CANTON, MN – The Minnesota Department of Transportation has installed new flashing driver alert signs to help increase motorist awareness that an Amish buggy is on the road on a stretch of Highway 44 between Mabel and Canton in Fillmore County where the shoulder narrows with guard rail.
The system is expected to improve safety for the slow-moving buggies in an area of Minnesota that is home to the largest Amish community in Minnesota. The horse-drawn buggies are typically driven on the shoulder to avoid conflicts with the vehicles. However, there is a stretch of Highway 44 that has narrow shoulders where guard rail is placed. It forces the buggies to travel on the road. The purpose of this safety system is to alert the motorist of the presence of a buggy at this location.
The system is similar to the warning systems used in MnDOT’s Rural Intersection Conflict Warning Systems. A sensor is activated, signaling a flashing beacon to warn motorists on Highway 44 to watch for a buggy.
The stretch of Highway 44 is east of its junction with Highway 52. One sign in each direction has a flashing beacon that is activated when a buggy is approximately 150 feet from the start of the guard rail. The sign has an Amish buggy symbol with a flashing beacon mounted on top and a sign below that indicates the warning is in effect when flashing.
This area is near the Highway 52 Amish Buggy Byway where the largest Amish community in Minnesota resides and often traverses by horse-drawn buggy to communities and their homes. The area has seen a fatal buggy-vehicle crash in 2023 and another crash in 2025 both occurring on Fillmore County roads in the area.
This is the first system of its kind deployed by MnDOT.
Leave a Reply