Harvest traffic tests drivers’ patience on Danish roads

Harvest season is bringing more road rage to Danish roads, where drivers are encountering slow-moving tractors and combine harvesters, DR reports. Farmers say they are regularly met with horns, abusive gestures and dangerous overtaking.

Kim Skou Rasmussen, a farmer on North Funen, transports grain and spends much of his working day on the roads during the harvest. He says motorists frequently honk, give him the finger or overtake recklessly.

Leave home in good time

Jakob Bøving Arendt, director of the Council for Road Safety, advises drivers to allow extra time before setting out.

“Leave home in good time, so you have the capacity to deal with the unpredictable and have a calm and pleasant journey,” he says.

When drivers are in a hurry, even a minor delay, such as a farm vehicle or a red light, can seem like a major problem and lead to dangerous decisions, he says. Drivers should never be tempted to overtake large vehicles recklessly, even if a car behind them is pressuring them to do so, because this can cause serious accidents.

Remember that everyone has a place on the road

Farm machinery is also allowed to use the roads, Bøving Arendt says. The vehicles are not there to inconvenience other drivers, but to transport food.

Farm vehicles are often large and heavy and cannot simply pull onto the verge. Drivers should therefore be considerate and patient, he says. Harvest season is also relatively short, meaning the roads will soon be less busy with agricultural machinery.

Farmers should also show consideration

Bøving Arendt’s final piece of advice is for the people driving tractors and combine harvesters. He recommends planning journeys on busy rural roads for times when traffic is lighter and avoiding rush hour where possible.

This can prevent long lines of cars from forming and make the journey safer for everyone, he says.

Drivers judge themselves more kindly than others

A survey by the Council for Road Safety and GF Fonden in the spring found that 73 per cent of respondents considered themselves considerate towards other road users. Only 34 per cent believed that other road users were considerate towards them.

The survey also found that one in four people in Denmark had been shouted at in traffic during the previous year. Almost as many said they had shouted at someone else.

Three drivers in Otterup on North Funen said they could also become frustrated during the harvest season.

Kirsten Bjørnskov said she had made reckless overtakes and driven too fast when anger and adrenaline took over. She said she needed to learn to pause and take a breath before reacting.

Torben Dyhr said he often became impatient because of the number of farm vehicles on his way to work. He added that farmers should also pull over when possible to let long lines of traffic pass, otherwise drivers might attempt unsafe overtaking.

Rita Nielsen said she became irritated by the slow pace but accepted that farm vehicles had the right to be on the roads. She said overtaking was usually unproblematic when the vehicles pulled over.