Crash rates in the most rural counties are more than twice as high as urban rates. When farm vehicles meet passenger vehicles, nonfarm drivers are five times more likely to be injured. As THE rural landscape shifts to include more and more nonfarm drivers, it often becomes risky to travel with farm equipment. Impatient drivers, narrow roadways, oversized equipment, and slower speeds all contribute to the risk. A recent study, "Characteristics of crashes with farm equipment that increase potential forinjury," investigated crashes between farm equipment and other vehicles. It appeared in the Journal of Rural Health, Fall 2007. The lead author, Corinne Peek-Asa, director at the Injury Prevention Research Center, used the Iowa Department of Transportation's Crash Database which specifically identifies farm equipment involved in accidents. Most state crash reporting systems don't make this distinction.
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