Ohio State University Fact Sheet

Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering

590 Woody Hayes Dr., Columbus, Ohio 43210

Buggy Lighting and Marking Recommendations

AEX-596.4-03

Dr. Thomas Bean
Professor, Safety Leader

Wayne Dellinger
Program Coordinator

Introduction

Horse-drawn buggies have been used by the Amish as the primary means of transportation for generations. While this use of buggy transportation has remained constant, rural populations have grown, and tourism in Amish communities has increased. This leads to many more motorists sharing the same roads as buggies. Amish acceptance of a universal buggy lighting and marking practice may be one way to increase public awareness of buggies on the roadway and decrease buggy/motor vehicle incidences.

Ohio State University Extension, both at the state and county level, law enforcement officers, and a safety committee of Amish have worked together to establish a recommended practice for marking and lighting of Amish buggies. These recommendations are the result of research and community demonstration projects conducted since 1994 with Amish representatives playing a very active role. One additional source of information that provided guidance was the American Society of Agricultural Engineers (ASAE).

In August 2001, the ASAE proposed an engineering practice for lighting and marking of animal-drawn vehicles, including buggies. The purpose of this engineering practice was to provide a unique lighting and marking pattern for use solely on animal-drawn vehicles.

Buggy Lighting and Marking

An outline of the recommended lighting and marking pattern for use on Amish buggies is presented here.

Buggy Side View (See Figure 1.)

• Three strips of yellow (or white) retroreflective material at least one-inch wide and nine-inches long placed along the frame.
• An additional nine-inch strip of yellow (or white) retroreflective material placed along each side of the shafts.

Buggy Front View (See Figure 2.)

• Two headlamps.
• Two strips of yellow (or white) retroreflective material at least one-inch wide and nine-inches long placed along the top of the frame.

Buggy Rear View (See Figure 3.)

• Two red tail lamps. (The incorporation of turn signals on these lamps is optional.)
• Two flashing amber warning lamps, visible to the front and the rear.
• Alternating red retroreflective/red-orange fluorescent material at least one-inch wide and nine-inches long outlining the sides and top. As an alternative to the red/red-orange pattern, white retroreflective material may be used.
• If white retroreflective material is used, two red reflectors should be mounted on the rear.
• Slow-moving vehicle (SMV) emblem.
• For additional rear visibility, an L.E.D. (Light Emitting Diode) light may be mounted on the top-center.

Reference

ASAE, EP576, Animal-Drawn Vehicle Lighting and Marking, ASAE Standards, American Society of Agricultural Engineers (ASAE), St. Joseph, MI 49085.

Acknowledgments

Reviewed by Erdal Ozkan and Jon Rausch, The Ohio State University, Department of Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering.

Funded in part by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Ohio Department of Public Safety (ODPS), and the Governor's Highway Safety Office (GHSO). The Ohio Amish Project is an affiliated program of the Great Lakes Center for Agricultural Safety and Health.

Resources

Retroreflective material, American Society of Agricultural Engineers (ASAE), S279.11, April 2001.

Lighting and Marking of Agricultural Equipment on Highways.

SMV Emblem, ASAE, S276.5, May 1998.

Slow-Moving Vehicle Identification Emblem.

Headlamp, SAE J975, JUN93

Headlamps for Agricultural Equipment Tail Lamp, SAE J585, DEC94

Tail Lamps (Rear Position Lamps) for use on Motor Vehicles Less Than 2032 mm in Overall Width.

Warning Flasher, SAE J974, JUN93

Flashing Warning Lamp for Agricultural Equipment.

Reflector, SAE J594, JUL95

Reflex Reflectors L.E.D. Light, SAE J1889, JUN99 L.E.D. Lighting Devices HS-34/00

For additional information, visit the following web site at http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~agsafety or request a listing of the available Amish Fact Sheets from your local county Extension office.

Click here for a PDF version of this fact sheet.