April is typically when farmers in Iowa will start planting their fields, which Dallas County Sheriff Chad Leonard points out creates a lot more driving hazards.

As the days get warmer, the likelihood of coming across large, slow-moving farm implements drastically increases. As such, Leonard reminds motorists to avoid driving distracted, because large machinery can sometimes seem to come out from nowhere. Additionally, he says this is the time of year when there’s generally more traffic on lesser-travelled roads, which can sometimes surprise drivers who aren’t used to seeing other vehicles in those areas.

“Even out there on the gravel roads, you need to slow down at the intersections and stuff. We get a lot of accidents this time of year, there’s just more traffic out there now. People take it for granted when you’re driving (on) a gravel road, that there’s not many people out there. Well, this is the time of season it’s picking up, and people are bringing in other workers and those type of things. We’ve just got to pay attention to your surroundings, and hopefully that’ll prevent some major accidents from taking place.”

Leonard emphasizes, the best way people can avoid wrecks during planting season is to stay off their cell phones and other devices while driving.