It's almost harvest time – and police are reminding drivers to be patient when using the county's rural roads this summer.

Although farmers may hold people up for a few minutes, they will be working long hours on their machines to provide food for people to eat - so the message from police is, be patient and drive with caution.

To ensure a safe summer, Dorset Police's Rural Crime Team have listed below some things to remember when driving on rural roads this summer.

• Be patient when driving behind tractors; they rarely travel long distances on the roads and will pull in when it is safe to let traffic pass. Remember they're sometimes to long or wide to fit into some of the laybys and passing places there are

• Look carefully for oncoming and following vehicles before turning right. Remember that when turning left a tractor with a trailer will often pull over to the right first in order to negotiate the turn

• Watch carefully for oncoming traffic before pulling out onto a major road

• Be prepared for tractors to turn right into fields and farmyards

• Check rear view mirrors before trying to overtake

• Indicate clearly before pulling out to overtake

• Remember the vehicle may be wider or longer than you think so bare this in mind when passing farm vehicles

• Consider fitting a dash camera to your vehicle to capture dangerous driving and other road related offences from other motorists and road users and report it to Dorset Police using "Operation Snap" www.dorset.police.uk/.../operation-snap-dashcam.../

Here are also a few reminders for a safer summer for farmers and tractor drivers:

• Make sure the road is clear ahead and behind before turning right. Signal clearly well in advance of slowing down or moving to the right, remember to look behind to check no vehicle is trying to overtake

• Give plenty of room to other road users such as horse riders, cyclists and walkers when passing them

• Keep to the speed limits in the area where you are operating

• Consider fitting dash cameras to tractors and machines to capture dangerous driving - see Operation Snap above

• Make sure cab glass, mirrors and lights are clean and free from obstructions. This includes cab windows which should be clear of any non-essential control boxes

• Pull over when you can do safely to let following vehicles pass

• Do NOT use your phone whilst driving or operating any farm machinery on a public highway for any reason

• Make sure the tractor and any towed implement lights are working and are well lit at night

• Check that the brakes on any trailers or towed implements are working to their maximum efficiency before leaving the yard