An inevitable occurrence on the roads in Lancaster County each summer is an increase in the number of slow-moving farm vehicles that can bog down traffic — and cause impatient motorists to attempt reckless maneuvers while trying to pass them.

Pennsylvania, with its side-by-side blend of industry, commerce and agriculture and a growing residential base, has more rural roads than any other state in the country, according to a news release issued Monday by the state Farm Bureau. And Lancaster County has more than its share.

"We have to be aware that there are farm vehicles on our roadways," Mark Pugliese, police chief for West Hempfield Township, said Wednesday. "I don't think they're causing any problems as long as people are aware of them and use the proper precautions."

The state hopes to draw attention to the matter with a news conference at 11 a.m. today at Hershey Farms, outside Elizabethtown at 338 Sunnyburn Road. Farm Bureau representatives and guests will visit the farm to promote Rural Roads Safety Week. Besides bureau president Carl Shaffer and host farmer Jim Hershey, the gathering will include state Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff, state police Cpl. Linette Quinn and Mike Gillespie from the design office of the state Department of Transportation.

Pugliese said Wednesday that "patience is one of the biggest things that people need to have on rural roads, because the farm equipment is being pulled by tractors, which are slower than most vehicles."

But most people who live in this area are well aware of the issue, he said, and they know the safest driving strategy in farm country is to "keep your distance." "If you come to an area where it's safe to pass, use extra precautions because, in some cases, the farm vehicles are longer than the usual vehicle … and you don't always know which direction they're going to turn," Pugliese said. "Also, avoid passing close to intersections or hills."

The Farm Bureau hopes to reduce the number of accidents on rural roads by drawing attention to the issue.

E-mail: tknapp@lnpnews.com