Amish America

Bush 41, Amish, Mennonites, and drugs

I recently came across a transcript from George Bush senior's 1989 meeting with Mennonite and Amish leaders in Lancaster County.  It's interesting to read not only for those seeking late 80s era nostalgia but for the interesting dynamic between the President and the typically spotlight-shunning Amish and Mennonites as they take the stage in a very high-profile context. 

The event is ostensibly about Bush meeting with Amish and Mennonites to celebrate as well as extract lessons from them on how they keep their communities clean of chemical influences. 

Bush, accompanied by drug czar Bill Bennett and Attorney General Dick Thornburgh, on numerous occasions "salutes" the Mennonites and Amish, and--given typical plain sentiment about receiving accolades--at times perhaps a bit too strongly for comfort, at one point calling them "a shining example of what family and faith can do."

While there may be truth to that statement, it also makes one wonder how comfortable the leaders were receiving such praise.  The Mennonite leaders do the bulk of the talking, with the Amish commenting just a bit at the end.  More recently, Amish were awkwardly thrust onto the world stage after the Nickel Mines shooting.  Some at the time acknowledged that though they may not seek out the spotlight, the forgiveness example could have a positive influence on others.  Perhaps it's in that same spirit the Mennonites and Amish agreed to the forum with the President.

The Mennonite and Amish leaders push family values and the importance of the Bible throughout the meeting with Bush and his contingent acknowledging their importance.  Bush, notably less outwardly religious than his son, nonetheless comes out strongly for prayer in schools, at the time a hotpoint issue.

The tone of the meeting is quite warm and there are a couple of humorous exchanges towards the end, as well as Bush sharing an interesting anecdote from his days as US emissary to China. 

The ironic 'ending' to this story is of course the infamous 1998 Lancaster County drug bust when two young Amish men were caught dealing cocaine.  The aftermath saw drug education meetings in the community as well as a move towards heavier adult involvement in Amish youth 'gangs'.  Later media such as the Devil's Playground film and the Rumspringa book continued to put the lie to the idea of universally pristine, drug-free plain communities.  At the same time it would be quite a stretch to take localized occurences to portray the collective Amish as having a serious drug problem. 

Amish and the law

Interesting article in the Mount Vernon News about the relationship between law enforcement and Amish in a few Ohio communities.

One of the two sherriffs interviewed--hailing from Knox County, an area with a relatively small Amish population--says that law enforcement tries to be sensitive to Amish customs and in particular the Amish system of church discipline.  "I believe a lot of times things get handled within the community," he says, a point his Holmes County counterpart seems to agree with.  Exactly what those 'things' he is referring to are, is unclear from this piece.

When criminal offenses occur, the law must become involved.  As a rule, Amish readily cooperate with law enforcement.  At the same time, that cooperation is not necessarily universal, and as one of the sherriffs points out, "without a victim, there’s little we can do."

The question remains as to how often criminal acts in Amish communities go unreported?  There has been a tendency in some media to play up a supposed 'dark side' of Amish society in a theatrical way.  A long-ago blog post examined one 20/20 piece on an abuse case which painted the Amish with a big brush, in a report complete with ominous music and tired generalizations. 

Assuming Amish communities conceal rampant domestic crime is pushing the idea a bit far.  At the same time, in smaller, more isolated, and often more conservative and 'closed' settlements, the likelihood of a criminal act being absorbed by the community is probably greater. 

Indiana Amish vindicated: 'Daylight savings' actually sucking savings out of Hoosier pockets

A couple of years back I wrote on the Amish aversion to daylight savings time.

I cited an informal survey I'd done among northern Indiana Amish unhappy with the state's forced change to DST in 2006.  Previously only a few counties had followed it. 

Among their reasons for being anti-DST, Amish have pointed to tradition and the extra hour of summer sunlight (translated:  an extra hour to be outside working and for children to be running around) as tiring. 

Turns out there are economic negatives as well. 

The Wall Street Journal ran an article a while back titled 'Daylight Saving Wastes Energy, Study Says' on research showing that the Indiana change has cost households $8.6 million in increased electric bills.

One big reason is the greater use of air-conditioning, less common when DST studies were performed three decades ago. 

Coming home earlier from work means cooling the house for an extra hour.  It may also mean heating it during the cooler morning period.

Though the study seems to prove the case pretty solidly, some caution against applying it to all states and regions, as local factors such as climate may vary. 

