Amish men ordered to jail in buggy safety case

reply to post by Jessicamsa


All the Amish I have ever seen have had that triangular sign on the back of their buggy, and it is for their own safety as 3-ton automobiles go flying by them at 60 mph. Nobody wants to see them splatted on the front of a U-Haul truck.

But the OP raises an interesting point. Does this mean all flow moving "vehicles" will have to have the same placard? Bikes? Mowers? Pedestrians?

reply to post by getreadyalready


As I already said bikes do have to have reflectors in most areas. Large tractors don't usually drive at night. But if they do, they are usually bright green or red, and usually do have some kind of warning device (sign, lights etc)

A buggy is a tiny cart riding along the road black as the night around it... you don't see them until you are literally maybe 50 feet away. But you can usually see the triangles from a far distance from the reflection of the head lights. (I grew up in rural Ohio, I've never seen a buggy without a triangle.)

Ive driven past plenty of buggies and I fail to see how an orange triangle makes any difference.

The damn buggy is huge and lumbering. If you cant see it without that triangle you arent going to see it with the triangle day or night.

I get the feeling this is more about idiot drivers trying to blame their reckless behavior on the corpse they just plowed over.

The moron mass tries the same with bicycles and motorcycles all the time.

Everything but the idiot driver should be banned from road travel because the idiot driver is just too damn stupid to handle slowing down and giving room.

Everyday I get a train of these idiots up my ass pushing 50 in a 30 stacked one on top of the other. Then somebody hits their brakes and they're all shocked and dumbfounded by the ensuing pile up.

reply to post by thisguyrighthere


Well, they are usually black, and lumbering as you say, and the driver's clothes are always drab as well. On a landscape such as Ohio or Missouri where I have seen them, they do tend to blend in with the landscape. Something with some color on it seems appropriate. I like the Amish (don't like the Mennonites), but this is really a safety issue for everyone involved. A mid-sized passenger car would take a ton of damage if it hit the buggy too. Those buggies are heavy and well-built. I'm sure there have been accidents in the past that led to this rule.

Amish buggy fatal accident, Aug. 2011

Baby badly injured when Amish buggy hit.

7 year old killed when Amish buggy hit on way to school.

I didn't read the articles to see if the children were in the buggies or the cars, but it is tragic either way. If everyone was in a buggy, then no problem, but when some people are in 6000 lb SUV's going 60 mph, then the buggy needs some precautions!

I'd like to correct a statement I made in my first post about the Amish not paying taxes, it's only partially true.

www.holycrosslivonia.org...

Do the Amish pay taxes?

Self-employed Amish do not pay Social Security tax. Those employed by non- Amish employers do pay Social Security tax. The Amish do pay real estate, state and federal income taxes, county taxes, sales tax, etc. The Amish do not collect Social Security benefits, nor would they collect unemployment or welfare funds. Self sufficiency is the Amish community's answer to government aid programs. Section 310 of the Medicare section of the Social Security act has a sub-section that permits individuals to apply for exemption from the self-employment tax if he is a member of a religious body that is conscientiously opposed to Social Security benefits but that makes reasonable provision of taking care of their own elderly or dependent members. The Amish have a long history of taking care of their own members. They do not have retirement communities or nursing homes; in most cases, each family takes care of their own, and the Amish community gives assistance as needed.

Originally posted by Rockpuck
reply to post by neo96

 

Um here anyways you will actually get a ticket if you don't have reflectors on your bicycle.....

LAPDs favorite probable cause: no bicycle lights...

No need for this reflector law.. there's already an applicable vehicle code that covers "prima facie speed".. it's called un-safe speed for conditions or speeding. If the posted speed is 55, but it's raining heavily... the prima facie speed / speed safe for conditions will be >55.

If a buggy is an obvious traffic hazard or danger to others, the "safe speed" for those conditions is zero mph.. they should be stopped and cited on an individual basis.. the last things any of us needs are new ways for the govt to jack cash & detain people..