Always in a hurry, the number one result of this fast-paced society.  It seems that no matter where people are headed or what they are doing, they are in a hurry to get there and in a hurry to get done.  In some ways, a fast pace is a good thing.  Not dawdling, making the most of time and being efficient are without fail, good qualities to have.  But when that pace rushes the work being done and hurries people into carelessness, it just might stop someone in their tracks.

  As rural communities were developed, dirt roads crossed the ranges to connect farms, families and their little towns, linking in a real-life dot-to-dot.  With little traffic happening on those roads, it didn’t matter that they often passed right through their lands as they connected onto the next family and operation.  It was only their neighbors that would drive along, friends that knew and respected them. 

Communities continued to develop and so did the roadways, making old two track dirt roads into official graveled and maintained roads that were eventually upgraded to paved roads.  The locals were delighted for a little smoother ride, but with the improved roadways came travelers beyond their neighbors, often driving faster and carelessly.

With greater draw to the adventure and recreation beyond the rural roads, traffic on the backway highways continues to increase and with it, speed and as a result, accidents.  For the agriculture families and operations that live and work on these rural roads, the speedy onslaught can feel like a daily terror that can be not only dangerous for them but for the countless drivers along the way.

These days, my local rural roads are full of trucks, livestock, and equipment.  Harvest trucks are hauling grain and potatoes.  Cattle and horses are being hauled in livestock trailers when they aren’t being moved up or down the road in a cattle drive.  For operations where the road literally cuts through their ranchland, there are often kids, 4wheelers and dogs making their way from one side to the next.  It might not be the hustle and bustle of the city, but it’s busy enough that a careless driver speeding through might cause some real harm.

When driving through the country, there are some spoken and unspoken rules every driver should follow.  If the speed is posted slower, it's for a reason.  You might think it an inconvenience, but you never know when you will come up on a slow-moving truck pulling out or a cattle drive on the road.  In reality, speeding through a slow zone will not make up that much time.  If you want to race, go to a track.  If you want a fast drive, take the freeway.  If you choose the rural route, you get to go slow.

If ever you come up on slow moving tractors, semi’s or 4wheelers, slow down and follow until you are able to pass.  Drivers are aware they are sharing the road with you and will make it possible for you to move around them.  The few seconds that you might have to follow are only seconds.  Give them the time so that they can give you the space to pass safely.

Driving through the beautiful backroads might inspire you to enjoy the scenery or even a daydream, but in many ways you should be even more vigilant with who or what might be sharing your roadway.  Stray cattle, wildlife or slow-moving equipment might seem to pop out of nowhere if you aren’t looking for them and prepared to navigate a road with them.  The chances of an accident are far fewer when your focus stays on your drive.

In the event that an accident of some kind happens, stop.  Just because you are alone in the middle of nowhere doesn’t mean you can ditch.  If you hit a stray cow, ran over the farmer’s dog or ran through a fence, stop and make it right.  Take the time to be respectful and apologize for your mistake.  Hurrying on to your next thing isn’t what’s important.  Making amends is.

There is a reason country folk live where they do.  They love the land, the work that they serve and the adventure each day brings.  They understand the draw that country can have on you.  But when you enter their world and drive their roads, be sure to play by their rules.  Keeping it safe on the rural roadways makes the country something everyone can enjoy.