Tractors rolled down South Main Street in Red Lion on May 2. Several agriculture students drove tractors to school to promote rural road safety. (Daily Record/Sunday News - Bil Bowden)

Kyle Miller is one teen driver who understands the importance of driving safely.

The Red Lion Area Senior High School student hopes more drivers will be aware that a slow-moving tractor could be around the next curve.

Kyle, 17, and several other agriculture students drove tractors to school recently to promote safety on rural roads.

Gov. Ed Rendell addressed the issue and said farmers and drivers need to share the responsibility of keeping rural roads safe so that production of agriculture can continue to thrive in Pennsylvania.

Kyle, who lives on a farm that grows oats, barley, corn, wheat and hay in Chanceford Township, said farmers across the county have started planting crops and sometimes need to share the road with drivers.

Drivers need to be careful and patient with the farmers so that everyone remains safe, he said.

"It's really important," said Kyle, who is also the president of the Red Lion Area FFA. "Some people don't respect . . . we're trying to do our job, too."

Sometimes motorists try to "fly by" farmers driving tractors on the road, he said. "There could be a bad accident and somebody could get hurt or killed."

Kyle also thanked the York County Farm Bureau for providing triangular-shaped orange "slow-moving" signs for the students who drove their tractors to and from school May 2.

"They are very important," he said of the bright signs.

Dolores Krick, vice president of the York County Farm Bureau, also asks drivers to be especially careful on roads this season.

Tractors entering and leaving fields -- especially those towing equipment -- usually don't go faster than 30 to 35 mph, she said.

Many of the county's roads are narrow and winding. Farmers try to pull over and let drivers pass, but that's not always possible, she said.

This time of year, many farmers work 15-hour days, Krick said.

"Every minute of daylight, they're out there planting . . . You only have a certain time span to get crops in," she said.

"This is (a farmer's) income for the year . . . Please slow down, let us get our work accomplished without anyone getting hurt."

STAY SAFE ON THE ROADS

Drivers should remember:

--- Between April and November, farm equipment will be on the roads.

--- Leave plenty of time to reach your destination.

--- Slow down when you see the slow-moving-vehicle emblem.

--- Use caution when passing farm vehicles, and do not pass if your view, or the view of oncoming vehicles, is blocked.

--- Farm equipment is wide, heavy and noisy. Don't assume the farmer knows you are there.

For details, visit pfb.com.

Source: Pennsylvania Farm Bureau