Interestingly, it seems this isn't the only time issue for Indiana.  The article closes by noting that 'a separate debate over whether the state should be on Central or Eastern Time rages on.'

(Oh yeah--and if you haven't changed your clock yet today...)

Plus: Donald Kraybill on DST and four Ohio Amish affiliations

Indiana Amish lecture by Professor Steven Nolt

Goshen College has kindly passed along a link to a recent lecture on the northern Indiana Amish given by Professor Steven Nolt. 

Professor Nolt is one of the preeminent scholars on the Amish.  He has written numerous books, including A History of the Amish and Plain Diversity (w/Thomas Meyers) on Amish communities in Indiana.

Nolt explains that northern Indiana is unusual in that it allows much diversity among districts. 

He contrasts this with other communities where uniform standards are required or where differences would more likely result in new affiliations being formed. 

He also discusses the impact of recent economic decline on the region and the unusual situation of local Amish men accepting government unemployment assistance.

Interesting bits from the lecture:

• Indiana is the only state where you'll find license plates on buggies, though not every county requires them.  Thus in the community at Nappanee, some have plates while others do not. 
• Amish population growth has resulted both from having large families as well as an increased retention rate.  Nolt estimates that of children born in the 1930s, less than 80% joined the Amish church.  Today that figure stands at around 95%.
• A few northern Indiana Old Order districts hold biweekly Sunday School, but most do not.
• During the Great Depression, church leaders temporarily allowed young unemployed men to acquire drivers' licenses for delivery jobs, with the stipulation that they be used only on the job and only while working for a non-Amish employer.
• The rates of children joining the Amish church are no lower among factory families than the settlement average.
• The average age of ordained ministers has fallen from 40 a couple of decades ago to 32 today. Professor Nolt has an interesting explanation why.

The northern Indiana Amish and the RV blues

A Goshen News article just out on layoffs among nothern Indiana Amish factory workers brings to light the challenge that local Amish, many of whom are dependent on factory income, are facing as hours and jobs are cut in a limping economy.

Most Amish heads of household work in the local RV industry, and most people would consider RVs a non-essential item. 

Skyrocketing oil prices in the first half of the year certainly did not help RV sales, though one would think that to be less of a factor now that they've subsided to sub-$2 levels.  Of course, what happens once, can happen again...

The Amish in northern Indiana are in a bit different situation occupationally than those in the other two large settlements, Holmes County, OH and Lancaster, PA.  While those two communities are highly entrepreneurial, northern Indiana is less so. 

Entrepreneurial pursuits here are less developed, often comprising 'sideline' work rather than a full-time occupation.  This is easy to see when traveling through the settlement.  You don't find nearly as many shops here as you do in the community's Ohio and PA counterparts. 

Statistically, the local Amish are much more heavily dependent on factory work.  'Farmettes', plots of just a few acres with a small horse barn and not much else, are popular, yet farming itself has dwindled to low levels. 

Selling books in the Elkhart/Lagrange community in the summer of 2006, I had a firsthand look at this community as I visited each of the 120+ church districts. 

Even in that period, temporary layoffs were occurring among the Amish.  Some factory hands were on a four-day a week schedule.  Speaking with Amish breadwinners at the time, it was definitely a concern, but not nearly as serious as it seems to be today.

Thanks to high wages, there is, or at least there has been up til now, a lot of disposable cash in this community.  At this point some, if not many, must be rethinking not only purchasing decisions but also their occupational choices.

 

A shift to small business?

The article cites estimates that 50 to 75 percent of Amish factory workers have filed for unemployment.  To be honest, this seems awfully high, but apparently reflects a change in this community on the acceptability of receiving government financial help.  Government assistance is typically avoided by the Amish, who were first granted federally-sanctioned exemption from the Social Security program in the 1960s.

Small businesses are also affected when the economy tightens, but their owners have the advantage of a degree of flexibility that a factory worker dependent upon a single industry simply does not have.

For example, some Amish home builders have shifted to remodeling work, a sector that tends to prove more resilient when new home building declines.  Other entrepreneurs are able to specialize or to focus on goods and services whose demand is less affected by economic downturns. 

In my opinon, the two most interesting issues here are the unemployment benefits situation and the implications it will have for Amish in this and other communities, and also the question of whether small business among the Amish in northern Indiana will be boosted in the long-term as a result of this recession. 

According to the article, it seems that there has been some new interest among local Amish for small business, but whether it indicates a significant, long-lasting shift remains to be seen.

