Drivers beware - Farm equipment, deer on the road again

While Missouri farmers are bringing in the fall's crop harvest, hunters are preparing for another type of harvest -- deer.

Both events should grab motorists' attention.

Drivers need to be on the lookout for slow-moving farm vehicles and moving deer.

Fall is prime time for deer-vehicle accidents, usually peaking during deer breeding season in November.

Each year, more than 250,000 deer-vehicle accidents are reported nationally, with as many as 100 deaths and 15,000 injuries. More than 17,000 collisions were reported in Illinois last year. Missouri has about 7,000 deer-vehicle accidents reported annually.

During breeding season deer become less cautious, more unpredictable and more willing to venture near roadways. Cooler weather and the increase in human activity as crops are harvested also put deer on the move.

Motorists need to be careful when driving near deer habitat and need to be on the lookout for deer on or near roads and highways. Wildlife officials give drivers some tips:

Be most cautious in the hours before sunrise and around dusk because that's when deer are most active.

Anticipate seeing deer near the roadway in areas where habitat grows near the road and be prepared to slow down or stop.

Flash headlights or honk a horn to encourage deer on or near the roadway to move away.

Never swerve off the road or into the other lane to avoid a deer.

Chances are that if you see a deer, there are other deer nearby. Slowing down offers a better chance to see deer on or near the road, and more time to react.

Illinois deer season is scheduled over three weekends -- Nov. 16-18, Nov. 29-30 and Dec. 1-2.

Missouri deer dates are Nov. 10-Nov. 20.

Farmers and motorists alike should be on the alert during harvesting season.

Tractor rage

It's easy for highway travelers to become frustrated when they get stuck behind slow-moving tractors and combines that are moving from field to field, but that shouldn't be an excuse for road rage, said Lowell Mohler, director of Missouri Department of Agriculture. "Only pass a farm machine when it is safe and in a passing zone," said Mohler. "Don't let frustration lead to hasty, danger decisions."

Farmers should take extra precautions when moving their equipment, said Mohler. Slow-moving machinery should be marked with reflective, triangular emblems. Amber flashers and other lights or reflective materials are also recommended to warn motorists.

Agriculture ranks as the most dangerous industry in Missouri, and the second most hazardous industry in the United States, Mohler said. More than 700 deaths and 150,000 disabling injuries are reported annually nationwide.

Most of the fatalities stem from tractors rolling or running over someone. Each year, hundreds of fatal injuries from tractor overturns occur nationwide because tractors are not equipped with rollover protective structures, or ROPS. Rigid or foldable ROPS are available for almost all tractors built since 1970 and for many older tractors.

Good year for construction

Cape Girardeau is headed for another good year of construction.

A third-quarter, $3-million permit issued by the Cape Girardeau Permit office, for phase three construction of the Saxony Apartment complex at the Lutheran Home, has boosted the year's construction total past the $40 million mark for the seventh time in history.

During the first nine months of 2001, total construction is at $41,285,970.

Permits have been steady since the first quarter of the year, said Tarryl jBooker, Cape's director of Inspection Services, and John Creutz, a plan review specialist.

Two projects have accounted for half of the construction totals -- a $17.5-million permit for the new Cape Central High School, and the $3-million Lutheran Home permit.

New home starts have made an impact on the construction scene, with 18 during the third quarter.

Latest statistics show 56 percent of Cape Girardeau families living in the more than 16,000 residential units in the city own their homes. The home ownership rate increases when county property is added. Ownership is 63 percent of the more than 25,000 county residential units.

Nationally, the home ownership rate has increased over the past two years to 67 percent, and Missouri, with a 68.6 home ownership rate, has the tenth highest average nationally.

To date, 2001 is the seventh best construction year on record. Some expect it to rank among the top five by year's end.

Statewide building growth

Overall, Missouri's construction activity was up 1 percent for the first eight months of the year, thanks to a 14 percent increase in the nonbuilding category, according to the F.W. Dodge Division of McGraw-Hill, an authority on the construction market. Nonbuilding construction includes streets, highways, bridges, airports, river and harbor developments.

Residential construction, which includes one- and two-family houses and apartments, for the latest month available was down in August 4 percent, from $287,509,000 to $276,149,000. But residential totals for the year are up 1 percent, at $2,279,370,000 compared to $2.251,941,000 at the same point a year ago.

Figures for nonbuilding construction are $1,427,206,000 for the year.

Nonresidential construction, including street, highways and bridges, sewage and water supply systems, utilities and communications systems, id won 7 percent, from $1,943,990,000 a year ago, to $1,799,238,000 this year.

Nationally, total construction in the United States is up 2 percent, with residential building up 4 percent and nonbuilding up 9 percent. Nonresidential, however, was down 5 percent.

B. Ray Owen is the business editor for the Southeast Missourian.