Animal-Drawn Vehicle Safety

Animal-drawn vehicle safety is a critical, year-round priority in Sauk County, particularly during summer traffic peaks when rural buggy encounters rise. Due to the frequent use of animal-drawn vehicles on local roads and a steady rise in distracted driving, the Sauk County Traffic Safety Commission has discussed this issue to identify prevention solutions.

These types of unfortunate accidents are a reality in Sauk County and across Wisconsin. Many of these incidents occur when a motorist strikes an animal-drawn vehicle from behind. Crash data shows these crashes are primarily caused by low visibility of the animal-drawn vehicle and distracted or aggressive driving.

Since 2017, Wisconsin has seen 318 traffic crashes involving horse-drawn, resulting in 19 fatalities and 304 injuries. During the same timeframe, 15 of those crashes occurred in Sauk County, resulting in two fatalities and 13 injuries. Local crash factors mirror statewide trends, showing that of the 15 crashes in Sauk County, 10 involved horse-drawn vehicles being struck from behind, and six noted distracted or aggressive driving as a primary factor.

Preventing these collisions requires shared responsibility from both motor vehicle and animal-drawn operators. It’s important that all drivers are aware of the applicable traffic laws, their responsibilities as drivers, and are aware of other vehicle types sharing the roadways.

“I want to remind people to watch closely for these vehicles, especially in the rural areas of our county, and to slow down immediately when you see them” said Captain Matt Burch. “Motorists are legally required to treat horse-drawn vehicles like any other vehicle on the road. All passing and traffic laws apply when you encounter these vehicles.”

State law requires all animal-drawn vehicles to be equipped with specific front and rear lighting, as well as slow-moving vehicle emblems. Locally, buggy operators are showing compliance with these regulations. Many are even taking safety a step further by wearing reflective vests when operating open, unenclosed buggies.

Moving forward, the Sauk County Sheriff’s Office and Sauk County Traffic Safety Commission will continue to analyze these crashes to help identify solutions to prevent them. Local strategies combine motorist education, increased safety signage, and evaluating roadway factors such as speed limit reductions in the areas we are seeing these incidents. The county will also continue to work with the community members who utilize these horse-drawn vehicles on driver safety education and collaborate on collision prevention.

Matt Burch

Sauk County Sheriff Field Services Captain