By CORMAN PARK POLICE CHIEF RON CHOMYN
Harvest season has arrived, and drivers will be sharing the road with large farm equipment over the next several weeks.
Tips for Drivers
• Be patient when traveling behind slower-moving vehicles. Most farmers will pull over when they are able to let you pass.
• When meeting farm equipment, pull to the right-hand side of the road to ensure a safe passage, looking ahead for any on-coming traffic. Note the conditions of the shoulder of the road. Do not pull too far right if the shoulders are soft.
• When passing machinery or trucks parked alongside the road, slow down and give room in case there is someone getting in or out of a piece of equipment.
• If passing machinery in the same lane, do not pass close to intersections or field entrances, as they may need to swing wide into the opposite lane in order to be able to navigate the corner. Do not assume they will always turn right. They may be making a left-hand turn.
• Do not tailgate farm vehicles, as they may have to make sudden stops along the road.
Tips for Producers
• Ensure all safety lighting works and proper placards are in place; clean, visible and properly mounted.
• Try to avoid areas with heavy traffic during peak times.
• If equipment must be parked along the road, make sure it has been properly marked down the road to warn oncoming traffic.
• Mark the edges of equipment with reflective tape and reflectors.
• When moving multiple pieces of equipment, leave space between to allow vehicles safe passing areas.
• Move equipment in the daylight.
• Producers should also stay off cell phones and stay vigilant of other traffic utilizing the road.
Incidents of note
On July 23 at 5:45 p.m., CPPS located a male stumbling on Highway 12 near Township Road (TWP) 384 who was intoxicated. He was arrested for public intoxication and lodged in cells for the night. The male was released once he was sober.
On August 2 at 12:44 a.m., CPPS attempted to stop a vehicle for traveling 165 kph in a 90 kph zone on Highway 16 near Range Road (RR) 3044. The vehicle failed to stop and shut its lights off and was located a short time later in Saskatoon by Saskatoon Police Service. The driver was subsequently issued a ticket for speeding, received a 7-day drivers license suspension and the vehicle was also impounded for 30-days.
On August 2 at approximately 11:00 p.m., RCMP dispatched a call of a car driving north on Highway 11 driving on its rims. CPPS located the vehicle on RR 3050 and attempted a traffic stop with the vehicle failing to stop. It continued to Highway 11 where it traveled northbound in the southbound lanes. With assistance from Saskatoon Police Service air support, the vehicle was spiked and forced into the ditch. The driver was taken into custody and is facing charges of failing to stop for police and dangerous driving.
On August 3 at 10:45 a.m., CPPS received a complaint of three bales on fire. CPPS attended with Warman RCMP and Osler Fire where three bales were found on fire. Osler Fire extinguished the fire.
On August 3 CPPS performed a traffic stop on Valley Road near Merrill School Road to check drivers license and sobriety. The driver smelled of beverage alcohol and was read the approved screening device demand. He would not provide a breath sample and was arrested for refusal. A 38-year-old Saskatoon man was released with a Criminal Code charge for refusing to provide a breath sample.
On August 4 at 11:00 p.m., CPPS was taking part in a check stop with Saskatoon RCMP on Highway 219 near TWP 350A when they stopped a vehicle for a sobriety check. The driver was read the mandatory approved screening device demand and provided a breath sample resulting in a WARN. He subsequently had his drivers license suspended for three days and vehicle impounded for three days.
On August 5 at 11:10 p.m., CPPS performed a traffic stop on a westbound vehicle on Highway 16 near Dalmeny Road for speeding. Signs of alcohol impairment were noticed on the driver and alcohol was observed in the vehicle. The driver submitted to an approved screening device demand resulting in a “WARN”. She had her vehicle seized for three days, her drivers license suspended for three days and received a ticket for speeding. The passenger was served a ticket for having open alcohol in a motor vehicle.
On August 7 at 8:00 p.m., while conducting a checkstop at Grasswood Road and Preston Avenue, CPPS stopped a vehicle whose driver presented with signs of cannabis impairment. The driver submitted to an oral fluid demand which resulted in a positive for THC. He was subsequently issued a three-day vehicle impoundment and a 60-day drivers license suspension.