Pony Cart Lighting and Marking

Developing Effective Lighting and Marking Designs for Use on Amish Pony Carts and Other Low-Profile Horse-Drawn Wagons: Dr. Dee Jepsen

Summary:  More commonly children in pony carts are being involved in crashes with automobiles. Many fatalities are largely due to the low profile of the cart and the lack of the lighting and marking; both of these factors do not give vehicle operators time to react to the slow-moving pony cart. A new lighting and marking standard was developed by Ohio State University’s Agricultural Safety and Health Program in cooperation with National Amish Safety Leaders to improve the visibility of pony carts when sharing the roads with motor vehicles.

Situation:  More commonly children in pony carts are being involved in crashes with automobiles. Many fatalities are largely due to the low profile of the cart and the lack of the lighting and marking; both of these factors do not give vehicle operators time to react to the slow-moving pony cart. An ASABE Recommended Practice is currently in place for horse-drawn buggies and wagons. Such recommendations are being implemented in many sectors of the Anabaptist populations. However, a modification to this Standard is needed for uniformly marking pony carts for better visibility.

Response:  Eight community stakeholder meetings were held in Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania with Amish Safety leaders and pony cart manufacturers to identify product materials that were acceptable with Amish culture. A template was developed and shared with ASABE Standards Committee PM23/Lighting and Marking as a Project Proposal Form. Lighting and marking demonstrations were conducted at Amish sponsored outreach events showing the new proposed recommendations to over 8,000 Amish participants. Prior to formal acceptance of the new standard, we met with the National Amish Safety Committee with 55 members from IL, IN, IA, KY, MI, OH, PA, and Ontario Canada.

Impact:  The majority of crashes result in property damage, death of the horse (pony), and multiple injuries or fatalities to those riding in the cart/buggy.  A new lighting and marking standard was developed by Ohio State University’s Agricultural Safety and Health Program in cooperation with National Amish Safety Leaders to improve the visibility of pony carts when sharing the roads with motor vehicles. The new standard will increase the reaction time of motorists to recognize the low-profile carts, and decrease injuries and fatalities.  The cost of crashes involving motor and horse-drawn vehicle crashes is high.  Implementing this new standard will cost approximately $14 compared to the costs of medical treatment, property damage recovery, and loss of life.