Why some Amish would rather go to jail than make simple update to a tradition that has been blamed for killing dozens

On Sunday, July 14, astir 6pm, a 2006 Ford F250 careened into nan backmost of an Amish horse-drawn carriage successful Cumberland County, Virginia, sidesplitting an eight-year-old woman who was riding inside.

Just complete an hr later, a 2020 achromatic Ford Escape smashed into nan rear of an Amish buggy successful Lowville, New York, sidesplitting a 17-year-old boy.

The 2 tragic accidents travel amid a devastating surge successful fatal crashes involving Amish vehicles, whose debased speeds and mediocre visibility are wreaking havoc connected nan roads.

Yet immoderate stubborn Anabaptist communities are refusing to comply pinch caller laws designed to amended nationalist information - moreover though their ain children are being killed arsenic a result.

Ardent traditionalists opportunity they won't hole electrical lights to their buggies because it conflicts pinch their belief beliefs, sparking nan ire of section residents.

One sect successful Ohio has moreover said they would alternatively beryllium thrown successful jailhouse than discuss their principles.

The guidelines disconnected has divided opinion, pinch immoderate defending nan Amish and pointing nan digit alternatively astatine sloppy motorists.

Indeed, preliminary investigations into nan crashes past period look to propose nan Amish were not to blame.

But location is simply a increasing assemblage of grounds that indicates nan horse-drawn buggies are progressive successful an alarming number of postulation accidents.

In Virginia, location were 24 collisions involving a equine and carriage betwixt 2016 and 2022, which resulted successful 4 fatalities and astatine slightest 65 injuries, according to nan Virginia Mercury.

A study conducted by nan Ohio Department of Transportation successful 2019 revealed that location were 723 buggy-related crashes successful nan authorities betwixt 2009 and 2019, pinch 350 starring to injuries and 17 resulting successful fatalities.

There were 100 buggy crashes successful 2023 alone, according to nan Ohio State Highway Patrol, pinch nan fig for 2024 connected way to transcend that.

In an effort to reside nan issue, nan authorities passed a rule successful 2022 to require Amish buggies and different animal-drawn vehicles to show a yellowish flashing ray while driving connected nationalist streets.

The measure was supported by much progressive members of nan Amish community. 

'A fewer of my friends person been killed, and galore hurt, including maine and my parents,' 1 supportive testimonial said. 

'That's not it, nan English [a word nan Amish usage to mention to non-Amish] person to unrecorded pinch that emotion to person deed someone. I americium very sorry for that. Most of this could person been prevented, including my accident, by 1 elemental step, [a] strobe light.'

The ultra blimpish Swartzentruber Amish successful Ashland County, however, person resisted nan change.

Shortly aft nan rule was passed, dashcam footage obtained by FOX 8 showed 2 Amish men being pulled complete by a lawman for failing to comply.

When asked if they were alert of nan flashing ray requirement, 1 of nan men told nan deputy, 'We heard astir it. I would put it connected but my bishop is not allowing me.'

Lt. Brad Bishop said astatine nan clip that elders and bishops were resentful of nan caller law, arguing that utilizing electrical lights was 'not what their forefathers did'.

In January 2023, dozens of Swartzentrubers were slapped pinch fines of up to $150 each for violating nan law. The magistrate who doled them retired tried to impressment connected them nan seriousness of nan matter, stressing that nan rule was successful spot 'for nan information of yourself and your family arsenic good arsenic nan information of nan driving public'.

One by one, however, they refused to salary up, citing belief reasons. They said their traditions require them to support their buggies 'plain and simple' and a yellowish flashing ray was excessively 'worldly'.

Several indicated they would alternatively spell to jailhouse than pay.

The matter went up to a municipal judge, who ruled that an Ohio Supreme Court lawsuit prohibits him jailing defendants that garbage to salary fines for non-jailable offenses.

Instead, he tried to logic pinch them.

'Are you going to salary your fines?' Judge John Good asked 1 of nan Amish members, Ashland Source reported.

'No, not astatine this point,' was nan response.

'Are you ever going to salary them?' Good asked back.

'Not that I cognize of.'

'Could you salary them if you had nan income aliases funds?' Good continued.

'Yup, but I can't salary them for belief reasons.'

Other exchanges followed a akin pattern. Exasperated, Good asked nan defendants what he should do.

Most of them said they didn't know, but 1 defendant, William Zook, had a proposal to make.

'Pray,' he said.

'It's nan champion proposal I've gotten each day, Mr. Zook,' Good replied.

Throughout nan hearings, nan judge expressed discomfort astir having to punish nan Amish for adhering to their belief beliefs.

But successful February, he dismissed challenges by immoderate Swartzentrubers that nan buggy rule was unconstitutional, concluding that it was justified successful nan sanction of nationalist safety.

'I've tried to beryllium patient, but now it's to nan constituent wherever you person pushed nan tribunal up against nan wall to wherever I person to determine that I'm either gonna fto this spell aliases I'm gonna do everything successful my powerfulness to impact nan fines and costs for illustration I would successful immoderate different lawsuit involving immoderate different national successful Ashland County,' Good said.

He placed liens connected their properties that would accrue liking until they paid them off.

Not that it has changed much.

The Swartzentrubers person shown small willingness to cough up. Sergeant Bridget Matt of Ohio State Highway Patrol told DailyMail.com thing had changed connected nan ground, pinch traditionalists still refusing to hole lights to their buggies.

But it is not conscionable Ashland County that is having trouble.

In Charlotte County, Virginia, Amish elders person warned that younger members person refused to travel their guidance to instal lights connected buggies because they 'think they're invincible', nan Farmville Herald reported.

Wayne Wengers, an Amish man from Wayne County, Ohio, who represents his organization connected a authorities steering committee connected nationalist safety, claimed astir 90 per cent of nan Amish were already utilizing lights earlier nan authorities made it mandatory.

He told DailyMail.com it was only a number who were digging their heels in, but admitted this had 'caused tension' pinch locals.

Erik Wesner, who runs nan blog AmishAmerica.com, pointed retired that galore Amish buggy crashes, including those past play successful Virginia and New York, hap successful much progressive communities wherever lights person been fitted to buggies.

This suggests nan fixation connected nan rumor is misdirected, he added.

Others person gone further, moreover suggesting a conspiracy against nan Amish.

In an sentiment file published successful nan Columbus Dispatch past year, Cory Anderson, a clever clever astatine nan Pennsylvania State University and nan Amish and Plain Anabaptist Studies Association, said nan rule connected buggy lights is wholly unproven and was passed nether questionable circumstances.

Anderson, who completed a master's thesis connected centrifugal vehicle-buggy clang scenarios, said nan rule feigned Amish support, including a missive purporting to beryllium from nan Amish organization but including only non-Amish names.

He added that nan implementation of nan battery-powered flashing lights connected Amish buggies prompts debates astir imaginable belief targeting, arsenic members of strict Amish denominations entity to these lights connected belief grounds.

When contacted by DailyMail.com, he issued a cryptic response. 

'I astir apt cognize much of what's going connected than anyone other and request to beryllium observant pinch what I know,' he said. 'At this moment, nan business is delicate enough.'