C-24.2, r. 52.1 - Regulation respecting the visibility and traffic of farm machines wider than 2.6 metres

Updated to 12 December 2023

This document has official status.

chapter C-24.2, r. 52.1

Regulation respecting the visibility and traffic of farm machines wider than 2.6 metres

Highway Safety Code

(chapter C-24.2, s. 621, 1st par., subpars. 20.4 and 20.5).

1. This Regulation applies to farm machines and combinations of farm vehicles wider than 2.6 m and that are not outsized vehicles in respect of their width under the Vehicle Load and Size Limits Regulation (chapter C-24.2, r. 31).

This Regulation does not apply to farm machines or combinations of farm vehicles when they only cross a public highway.

O.C. 733-2013, s. 1.

2. In this Regulation,

“amber beacon or strobe light” means a 360-degree rotating amber lamp that flashes at a rate of not less than 60 and not more than 90 flashes per minute and that has a lens not less than 10 cm high, or an equivalent light bar; (feu jaune rotatif ou stroboscopique)

“combination of farm vehicles” means a combination consisting of a farm machine or a farm motor vehicle within the meaning of the Regulation respecting road vehicle registration (chapter C-24.2, r. 29) drawing a farm machine or a farm trailer; (ensemble de véhicules agricoles)

“escort vehicle” means

(1)  a vehicle whose gross vehicle weight rating is under 4,500 kg, except a moped, a motorcycle or a three-wheel vehicle; or

(2)  a vehicle whose gross vehicle weight rating is 4,500 kg or more and whose net mass is 4,000 kg or less that originally had an open truck box and a tailgate or is a sport utility vehicle; (véhicule d’escorte)

“flashing amber warning lamp” means an amber lamp whose effective projected luminous area is not less than 77.5 cm2, that flashes at a rate of not less than 60 and not more than 120 flashes per minute and is bidirectional, and that conforms to SAE Standard J974 entitled “Flashing Warning Lamp for Agricultural Equipment”, revised in April 2011, or SAE Standard J845 entitled “Optical Warning Devices for Authorized Emergency, Maintenance, and Service Vehicles”, revised in December 2007, but in that case, the amber lamp must be at least Class 2. The standards are published by the Society of Automotive Engineers; (feu jaune clignotant)

“strip of retroreflective material” means a strip made of a material that meets the requirements of clause 3.3 of CSA Standard M669-F11, published by the Canadian Standards Association, and that is at least 50 mm wide and 230 mm long. (bande faite d’un matériau rétroréfléchissant)

O.C. 733-2013, s. 2.

3. For the purposes of this Regulation, the width of a farm machine or combination of farm vehicles is measured by excluding their rear-view mirrors and lamps.

O.C. 733-2013, s. 3.

4. Every farm machine and combination of farm vehicles must, at night if more than 2.6 m wide without exceeding 3.1 m wide and in the day if more than 2.6 m wide without exceeding 3.7 m wide, be equipped with

(1)  at least 2 flashing amber warning lamps that flash in unison, mounted as symmetrically as possible on the lateral extremities of the vehicle without exceeding them. If one of the lamps cannot be mounted on a lateral extremity of the vehicle, it must be mounted in all cases at less than 40 cm from the extremity. The lamps must be mounted at not less than 1 m and not more than 3.7 m from the roadway so as to be visible to the driver of a road vehicle approaching from the front or rear at a distance between 300 m and 30 m; or

(2)  at least 1 amber beacon or strobe light or an equivalent light bar mounted on or as near as practicable to the top of the vehicle. The amber beacon or strobe light or the light bar must be visible to the driver of a road vehicle approaching from the front or rear at a distance between 300 m and 30 m.

Every farmer who is the owner of a farm machine or combination of farm vehicles who contravenes this section is liable to a fine of $120 to $360. However, the fine is $60 to $180 if the offence is committed because of the colour, position or visibility of a lamp, light or light bar.

O.C. 733-2013, s. 4.

5. Every farm machine and combination of farm vehicles must, at night if more than 3.1 m wide and in the day if more than 3.7 m wide, be equipped with

(1)  at least 2 flashing amber warning lamps that flash in unison, mounted as symmetrically as possible on the lateral extremities of the vehicle without exceeding them. If one of the lamps cannot be mounted on a lateral extremity of the vehicle, it must be mounted in all cases at less than 40 cm from the extremity. The lamps must be mounted at not less than 1 m and not more than 3.7 m from the roadway;

(2)  at least 2 strips of amber retroreflective material visible from the front of the vehicle, placed as horizontally as practicable, each less than 40 cm from the lateral extremities; and

(3)  strips of red retroreflective material visible from the rear of the vehicle, placed as horizontally and as aligned and evenly spaced as practicable without exceeding 1.8 m, and the strips placed on the lateral extremities must be less than 40 cm from them.

The flashing amber warning lamps and, at night, the strips of retroreflective material must, when directly in front of the low beams of the headlamps, be visible to the driver of a road vehicle approaching from the front or rear at a distance between 300 m and 30 m.

