By Curtis Galbraith

Close calls lead to dash cams on County mower tractors

Aug 3, 2018 | 2:11 PM

The County of Grande Prairie says a number of close calls have prompted it to install dash cameras on its mower tractors.
 
Speeding vehicles and careless drivers have led to a number of dangerous situations.
 
Ag. Fieldman Sonja Raven says while there have been incidents in the past, this year “it has gotten way out of hand.”
 
“We’re having several incidents a week, or near-misses we’re considering them, where people are just coming up on the mower, then they tailgate, then they pass dangerously, they cut in on the mower. I know everything in Grande Prairie is very fast-paced, but they need to slow down when they’re around our mowers because somebody is going to get hurt.”
 
She adds the County never thought it would have to do this.
 
“Those mowers are moving in and out of the ditch, but the tractor stays on the shoulder.”
 
Raven says the cameras will provide some video evidence when dangerous drivers are reported to Enforcement Services, and that could lead to charges.
 
“The big, orange signs that say ‘Stay Back Flying Objects’, they’re there for a reason. People are not obeying them and they’re passing a mower as the tractor is pulling the mower over the train tracks. The one guy was passing on the train tracks, double line, didn’t matter.”
 
Raven says she would prefer having a general information campaign, rather than this, but the close calls have got to stop.