As the spring planting season picks up across central Illinois, local authorities are reminding residents to keep their eyes on the road and their hands off their phones.

Piatt County Sheriff Mark Vogelzang says with more tractors and combines moving between fields, motorists need to exercise extreme patience and maintain a high level of awareness.

One of the biggest hazards during this time of year is the significant speed difference between passenger vehicles and farm implements. Sheriff Vogelzang notes farm equipment often travels at 25 miles per hour or less, and many rural roads feature soft shoulders that make it difficult for large machinery to pull over safely.  

The call for safety comes during National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. Sheriff Vogelzang emphasizes even a split-second distraction—such as checking a text or adjusting a GPS—can be catastrophic on a narrow rural road when approaching a wide-load tractor.  

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, distracted driving claimed over 3,200 lives nationally in 2024. In Illinois alone, insurance data indicates farm equipment collision claims often spike between March and June, with over 180 claims reported during that window last year. 

Experts warn that a car traveling at 55 miles per hour takes only five seconds to cover the length of a football field—often the exact amount of time it takes for a driver to realize they are closing in on a slow-moving tractor.