Crashes with agricultural equipment are unexpectedly common in urban areas and near towns and cities, according to research from the Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health in the College of Public Health.

The research analyzed agricultural equipment crashes collected from nine Midwest Departments of Transportation from 2005–2008. Crash zip code was assigned as urban or rural (large, small, and isolated) using Rural–Urban Commuting Areas. Crash proximity to a town was estimated with geographic information system technology. The researchers estimated the odds of crashing in urban versus rural zip codes and across rural gradients, and estimated mean distance (miles) from a crash site to a town.

“Although approximately one-third of agricultural equipment-related crashes occur near town, these crashes are thought to be a rural problem,” says Karisa Harland, study author and researcher in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health. “This research further illustrates the need for education among all roadway users, increased visibility of agricultural equipment, and the development of complete rural roads to increase road safety and prevent agricultural equipment-related crashes.”