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Road hazards

Posted 6/4/15

It is interesting to read comments that have been made about Amish and their buggies without the slow moving vehicle triangles. Some comments were obviously made by people using logic. Other comments …

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Road hazards

Posted

It is interesting to read comments that have been made about Amish and their buggies without the slow moving vehicle triangles. Some comments were obviously made by people using logic. Other comments were nothing short of people hating Amish. I contend that if one is driving in an area of our county that is inhabited by members of the Amish community, one should expect to encounter buggies at any given time; day or night, exhibiting the triangles or not. I do not see this issue any different than any other potential situation motorists might encounter in travels. I cannot believe that some of these accidents, or near misses, were not the direct result of the motorists driving in an unsafe manner. A case in point - not involving the Amish, but, showing how some motorists drive with their heads where the sun doesn't shine - happened to me just this week. It is daytime. A straight stretch of backcountry road. A doe and her newly born fawn were on the shoulder of the road. I stopped and activated my emergency flashers. Now, I realize some people don't like deer or even care about them. That is their prerogative. However, a vehicle approached from the opposite direction. That driver did not even slow down, simply stared at me like I was stupid. Here is a full grown deer standing on the shoulder of the road, there is a full size 4 wheel drive crew-cab pickup parked in the opposite driving lane with it's emergency flashers activated. Now, wouldn't you think a prudent driver, upon seeing all of this, act accordingly and slow down or stop? Maybe he did not see the deer, but, he surely saw my vehicle! There were certainly indications to him that something was amiss, and therefore, a possible danger or hazard existed! It is this kind of motorist that is as much a menace as any Amish buggy. When operating a motor vehicle, one must be prepared at all times for any and all road hazards.