In the case of a combination of farm vehicles, if the towed vehicle exceeds the width of the towing vehicle on both sides, the flashing amber warning lamps may be mounted on the towing vehicle provided they are less than 6 m from the lateral extremities at the rear of the towed vehicle and the distance between the lamps is the width of the towed vehicle. If the towed vehicle exceeds the width of the towing vehicle on one side, the distance between the lamps must be the distance between the width of the towed vehicle on the wider side and the width of the towing vehicle on the other side.

A farm motor vehicle that is part of a combination of farm vehicles and a self-propelled farm machine may, in addition to the lamps prescribed in this section, be equipped with an amber beacon or strobe light or an equivalent light bar mounted on or as near as practicable to the top of the vehicle.

Every farmer who is the owner of a farm machine or combination of farm vehicles who contravenes this section is liable to a fine of $120 to $360. However, the fine is

(1)  $60 to $180 if the offence is committed because of the colour of a retroreflective material or a lamp or of the position of a strip of retroreflective material or a lamp other than a lamp referred to in the fourth paragraph; or

(2)  $60 to $180 if the offence is committed because of the visibility of a retroreflective material or a lamp referred to in the second paragraph.

O.C. 733-2013, s. 5.

6. An escort vehicle must precede a farm machine or combination of farm vehicles that is wider than 5.3 m.

Where a farm machine or combination of farm vehicles encroaches on the incoming lane, an escort vehicle must also follow the farm machine or combination of farm vehicles at night.

Every driver of a farm machine or combination of farm vehicles who contravenes this section is liable to a fine of $240 to $720. However, the fine is $120 to $360 if the offence is committed because of an escort vehicle missing at the rear.

O.C. 733-2013, s. 6.

7. An escort vehicle at the rear must accompany a farm machine or a combination of farm vehicles that is wider than 7 m.

Every driver of a farm machine or combination of farm vehicles who contravenes this section is liable to a fine of $120 to $360.

O.C. 733-2013, s. 7.

8. An escort vehicle that precedes a farm machine or combination of farm vehicles must be equipped with at least one amber beacon or strobe light or an equivalent light bar mounted on top of the vehicle. The amber beacon or strobe light or the light bar must be visible to the driver of a road vehicle approaching from the front at a distance between 300 m and 30 m.

Every driver of a farm machine or combination of farm vehicles who contravenes this section is liable to a fine of $240 to $720. However, the fine is $60 to $180 if the offence is committed because of the colour, position or visibility of an amber beacon or strobe light or the light bar.

O.C. 733-2013, s. 8.

9. An escort vehicle that follows a farm machine or combination of farm vehicles must be equipped with at least one amber beacon or strobe light or an equivalent light bar mounted on top of the vehicle or at not less than 1.5 m from the roadway. The amber beacon or strobe light or the light bar must be visible to the driver of a road vehicle approaching from the rear at a distance between 300 m and 30 m.

Every driver of a farm machine or combination of farm vehicles who contravenes this section is liable to a fine of $120 to $360. However, the fine is $60 to $180 if the offence is committed because of the colour, position or visibility of an amber beacon or strobe light or the light bar.

O.C. 733-2013, s. 9.

10. No person may drive a farm machine or a combination of farm vehicles that is wider than 5.3 m

(1)  if, due to weather conditions, the visibility is less than 500 m; or

(2)  in school zones from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on school days.

Every driver of a farm machine or combination of farm vehicles who contravenes subparagraph 1 of the first paragraph is liable to a fine of $240 to $720. Every driver who contravenes subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph is liable to a fine of $120 to $360.

O.C. 733-2013, s. 10.

11. The driver of an escort vehicle must

(1)  maintain a distance between 100 m and 150 m from the farm machine or combination of farm vehicles being escorted;

(2)  be able to communicate, using a radio system, with the driver of the farm machine or combination of farm vehicles and with the driver of the other escort vehicle, if applicable;

(3)  drive with the amber beacon or strobe light or the light bar of the escort vehicle turned on;

(4)  turn off the amber beacon or strobe light or the light bar when the escort vehicle is no longer required under section 6 or 7; and

(5)  reduce the brightness of the light bar when used at night.

Every driver of an escort vehicle who contravenes

(1)  subparagraph 1, 4 or 5 of the first paragraph is liable to a fine of $60 to $180; or

(2)  subparagraph 2 or 3 of the first paragraph is liable to a fine of $120 to $360; however, if the offence is committed in relation to the amber beacon or strobe light or the light bar of the escort vehicle preceding the farm machine or the combination of farm vehicles, the driver is liable to a fine of $240 to $720.

O.C. 733-2013, s. 11.

12. The driver of a farm machine or combination of farm vehicles referred to in section 4 or 5 must drive with the lamps prescribed by those sections turned on.

Every driver who contravenes this section is liable to a fine of $120 to $360.

O.C. 733-2013, s. 12.

13. Farm machines or combinations of farm vehicles do not need to be equipped with strips of retroreflective material or flashing amber warning lamps that conform to the standards set out in section 2 and published by the designated standardizing bodies if they were equipped with strips or lamps that provide equivalent visibility before the coming into force of this Regulation (2013-12-01).

O.C. 733-2013, s. 13.

14. (Omitted).

O.C. 733-2013, s. 14.

REFERENCES

O.C. 733-2013, 2013 G.O. 2, 1866