The Amish community wants to be able to practice their religion more closely and ditch the orange safety triangles that they have been legally mandated to affix on the back of their carriages. Yesterday Kentucky’s General Assembly voted out the old rule but Governor Steve Beshear has yet to sign it.
This buggy drama has been a topic of debate for quite some time. Several Amish individuals have been arrested for refusing to attach the triangles in the past and now they might be able to get around this by placing reflective silver or white tape on the back of the carriage instead.
At the heart of the issue is whether or not the government should put religious freedoms before public safety.
Check out this Amish car accident!
There have been numerous fatal collisions across the nation between automobiles and buggies. Last November one Amish teenager died after being struck by an SUV in Cub Run, KY. He was driving a buggy that was low to the ground and the cart did not have a safety reflector on it.
Considering that opposition to the rule has caused numerous fatalities, why are people from this religion so resistant to what seems to be a minor and necessary infringement on their way of life?
U-T San Diego reports:
John Hostetler, a Graves County Amish man cited for not using the signs, filed a paper in court on Monday providing reasons why he and others reject the slow-moving vehicle signs. Hostetler said the triangle is the symbol of the Christian (Holy) Trinity, and they consider the orange color too “flashy.”
The support for the change stems from the need to create traffic safety regulations that the Amish are more likely to abide.