I'm just surprised no one was dead

[PepperElf]

Car + Amish Buggy =


We passed by the wreck a couple of weeks ago. I was rather stunned... and the next morning as soon as I woke up I checked the local news to see if anyone survived.

Nothing about the horses - I pretty much assumed they're a complete loss just like the rest of the buggy. However the man driving was apparently airlifted to the hospital for "what appeared to be non-life-threatening injuries".


I'm rather glad he survived.
I'm just wondering if the driver (of the car that is) is going to face any charges.


I mean hell... most Amish around here drive on the shoulder of that road AND have high-vis reflectors on. So there's no good reason to hit them. Especially if you're paying attention to the road.

[Luna Baby]

Pepper, where we live, here in rural KY, it's often that we are hearing about a car vs buggy accident. Way more often that necessary. In fact, a nearby community just lost an Amish lady in an accident where the buggy she was riding in was hit by another vehicle. Many times, the horses are a loss as well. It's rare that they survive. The saddest part of all-most of these accidents could be avoided, but the Amish in this area are willing to go to jail for not displaying their orange triangles or any other means of making themselves visible.

[PepperElf]

that's sad.

Both my BF and I always make a point of going to the furthest lane possible, and slowing down a bit, when we pass them.

I mean I doubt the horses will spook, but we like giving them some breathing room on the road.


BTW
cos I'm in KY too.

[fireheart]

The saddest part of all-most of these accidents could be avoided, but the Amish in this area are willing to go to jail for not displaying their orange triangles or any other means of making themselves visible.

Without going too far into Fratching, the reason behind it is generally that having those hi-vis reflectors or similar could be considered vanity, which they usually try to avoid.

It does depend on which group you talk to though. The rules can vary between groups and ideally the leaders for that group should be able to make an exception for safety reasons. (For instance, a number of Amish communities will allow a family to have an inverter or similar to power medical equipment)

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

The Amish in my neck of the woods (yes, there are some) tend to have somebody drive them whenever they need to come into town for something.

I've loaded up stuff for them. They came in a big van with a trailer. As non-sucky as a customer can be.

There is the sign with the buggy on it on the highway as you get near their area, but I've yet to see one.

[EvilEmpryss]

There's an Amish market in Dover, DE, and while the streets aren't exactly filled with buggies, they aren't a rare sight, either. Some of the back roads, though, where they prefer to drive, are twisty and have the occasional rise-and-dip that make it impossible to see them until you're right up on them. I do recall that when I lived there it was common to hear about a vehicle-vs-buggy accident at least once a year. One year a whole family was wiped out by a teen who was having fun speeding on the back roads in her new car, and they *did* have the orange marking on their buggy.

Though the horses are pretty good about not shying, you'd also hear about people honking when going past just to try to spook the horses.

Most of the time you get the people griping about how the horse and buggy don't belong on the roads because they can't go as fast or get out of the way of the cars. People just need to slow down and show some respect to those sharing the road.

[Shalom]

Most of the time you get the people griping about how the horse and buggy don't belong on the roads because they can't go as fast or get out of the way of the cars.

The horse-and-buggies were there first.

[Jetfire]

The horse-and-buggies were there first.

*chuckle* Just what I was thinking.

We have a community (not amish but similar) up near where my parents live. (In fact they're between my parents' place and town). Before the highway was twinned you might see them on the Highway going to/from town with their horse and buggy, especially on Friday's (When the farmer's market is). Now they go by the secondary road. Luckily, I don't think I've heard of any accidents (which is a bit of a miracle in itself), but it is a small community.

[PepperElf]

The Amish in my neck of the woods (yes, there are some) tend to have somebody drive them whenever they need to come into town for something.

I've loaded up stuff for them. They came in a big van with a trailer. As non-sucky as a customer can be.

There is the sign with the buggy on it on the highway as you get near their area, but I've yet to see one.

We have signs on one of the major roads here. I don't normally see the buggies on that road because many families take the back roads instead, but every so often we see some out there.

It does depend on which group you talk to though. The rules can vary between groups and ideally the leaders for that group should be able to make an exception for safety reasons. (For instance, a number of Amish communities will allow a family to have an inverter or similar to power medical equipment)

Indeed there are differences. In my county we have two Amish settlements and a mixture of both traditional Amish and Mennonite. So some of the families do make use of simple electronic devices (such as a solar calculator) and of course safety lights on the buggy.

[Cia]

Poor horses

[Lace Neil Singer]

Near where I used to live, there were a lot of horse riders and I'd often come upon them on the roads. Not being an arsehole, I'd slow down to pass and give a wide berth. The same went for the few people around who had pony traps; anyone who honks at a pony traps deserves a smack with a clue by four. Country lanes are going to sport occasional equines; what do drivers think that the horses in the surrounding fields are there for, decoration?

[sstabeler]

Unfortunately, yes. That or the various equestrian events. It's rarer than you'd think that people think of horses for transport purposes.