A 2-minute lesson from the South Dakota course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Rural roads carry tractors, combines, buggies and riders. They move slowly, their operators may not hear you, and they may turn with little warning.
Know the rule
A fluorescent or reflective orange-and-red triangle on the rear of animal-drawn vehicles, farm equipment or construction equipment means the vehicle travels less than 25 mph.
Watch for tractors, combines and other farm equipment moving across the road and traveling on state highways. Pass with caution: the operator cannot hear approaching vehicles.
Pass them with caution, and don't use the horn or rev the engine; it may scare the horse and cause a crash. They can be heavily damaged, and occupants injured, if hit.
Horse-drawn vehicle and horseback rider warning signs
Put it into practice
You come up behind a horse-drawn buggy on a two-lane road. Slow down and stay quiet (no horn, no revving), watch for a left turn into a field or driveway, and pass with caution only when it's safe.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
Where does the handbook say to be especially alert for slow-moving vehicles?
On interstate highways
In downtown business districts
In rural areas
In school zones
Answer: In rural areas
Be alert for slow-moving vehicles, especially in rural areas, where farm equipment and animal-drawn vehicles share the road.
