Driving through rural areas provides views of cornfields, cows, barns, and horse-drawn buggies. These buggies move at speeds of around 10 miles per hour. Branch, Hillsdale, and St. Joseph Counties are home to approximately 30 percent of Michigan's Amish population. Blind hills and curves may increase the risk of crashes, especially due to the low visibility of black buggies and dark horses. Horse and buggy accidents can lead to psychological trauma, injuries, and fatalities for both people and horses.
What motorists should know:
The difference in speed between a horse and buggy and a motor vehicle means that motorists have a short time in which to take action to avoid a crash. Most crashes between a motor vehicle and a horse and buggy are rear-end or clipping crashes. You may think that most crashes occur in low light conditions, but in our area, the majority happen in daylight hours. Remember, you have more horsepower, so have more patience and share the road.
Here are some tips to ensure everyone is safe on our roadways:
Horse and Buggy Crashes:
Between 2016 and 2023, 78 horse and buggy crashes occurred within our three counties. To explore the details of horse and buggy crashes within our jurisdiction, click here to view the locations and crash specifics:
Blue dots indicate crashes during 2024
Green dots represent crashes from 2016 to 2023
Resources:
This was prepared in cooperation with funding from the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning and U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed are those of the author(s) and are not necessarily those of the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning or the U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.