HILLSBORO, Ohio — The Highland County Sheriff’s Office is reminding motorists to slow down, keep their distance and never sound a car horn near horse-drawn buggies, warning that the speed gap between modern traffic and Amish carriages can close far faster than drivers expect.
In a Facebook post, the sheriff’s office said buggies typically travel just 5 to 8 mph, a fraction of highway speed, and urged drivers to treat every buggy sighting “like you are approaching a stationary object” and slow down immediately rather than waiting to judge the closing distance.
Horse-drawn traffic has become a regular sight on rural roads in the eastern half of Highland County, where an Amish and Mennonite population has grown over the past two decades, particularly in the townships between Hillsboro and Greenfield. The Ohio Department of Transportation has posted buggy-crossing warning signs in several of those areas to alert drivers unfamiliar with sharing the road with animal-drawn vehicles.
The sheriff’s office said most buggies are outfitted with reflective tape and battery-powered lights, but the horses pulling them are not, making them difficult to see at dawn, dusk and after dark, especially when a driver is facing into low sun. Under Ohio law, animal-drawn vehicles operated on public roads must display a white light to the front, red lights or reflectors to the rear, a constantly flashing yellow lamp visible from at least 1,000 feet, and either a slow-moving-vehicle emblem or reflective tape, according to Ohio Revised Code Section 4513.114. Violating the equipment requirement is a minor misdemeanor.
Deputies asked drivers to never honk a horn near a buggy, noting that horses can be startled by sudden loud noises — a car horn, revving engine or screeching tires — and may bolt into traffic or flip the carriage. When passing, the sheriff’s office said drivers should only do so where pavement markings allow and visibility is completely clear, pulling out wide and leaving at least 20 feet of clearance ahead of the horse before merging back into the lane.
The office also asked drivers to watch for buggies preparing to turn left. Buggies normally travel close to the right shoulder, but a driver making a left turn must drift toward the center of the lane first, so motorists should look for a mechanical turn signal or the operator’s hand signal before attempting to pass. Deputies reminded drivers that many buggies carry entire families and that children sometimes operate smaller, low-profile pony carts that sit even lower to the ground and are harder to spot than a full-size buggy.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Highland County Sheriff’s Office.
