A crash on the A50, involving a tractor and a combine harvester, closed both lanes of the road Wednesday morning, highlighting the need for better road safety education.
The A50 was closed for more than six hours following a four-vehicle crash, which included two vans, a tractor and a combine harvester.
One eyewitness, who was first on the scene, said the tractor had toppled over as a result of the crash, which had also caused a lot of damage to the van and combine harvester.
A Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: "The A50 is closed eastbound just prior to Junction Seven at Sudbury while Derbyshire Police and Highways deal with an RTC. No action was needed by firefighters from Kingsway, who attended."
Part of the A50 is expected to remain closed for the next two days after an accident.
Road safety advice for farmers
Transporting agricultural machinery from one field to another via public roads is a necessity for most farmers.
Whether it involves moving produce during harvest season or relocating heavy equipment from one field to another, the only way to do this is by road.
However, due to their size and slow moving nature, this can be hazardous to both agricultural vehicles and other road users, writes Cheshire Police.
For example, farmers are responsible for cleaning up mud dropped on public roads by their own vehicles and livestock.
Mud can be a significant hazard to other motorists, particularly motorcyclists, and can result in serious, even fatal collisions.
It is inevitable that slow-moving vehicles will cause a tailback on public roads but it is important for the driver to pull over and allow traffic to pass at the earliest opportunity.
Failure to do so can be frustrating for other motorists and can result in accidents if impatient road users attempt to overtake when it is not safe. They do this at their own risk.
Lights should be kept clean and in good working order to make sure that other road users can see the intended movements of the vehicles.
Amber warning beacons can be fitted to tractors which are not capable of exceeding 25mph to alert other vehicles to the presence of a slow moving vehicle. Under certain circumstances it may be a legal requirement.
