 Because crop fields and livestock enterprises are often located away from headquarters, farmers and ranchers regularly operate tractors and farm equipment on public roads. In addition to common safety concerns of operating transportation vehicles on roads, operating farm machinery presents increased safety concerns because these machines are normally much larger than cars and are normally operated at slow speeds. State departments of transportation regulate traffic laws and rules pertaining to operating farm equipment on public roads. In the United States, these traffic laws can be different in each state, so it's important to know and understand the laws where you live. Some states provide exceptions to some public road regulations for farm equipment. The regulations described in this video refer to North Dakota regulations. Most farm equipment operated on public roads other than interstate highways are exempt from height and width regulations if operated between sunrise and sunset and within 60 miles of the operator's farm headquarters. However, pilot cars are required for all equipment exceeding 14 feet 6 inches in width, 18 feet in height, or 120 feet in overall length. In lieu of the pilot car, over-width equipment exceeding 14 feet 6 inches but not 16 feet may be equipped with lighted rotating or flashing amber lights that are visible from the front and rear at 500 feet. Equipment exceeding 18 feet in overall width requires a North Dakota Highway Patrol escort. Farm machinery and equipment are required to display a slow-moving vehicle or SMV sign whenever operated on public highways. SMV signs are intended to alert automotive drivers to reduce their speed. The SMV emblem has a red-orange fluorescent triangle at its center surrounded by a highly-reflected red border. The maximum travel speed for farm machinery equipped with an SMV sign is 25 miles per hour. The emblem shall be mounted point-up in a plane perpendicular to the direction of travel. It shall be placed centrally at the rear of the vehicle, unobscured, and 2 to 6 feet above the ground measured from the lower edge of the emblem. It may be permanently attached to equipment when practical. Portable emblems shall be mounted by using bracket sockets and identification emblem brackets specified in the American Society of Agricultural Engineers Standard, ASAE 5277. A faded or damaged SMV emblem should be replaced immediately with a new emblem. Dusty and muddy signs should be cleaned. Tractors must have a rollover protective structure, or ROPS, that provides a safe environment for the tractor operator in the event of a rollover. ROPS can be a cab or frame. ROPS affords some safety during tractor overturns, but operators need more protection. All operators of tractors equipped with ROPS must wear seatbelts. Without a seatbelt, the operator will not be confined to the protective zone. Tractors and self-propelled units of farm equipment must be equipped with two single beam or multiple beam headlamps, and at least one lamp displaying a red light visible when lighted from a distance of 1,000 feet to the rear of the vehicle. In addition, tractors and self-propelled units must be equipped with two red reflectors visible from 600 feet to 100 feet to the rear. The American Society of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineers Standard S279.10 established recommended lighting and marking for farm equipment for road travel. The standard recommends six features related to lighting self-propelled equipment and tractors. One, two standard headlamps should be mounted at the same height and spaced as far apart as possible, the same distance on either side of the center line. Two, rear-facing work lamps should not be used on highways. Three, two red tail lights should be mounted at the same height as far apart as possible and the same distance on either side of the center line. Tail lights should be at least three feet from the ground and not more than 10 feet. Four, tractors and other large self-propelled equipment should have flashing amber lights marking the sides of the vehicle to reduce the danger of side swipes. The lamps should flash in unison at 60 to 85 flashes per minute. Five, in addition to the red tail lights, the equipment should have turn indicators and six, two kinds of conspicuity material visible to the rear should be used. Retro-reflective material, which is material or a device that reflects back to the light source and red-orange non-reflective fluorescent material. Conspicuity material visible to the front should be yellow. Every towed unit of farm equipment must be equipped with at least one lamp displaying a red light visible when lighted from a distance of 1,000 feet to the rear or two red reflectors visible from all distances within 600 feet to 100 feet to the rear when directly in front of lawful lower beams of headlamps. In addition, if the extreme left projection of the towed unit extends beyond the extreme left projection of the towing vehicle, the implement must be equipped with at least one amber lamp or reflector mounted to indicate as nearly as practicable the extreme left projection and visible from all distances within 600 feet to 100 feet to the front and at least one red lamp reflector mounted and visible from the same distances to the rear. Lights must be illuminated one half hour after sunset to one half hour before sunrise. Every farm tractor and self-propelled farm implement when operated upon a highway must be equipped with at least one brake which may be operated by hand or foot. Every farm tractor and self-propelled farm implement operated singly or when towing any other vehicle must be equipped with a mirror so located as to reflect the driver of view of the highway for a distance of at least 200 feet to the rear of the vehicle. Many regulations pertaining to the operation of farm equipment on public highways are more strident at night. The exemptions for height, width and length do not apply to farm equipment during the hours of darkness. Farm equipment should only be on public roads between sunrise and sunset. Avoid traveling when visibility is poor. A particularly dangerous situation occurs when tractors or other farm equipment starts to turn left just as a motorist is about to pass. Rear-end collisions occur when a motorist travels too fast and doesn't see the tractor until it is too late to stop. Another common cause of traffic accidents with farm equipment occurs when extra wide equipment forces a motorist off the road. Following safety precautions does take a little more time, but being safe is your number one commodity.