My gut says that if that many Amish have shown interest in unemployment benefits, there will be a marked change in the perception of factory work vis-a-vis the sustainability of the Amish way of living in this community. 

For a long time, the factory has been seen as a simple way to support a family on a very comfortable income.  But it seems that local Amish are really getting bitten this time due to overdependence on a single industry.  Economic hard times will pass and RVs will likely return, but not without the community having drawn a lesson from the experience.  

So if I were a betting man, I'd bet there will be a significant, long-lasting upward change in the percentage of northern Indiana Amish operating their own (full-time) firms. 

Part Two: An Amish America Q-and-A with a Lancaster County Amishman

In this second part of an interview with an anonymous Lancaster County Amishman, we look at the phenomenon of outsiders joining the Amish, using the Amish name to market and sell products to the public, Amish participation in the recent presidential election, and the meaning and purpose of shunning. 

(And if you missed the first part, here it is: An Amish America Q-and-A with a Lancaster County Amishman, Part 1)

A lot of people express admiration for what they perceive as the 'Amish' way of life. Some even express a desire to join. Yet in reality, outsiders rarely convert to the faith. Why do you think this is the case? And if the Amish feel that Amish living is the best way to pursue the Christian ideal, why do you think the Amish aren't more aggressive in pursuing outsiders with the goal of sharing the community?

The first thing is obviously the huge cultural gap and the differing worldviews.

The next is I am not so sure at all that the Amish feel that Amish living is the best way to pursue the Christian ideal.  Or certainly not in a comparative sense or in a rational weighing of pros and cons.  If the Amish feel it is the best way it is not meant in a superior way meaning all the rest are inferior but rather it is perhaps the best way for the Amish themselves since the way of life is seen as a calling or a gift from above.  It is not a bed of roses but rather entails sacrifice.

As to why the Amish are not more aggressive in pursuing outsiders I think there are two primary reasons.
The first is the martyr heritage which has caused Amish to be somewhat reserved and shy and suspicious of outsiders.

The second is somewhat ironically the nearly complete loss of the one true church concept that was prevalent in Anabaptism in Europe.

The Amish today know that salvation means believing in the Lord and following his commandments.

If we love the Lord and accept Him as our Savior we will have eternal life, whatever denomination we are.

Let me just say this yet.  If the whole world were Amish it would be a boring and bland place indeed.

However if the Amish were gone from the landscape a solid and I would like to think vibrant color would be missing from the American mosaic.

Furthermore, sharing the community can be achieved by means other than converting to the Amish.  I was inspired by the words in Pauline Stevick’s book called Beyond the Plain and Simple.

It was written as follows:

We realize that not everyone is cut out to be one of the Plain People.
Many have not the opportunity.
But here is a challenge.

If you admire our faith—strengthen yours.

If you admire our sense of commitment—deepen yours.

If you admire our community spirit—build one.

If you admire the simple life—cut back.

If you admire quality merchandise or land stewardship, then make quality.
 
If you admire deep character and enduring values—live them.

This I think captures the true essence of evangelism which is spreading the Good News.  It also distinguishes from proselytization which is merely winning converts.

In other words, if people generally bloom where they are planted, then it would be a much better world than if everybody would be Amish.

And also, spiritually at least, the Amish simply do not have that marketing mentality or that urge to promote what they have to offer, in short to sell themselves, that seems to be so prevalent in American society including some churches.


Recently on the blog and in a public lecture at Elizabethtown, I brought up the issue of using the Amish name in order to sell products. The main issue that emerges seems to be the question of what 'Amish' actually means—is it a faith/religion, or a culture? Some entrepreneurs justify using 'Amish' to sell product on the basis of it being a cultural name and nothing more—Christianity being the religion. Yet others are adamantly against it, comparing it to selling one's birthright for a bowl of pottage. As a business owner and member of the community, what's your take on that issue?

Indeed the name Amish does get used to sell product.  And it is something I am not really comfortable with.  If I do the naming I would be more prone to call the product a Lancaster County product or Pennsylvania Dutch product or a product of the Plain People.

However this is an issue where balance and avoidance of extremes is very much in order.  For instance, at our farmer’s market deli, I do sell Amish Butter Cheese and Amish Roll Butter, etc.  And I really don’t have a serious issue with that provided the product really is an Amish product.

Truth in advertising is of the essence.  As to whether Amish means a culture or a faith/religion, I would say as a culture it is different from typical Modern Culture but as a faith it is essentially Christian with the same basic tenets as any Evangelical, Fundamentalist, or Biblical Church.

