Spring is just around the corner and Alberta's farmers and ranchers will be heading back to the fields.

This means an increase in slow-moving farm equipment on the roads travelling along with fast-moving motorists, creating potential hazards for both.

Agriculture For Life has developed a safety program called Be Safe and Be Seen in conjunction with Alberta Traffic Safety Fund.  The program is being delivered in schools, young farm worker safety days, ladies farm safety evenings and at rural and farm first aid courses.

Kaley Segboer, Communications and Marketing Coordinator, says the message of the program is " to be aware that those large pieces of farm equipment are not moving at the same rate of speed as us in our cars and truck and they cant react in the same way, they are not able to stop as quickly, and they have large blind spots, even a truck hauling a livestock trailer has a larger braking distance".

Segboer wants to remind motorists to be patient when they see farm equipment on the roads.  She says it is important to stay out of equipment blind spots and stay back at least 50 feet when following slow moving machinery.  

A particular focus of the Be Safe and Be Seen program are young and inexperienced drivers, who often aren't aware of the hazards of driving on rural roads.  Segboer says that they are encouraging parents to talk with new drivers about staying safe and being cautious when approaching any large equipment on the roads.