Slow Moving Vehicle Emblem is not a Driveway Marker
Farming is a job for all seasons. Farmers travel with their equipment on local highways and roads year-round, and especially as during planting and harvesting time.
As we enter the Fall harvest season, Cook County Farm Bureau wants to make sure that everyone is aware of farm equipment traveling on local highways and roads. Farmers have to travel between fields to move their equipment; they do this in the best way possible. The tractors and machinery that they are driving do not travel at the rate of speed that the typical automobile travels. So they are marked with a Slow Moving Vehicle (SMV) emblem. Illinois Vehicle Code requires certain vehicle types to display the SMV emblem when operated on public roads – day and night. This includes farm equipment.
The SMV emblem’s unique triangular shape and red/orange color combination gives motorists advance warning that the vehicle they are approaching is moving slowly. Any use of the SMV emblem other than for these vehicle types, such as driveway or mailbox markers, or on trucks or trailers, is prohibited by Illinois law.
Any misuse takes away from the intended meaning of this recognizable traffic symbol. For this reason, Illinois law prohibits its use on stationary objects and other vehicle types. Penalty for improper use can result in a $75 fine.
In an effort to promote rural road safety, Cook County Farm Bureau asks residents to never use the Slow Moving Vehicle emblem to mark driveways, mailboxes, or other fixed objects. Please help keep everyone safe with proper SMV use to preserve its true meaning.
The Cook County Farm Bureau has a small supply of driveway marker signs (highly reflective) that we will trade with members that currently use the SMV sign to mark your driveway. Contact us at 708-354-3276 to set up trade.