Such as belief in the Trinity, The Apostles’ Creed, The Bible as the divine Word of God, Salvation by Grace through Faith and the Crucifixion as atonement for humankind’s sin.  However for the Amish, culture and religion are intertwined to the point where it is hard to separate the two.  Indeed it is a faith culture.  So if we hang on to our beards, buggies, and bonnets only so we can sell trinkets, we will indeed have sold our souls and our birthright for a bowl of porridge. 

Or to the other extreme, if we sacralize the name Amish to the point that we can hardly use it at all we will have missed the point, which is, our lives are to be a light to the world and a service to Christ.

As it was a rather unusual election season in terms of length and level of coverage, many Americans reached the point of overdosing on politics. How much of that gets through to the Amish community, and how do members of the community find out about political issues? Was there are lot of interest in the election? Bush visited Ohio and PA in '04 in search of votes from the Amish community. How much interest did the Amish have in voting this time around, and how many in your community do you think voted?

It is a subject that gets talked about quite a bit depending on the personalities of those in the discussion.  Members find out about political issues through contacts with outsiders and newspapers and news magazines primarily.  There was kind of a resignation about the current election I think mostly because most Amish are “armchair Republicans” and it was obvious that the Bush administration fell short.

There was a lot less interest in voting this time around mostly because of the war.  I would venture to guess about 25% of those who voted  in ’04 voted this year which translates into a lot less than 10%, although I have no statistics to back this up.  It would be interesting to know myself.  I also don’t think Sarah Palin had much effect on Amish opinion.

I think one thing that gets a lot of attention in the media is the idea of shunning. Some paint it in the worst tones possible. Others recognize it as a Biblically-rooted social device that helps preserve the church. Correct me if I'm wrong, but as I understand it, social shunning in the Amish church is done not in a spirit of vengeance, but in a spirit of love and out of the hope of getting an erring member to change his/her ways.

First of all I believe the name "shunning" itself is a misnomer.  Shunning makes you think of avoidance or ostracizing when in reality only some forms of interaction are restrained.  “Shunning” as practiced today could perhaps be best described as a ritualistic reminder of having gone astray and having broken your commitment to the Lord Jesus and the body of believers you made your commitment and baptismal promise with. Notice I said 'with' as opposed to 'to'.

It is also a statement that the rest of the flock has no intention of leaving the fold and that it takes its commitment to the Lord and each other seriously.  But most of all it is done so the soul of the deviant may be saved on the day of Judgement.

It is based on a literal and biblical interpretation of the commandments of Christ and the apostles—Matthew 18;  1 Corinthians 5;  2 Thessalonians 3:14;  Titus 3:10;  1 Timothy 5;  2 Corinthians 10:8;  2 Corinthians 13:10;  John 15.  Therefore the feeling is, a mandate for filial discipline amongst a body of believers is very plainly mandated in the Scripture.  With that being said, shunning is usually done with great reluctance and only once there is nothing else left to do.  Upon repentance the relationship is restored and what is in the past stays in the past.

Shunning is never pleasant business both for the church and for the shunned individual and it would be easiest and most convenient to not practice it.

But feeling bound to the Scripture and knowing of no better way other than to try and use Christian Discretion and moderation, the practice continues in varying degrees.  Some almost totally ignore it, especially in private settings, while others are more rigorous.  It is important to remember there is no sacramental value on the ban to the point a banned one is considered as going to hell.  The Lord is still the final judge.

I like what John Ruth had to say about the application of Matt 18 which is the model of church discipline.  When Jesus spoke about the one who rejects the counsel of the ecclesia
(church community) he is to be unto us as a heathen and tax-collector.

Before we take this to mean that we are to despise such persons, we should remember that Jesus himself socialized with tax-collectors and had friendly relations with Non-Jews.  So what he means in his statement regarding the person who rejects the counsel of the circle is that he may be told, ‘We’ll be neighbors, and we’ll treat you as fairly as anybody but we won’t call it church’. 

In effect, you are not in the church if you don’t listen to it.  Just as, if as batter you want to call balls and strikes yourself, it’s not baseball.  What ‘shunning’ is about is how to relate to someone who on bended knee has promised in the presence of the covenanted circle to obey Christ and the Church and then leaves that particular covenant.  End Quote.

Yet many I think miss that point and only see it as a cruel and unhappy practice. Could you maybe give a little insight on what shunning is like for the individual and for the church/community? In your experience, does it 'work'? What's it like for the individual and for the church when the erring member actually does return to the flock?

