When it's complete, this triangular trademark of farm safety will shine brighter, last longer and provide greater safety than ever. And it will reduce rear-end collisions with farm machinery on roadways. Enhanced SMVs will appear on new equipment later this year. IIt's estimated that 12 million SMVs have been sold since being introduced in 1963. Use on equipment traveling less than 25 mph is the law in 41 states and five provinces of Canada.
Statistics say that SMVs save lives.
However, transporting slow-moving farm equipment is still dangerous. National Safety Council experts say farm equipment is involved in 8,000 highway mishaps yearly. The pie chart at lower right is an analysis of 803 farm equipment accidents in Ohio from 1989 through 1992. To reduce hazards, safety experts are making a massive effort to improve lighting and marking of farm equipment. ASAE is now finalizing new standards.