to crops. We’re reminding drivers to be extra careful at intersections this time of year.”

       ~Ben Merta, Linn County secondary road superintendent. 

 

As a general reminder, we urge you to take extra care when driving on crop surrounded roads this season, especially if you come to an uncontrolled intersection. Make sure you do a double check before entering the intersection.  We want to make sure you stay safe.

[VIA Linn County Engineer]

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