Farm Equipment Manufacturers Won’t Cut Vehicle Accidents by Half
A study completed by Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health (GPCAH) found traffic accidents involving farm vehicles in the Midwest could decrease by half if policies demanded manufacturers to place more lighting and reflection on those vehicles.
The study compared the rates of crashes against the current lighting mandates in 9 states. According to the report, in Iowa alone, there are more than 1,000 farm vehicle-related crashes each year. Most of these crashes caused severe or fatal injuries.
New Mandates to Prevent Vehicle Accidents
The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) suggested a lighting and marking standard for farm vehicles. These standards include the number of headlights a vehicle must have, use of taillights, turn signals and more exterior lighting. No state requires these standards. However, if 9 states made manufacturers adopted the standards, farming accidents would decrease.
For example, by using data from 2005 to 2010, researchers estimate the number of accidents annually would be cut 60 percent, from 972 to 385, if states implemented policies that increased compliance with ASABE standards by 25 percent over current policies.
Manufacturer’s Responsibility
Holding the manufacturers and sellers of defective farm equipment accountable not only helps the person injured, but also helps deter the manufacturer from continuing to use defective products. For this reason, many successful defective product lawsuits result in recalls of the defective product. This prevents injuries to others and dissuades the manufacturer from cutting corners in the future.
Defective farm equipment design could have caused your injury from a farming accident. That means: You are not at fault, and you deserve compensation! Also, depending on the case, a variety of parties may be held responsible for defective farm equipment injuries, which may include companies that design, sell, lease, or furnish equipment to farmers.
Manufacturers who design and distribute unsafe machinery should pay you for losses you suffer due to using their products. Contact the Farm Injury Resource Center for a free, confidential consultation.