WINNIPEG (Staff) – Manitoba’s highways minister says he’ll await reports from police and his department before deciding whether changes are needed to regulations on farm equipment.
Glen Findlay said his department will not only review last week’s triple fatality, but other accidents in recent years involving farm equipment on provincial roads.
The minister said different regulations might not have changed the outcome of last week’s accident.
Crossed the line
Even if there were no lights required on the header portion of the combine, “it’s very clear in the law that you do not have a vehicle crossing the centre line in front of oncoming traffic,” said Findlay, who also farms near Shoal Lake.
Read Also
Rural Manitoba resources slim on natural disaster planning
A study from Brandon University’s Rural Development Institute has found that many rural and small municipalities don’t have the staff or resources to make formal climate plans against natural disaster.
The accident highlights serious questions for the farm community as well as the provincial government, he said.
“The bottom line to all of this is you can’t legislate common sense. It’s a clear signal to all of the farm community that safety and caution must be first and foremost.”
The cost of poor judgment is more than a fine. “The grief in that community and those families is indescribable.”