One reason “shunning” appears so harsh to outsiders is that this American Me Generation and Taking Care of Number One Society has lost a concept of being keepers of their brothers and the idea of communal and church community discipline is not appealing.

Usually there were certain immoral things you did not do in a neighborhood and you also kept your promises and commitments.  Now it is nobody else’s business, and if a promise or commitment becomes a burden you discard it.  Americans do not like to be told about right and wrong especially not by some church.

Amish on the other hand still have some idea of being their brother’s keeper and simply cannot accept from themselves a do as you please mentality.  With all that being said, however, the stocks and pillory, the Ducking Chair and the Whipping Post of Puritan New England are definitely better off gone from society.

Amish church discipline was never taken to those extremes, which I think is a big factor in why the idea of being your brother’s keeper still carries weight by the Amish.

As to whether it “works”, not perfectly.  But it does cause you to thoroughly examine your reasons for leaving. 

You think twice before leaving for superficial reasons.  And I personally do not have much experience with the issue.  Only recently has the company I am employed by hired some that are in the ban.

I have no close relatives in the ban and personally know less than 50 people that are in such circumstances.  Only once in my 43 years has anyone in our district decided to leave for good.  And as to what it is like when somebody does return.  The parable of the lost sheep in Matt 18 is very descriptive.  Many tears are shed and there is a feeling of restoration. 

I did however twice experience the ban before I was married.  In both instances I voluntarily went to speak with the bishop and agreed to accept the counsel of the Church.  I can attest that an outward expression of an inner repentance goes a long way towards strengthening convictions and helps you to do better.  Both times I was admonished that the inner repentance is of greater importance and, without which, the outward expression does no good.

I became much closer to Christ and his church through those experiences.

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If you enjoyed this interview, find more Amish America interviews here. 

Why the Amish don't vote; an Amish Obama supporter

In (hopefully) the last politically-related posting I'll be doing for awhile, I just wanted to draw attention to an article in a WVA paper concerning local Amish and the voting issue. 

The piece does a nice job of explaining some of the deterrments to voting the Amish encounter as a society that considers itself 'in the world, but not of it', including the issue of producing an acceptable form of ID. 

Also, running counter to the notion that the Amish are all 'armchair Republicans' as a friend terms it, there is a quote in here from a non-voting Amish man supporting Obama.  'When he got blasted, he didn't waiver off his course,' said the Amishman. 'I think he's the man we need.'

This is the second anecdotal instance I've noticed of Amish support for Obama in the press.  I think McCain may be perceived more as a war politician and less of a traditional values-type candidate, at least relative to Bush, which may dampen any potential Amish enthusiasm for his candidacy.

In any case, due largely to beliefs concerning separation from the 'world', Amish electoral turnout is usually very low, perhaps around 10%. 

Reporter duped by 'ignorant' Amishman?

Not to hammer the political topic, but a Polish friend just sent a link related to yesterday's post.  This time a reporter from one of Poland's largest dailies, traveling through the US hot on the Obama/McCain trail, has dug up an Amishman who apparently had no idea that the elections were going on right now. 

'But I never heard of Obama' is the name of the article (translated from the Polish), and you can sort of guess where it goes from there.

I think this makes a convenient fit-the-stereotype article;  in fact it almost seems like a parody in places.  Come to think of it, I sometimes wonder if some of these Amish guys who get interviewed aren't actually having a grand time of it messing around with the reporters.  The foreign types are probably the easiest prey. 

photo:  Marcin Bosacki/Gazeta Wyborcza

Emmanuel, who lives in Delta in southern York County, and who apparently has brothers in Texas (or 'brother Amish' in Texas, it's unclear in the Polish version, at least to me) does not get involved with newspapers or too much political talk, even with his customers. 

"We rarely speak with them about anything other than jams", he admits.  "People are different.  Some of them are no good, which you can see by the way their women dress."   

Emmanuel expresses his approval on learning that communism has ended in Poland, asks where it is on the map (which in fact is a question I often get--European geography just doesn't figure too highly in Amish schools, which is not surprising--who really needs it?!), and closes by asking the reporter if he himself isn't running for president as well. 

I almost have to believe somebody, ahem, was getting their leg pulled on that last one. 

The guy that wrote this comes off a bit condescending, which actually isn't a surprise when you consider where he's coming from.  It may surprise some media types, but there's probably worse things to be unaware of than what's going on in politics. 

Amish the key to election '08?

