Table of contents
- Deadly obstacle combine harvester Take special care during harvest time
- From a width of 3.50 meters, an escort vehicle is mandatory
Dekra
counselor
traffic & business
Deadly obstacle combine harvester
Deadly obstacle combine harvester
Take special care during harvest time
Harvest season in Germany: combine harvesters and other harvesting machines are in use in the fields from Flensburg to Fussen. Harvesters are oversized, slow and not always easy to see. Dekra rightly calls for particular caution.
08/08/2014
(Press release DEKRA Stuttgart) A combine harvester turns into a country road. The mower is properly dismantled and is pulled behind on the trailer. But the heavy machine is slow and it takes time to turn. If a vehicle is now approaching quickly on the country road, it will be tight. “Unfortunately, during the harvest season, such situations repeatedly lead to serious accidents,” says Jorg Ahlgrimm, Head of Accident Analysis at DEKRA. “In our three crash scenarios we have simulated such typical accident situations, right up to the worst conceivable case, a collision with the mower.”
Just two crash tests in which the mower does not play a role show the devastating consequences of such collisions. A motorcyclist who is not even traveling particularly fast at 60 km / h hits the side of the combine harvester’s tire. “If that had been a real accident, the motorcyclist would have suffered the most serious, if not fatal, injuries,” says the DEKRA expert. The same applies to the frontal impact of a car at 67 kilometers per hour in the second crash test with the mower removed. “Here the car drives under the solid structure of the harvesting machine, rigid components penetrate the passenger compartment in the upper body and head area of the occupants. In such a case, all passive safety devices, including airbags and seat belts, are practically useless. “
Dekra
The worst-cast scenario: In the DEKRA crash test, a motorcyclist drives into the mower of a combine harvester at 65 km / h. The dummy is literally impaled by the mower – a person would definitely have no chance of survival here.
The absolute worst-case scenario is the third crash test. A motorcyclist collides in oncoming traffic at a moderate 65 km / h with a combine harvester that – contrary to the regulations – is on the road with a mower attached. “In this crash, the dummy on the motorcycle was literally impaled by the mower,” says Jorg Ahlgrimm, describing the scene. “A person would definitely have no chance of survival here.”
Hazards associated with combines and other harvesting machinery arise for a number of reasons. On the one hand, they are – even without a mower – very wide and at the same time often on relatively narrow country roads. Harvesters are also slow and often difficult to see. Especially in the hot phase of the harvest, they are also in use at dusk or in the dark. That too can lead to dangerous situations.
From a width of 3.50 meters, an escort vehicle is mandatory
From the expert’s point of view, there is practically no solution to the problems on the part of the construction of combine harvesters and similar devices. Safety devices such as underrun protection cannot be attached to combine harvesters and similar devices without impairing the actual purpose of working in the field. “Basically, these are not vehicles, but work machines. They are designed for agricultural work and not regularly on the road. A structure to protect other road users would have to be constantly added and removed. “
Dekra
Head-on collision with a combine harvester that is traveling according to regulations with the mower removed: In the DEKRA crash test at 67 km / h, the car drives under the fixed structure of the harvesting machine, and stiff components penetrate the passenger compartment. In such a case, the airbag and seat belt are no longer of any use.
During the harvest season, DEKRA experts call on all road users to drive particularly carefully, especially in rural areas. “It is important that during these weeks you always expect agricultural vehicles that are slowly traveling on country roads, that turn in or cross,” says Ahlgrimm. “This not only applies to combine harvesters, but of course also to agricultural tractors with trailers that transport the grain.”
The accident expert appeals to the operators of the harvesting machines to always observe the relevant safety regulations, even if the distances involved are only the shortest. “At the latest from a width of 3.50 meters, heavy loads must be on the move with an escort vehicle throughout Germany. This requirement also applies to combine harvesters and other harvesting machines, ”says Ahlgrimm. “In many federal states, special permits are required between 3.00 and 3.50 meters.” The DEKRA expert considers it absolutely taboo to be out on the road with a mower attached. “Our crash test with the motorcyclist clearly showed how life-threatening such behavior is.”
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