Amish Buggies a Traffic Burden for Some Kentucky Residents

To many, the sight of an Amish buggy conjures thoughts of a simpler time, far from the worry of the modern industrialized society. But to some residents in Mayfield, Ky., they’re just annoying. “They’re constantly in your way,” said Richard Knolton as he walked in a vacant lot across the street from Mayfield’s state police headquarters. “They go too slow, and you can’t see them. They’re dangerous.” Recently, the state police responded by trying to enforce a state law which requires all slow moving vehicles to display a brightly-colored orange triangle. It’s a symbol the Swartzentruber say violates their beliefs and lifestyle. “This is an infringement on their religion,” says Bill Sharp. “The Swartzentruber Amish take a very expansive and literal interpretation of the Bible's admonition in Romans ‘to be not conformed to this world.’” "To them that admonition requires that they reject displaying the orange triangle," he said. “I understand their concerns,” said Fred Nessler, "but it’s a safety issue.” Nessler is a state Representative from Mayfield and he says religion or not, the Amish must use the triangle. “Whenever you don't have that safety emblem on the back of a buggy or slow moving vehicle it causes a safety hazard in our state,” he said. “We have hundreds of miles of narrow roads which they drive these buggies on, and it's a terrible problem.” The Kentucky Supreme Court recently agreed to hear the case, which could be argued in early 2012...more