Though I can't say that all the info it contains is factually correct, this is an entertaining article on possible Amish participation in the 2008 election from the Daily Beast.  Some may recall that George Bush made efforts to attract Amish voters in Ohio and Pennsylvania in 2004.  

The writer in this piece is asking if McCain shouldn't be making the same efforts this year, given the importance of those two states.  

The best line, from an Ohio Amishman named Peter Mast: "We just pray to God that he puts the right man in office for our own good.  We can only try to put up with His president."  I hear you, Pete.

My impression is that many Amish have a general interest in what is going on in the political world but are usually reluctant to dip their toes too far into it. 

This summer, with Lancaster campaign stops made by both the Obama and McCain campaigns, the election was a hot topic around at least one Amish kitchen table I frequented. 

A friend recalled the Bush campaign bus cruising through Honey Brook in 2004 and Amish residents greeting the president along the way.  This year, in what I suppose you could call news, Amish were covered apparently attending a Palin event.  I've sometimes wondered what the Amish would think of a female veep or even president, but have thus far failed to get a reading on that.

Amish children learn about the presidents in school, and the 14-year old brother of my friend Abe sort of had a general impression of what was going on in the election and could say that he didn't really like Obama.  What he was basing that upon, I'm not really sure. 

But in general, the Amish, if they express an opinion at all, tend to lean towards supporting Republican candidates, likely because of the party's historical association with promoting conservative and religious values.

But again, Amish tend to keep their noses far from the political sphere.  In truth, most would probably take the 'you guys pick him, we'll pray for him' approach like Mr. Mast does here.

Buggy-friendly America

Across America in places where the Amish have set up shop, local businesses and government authorities have had to adapt some practices to accomodate the preferred Amish mode of transportation. 

Traffic Jam off County Road 77 in Holmes County, Ohio

Sometimes an Amish group showing up in an area can lead to disputes with locals over horse mess or hoof damage on roads.  The smarter businesses, or at least those that hope to attract more Amish customers, usually get a hitching post up in front as soon as possible to make themselves buggy-friendly.

Wal-Mart in Millersburg, Ohio

Road signs warn drivers of the presence of buggies.  The designs of such signs are specific to state and even individual community.  Stephen Scott's Plain Buggies contains photographs outlining the differences in buggy warning-sign design in states such as Ohio, Delaware, New York, and Pennsylvania.  Generally they all consist of black silhouettes on a yellow background, but with different artists' renditions of the vehicle.  Why the difference?  Perhaps due to the fact that they are maintained by state and local authorities rather than a federal body which might be expected to produce more uniform signage.

New Bedford, Ohio

In certain Amish communities, such as that of Allen County, Indiana, the buggy silhouette on local signs is a crude approximation of a topless carriage, as Allen County Amish use only this type.   

New Wilmington, Pennsylvania

Most Amish conform to law by utilizing some form of reflectorized material or lighting to warn drivers of their presence.  Most find this to be a sensible compromise--they allow their transportation to be adorned with a man-made symbol, yet benefit from increased safety, while promoting the safety of car-drivers as well. 

Swartzentruber Amish, Wayne County, Ohio

Interestingly, the Swartzentrubers are among the only groups which refuse to use the familiar slow-moving vehicle triangle, while the 'white-top buggy' Nebraska Amish, considered by some to be the most conservative of all Amish, choose to use the triangle.  The Swartzentrubers have been criticized for this not only by outsiders but by higher-order Amish as well. 

Nebraska Amish, Northeast Ohio

At night, bicycle riders will often trail directly behind buggies to benefit from the safety offered by the buggy's size and blinker system.  Some of these buggies are extremely well lit up.  Yet lights are not a foolproof measure of protection.

Holmes County, Ohio

I recall stopping my truck at dusk to offer help to an Allen County, Indiana family whose battery had gone out.  I had barely seen their darkened open carriage and suggested that I drive behind them to give them a little bit of protection until they reached home.  They kindly refused, as apparently they were already near their destination, and the road was just a secondary gravel road.  Good it wasn't a main one.

Near New Wilmington, Pennsylvania

Despite driver awareness, lighting and reflectors, buggies are still frequently involved in accidents with automobiles.  I've had a few close calls myself.  The trickiest thing is underestimating the speed at which they travel. 

Buggy lights appear quite similar to car lights--which is good and bad--good, as you realize that something is there, bad in that you often expect whatever it is to be traveling as fast as a car, until you realize that it's not a car at all.