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# 9488 - NEW STANDARDS FOR SLOW MOVING VEHICLE EMBLEMS (SMV)

New standards for the SMV were adopted in 1998 by the Society of Engineering in Agriculture, Food and Biological Systems (ASAE). Although there is no requirement to retrofit older equipment, all new farm equipment sold must include the new emblem. These improvements to the Slow Moving Vehicle symbol, along with reflective lighting tape, should make farm machinery more visible and help reduce the number of accidents that occur between vehicles and farm equipment.

In 1996, more than 500 accidents occurred in Ohio that involved farm vehicles. In the previous five years, there were 2,523 accidents that resulted in 842 injuries and 33 fatalities. Law enforcement collision statistics show that many accidents happened because drivers have difficulty judging how large a piece of farm equipment is, how fast it is moving, and when it is turning. The numbers, collected from 1989 to 1992, reveal some surprising trends:

• 78 percent of two-vehicle accidents occurred during daylight hours, with a peak occurrence time interval of 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• Only 18 percent of the accidents occurred under dark conditions, 3 percent under dusk and 1 percent at dawn.
• 42 percent of the nighttime accidents were rear-end collisions, compared to only 8 percent of the daylight crashes.
• 52 percent of the accidents during the daytime took place when the farm vehicle was making a left turn. Often, the driver was attempting to pass and didn't realize the farm equipment was making a left-hand turn. Or, the driver misjudged the speed at which the farm equipment would turn.
• 15 percent of all crashes were caused by an oncoming car sideswiping the piece of machinery.

Many pieces of farm equipment are oversized and may extend over the road's centerline. This information points to the importance of effective extremity marking to alert the approaching motorist of farm vehicle width. What eventually was used to increase the visibility of the SMV was a new material called cube corner retroreflective material. Unlike reflective materials that reflect light in all directions, retroreflective materials reflect light directly back to its source. Old emblems used a retroreflective material made of small glass beads enclosed in a clear film and backing material. The cube corner design is similar, but cube-shaped prisms are used instead of beads. The cubes retroreflect much better than the glass beads, which tend to scatter some of the reflected light.

The new retroreflective material is visible from 1,200 feet, twice as far as the previous 600 feet. This is important, because researchers say about 1,000 feet are needed for a motorist to detect, recognize and react to a roadway hazard when traveling at 60 mph. The new fluorescent material used on the sign also will last at least twice as long as the old version. The kits for upgrading old SMVs consist of a four-piece set of new retroreflective material that can be stuck onto old signs to make them more visible. The kits also include six pieces of yellow retroreflective tape strips, two pieces of red retroreflective tape and two pieces of red and orange fluorescent strips. The lighting tape is a new way to increase the visibility of slow moving farm equipment. It is placed on the sides and rear of equipment to protect against angled collisions and decrease the risk of accidents from the rear. Your Association advises you to carry SMVs that will meet the new standard. Contact the Association, info@amgllcusa.com for ordering information and pricing.

[Also see FastFacts #9487, Slow Moving Vehicle Emblem regulations in Ohio; FastFacts #9485, Slow Moving Vehicle Emblem regulations in Michigan]

-- May 2002