– Time For A Tiara: Column by Ginna Young – - Don’t act like you own the road

By Ginna Young

Used to be, seeing an Amish horse-drawn buggy was a novelty and didn’t happen around this part of the state. The first time I saw any Amish people, was when I was little and we went to visit old friends in Soldier’s Grove, located in southwest Wisconsin.

I was fascinated that anyone could still use that method of conveyance to get around, but didn’t envy the women and girls their dark dresses, stockings and bonnets in the stifling heat. That pretty much made up my mind that I didn’t want to be Amish; I like my shorts and sandals too much.

The next encounter I had with Amish folks, was when Dad was called upon to work for a time in Granton, which was heavily populated with those communities. Still fascinated, so much so, that Mom started buying me young adult fiction books about the Amish and borrowing more from the library.

Every fall, we would try to venture to Augusta, as there’s a large Amish population there and we admittedly were gawkers at the pristine fields, manicured lawns and gardens, and the adorable little Amish children playing and working, who would run to the road, waving as we drove by.

Nowadays, I only have to glance out the office window to see a buggy drive by, forewarned by the clip-clop of hooves on pavement. There’s now quite a large population of Amish who have moved into the surrounding immediate area, so while no longer a novelty to me, I still enjoy seeing the little children waving and coming from their little schoolhouses.

Several families sometimes attend our local farmers markets, stop by the bank, and hardware and grocery store, and get ice cream at the specialty shops. They may live a little differently than most people in this day and age, but really are much like everyone else, in that they’re just trying to live their lives and take care of their families.

It really comes down to the mode of transportation that truly sets them apart and can be

deadly.

Imagine how fast a trotting horse goes, compared to the speed of a large, modern car, not to mention, semis, trucks hauling trailers and motorcycles. Now, envision a buggy, wagon or pony cart clopping along on the side of the pavement, when one of the aforementioned vehicles goes flashing by.

Horses, no matter how well-trained, can easily spook at sudden movement and loud noises. That’s why, when you come upon an Amish vehicle, automobiles need to slow down to only a few miles per hour, wait until the coast is clear to pass and do so in the other lane of the road. They should also turn off any music they may have on, especially if you listen to it loud like I do.

Going back and forth to Cadott, from Cornell, and from Cornell to Gilman, I see a lot of buggies and wagons on State Hwy. 27, and State Hwy. 64. I also see a lot of reckless drivers, who think it’s OK to zoom up on the buggy, then zip around it while IN THE SAME LANE and hurry on their way. Or, they decide to hurriedly pass the buggy in a no-passing zone.

Either way, they’re putting the Amish people’s lives in danger, as well as their own and any oncoming traffic. See, like with any other vehicle, it’s illegal to pass a buggy in a nopassing zone, which is only common sense. The roads are marked that way, because of a lack of visibility of oncoming traffic.

As for racing by them, that also should be common sense. If horses have to be stationed at the back of a parade, because they spook at loud noises from cars and music, doesn’t it stand to reason they could do the same when you pass them on the road?

For example, one time, coming back from Gilman, I came upon a buggy and was in a passing zone, so I slowed way down and was making ready to pull out to go by them, when all at once, a dog ran down a driveway, barking at the horse. I immediately slammed on the brakes and a good thing I did, because the horse shied, reared in the air and bolted, taking the swaying buggy with it.

Dragged by the horse, the buggy ended up zipping into the left lane, into that ditch, where it almost tipped over, back onto the roadway into the right lane and in that ditch, before the driver was able to regain control and get back on the road.

If I had been in too big a hurry to slow down and cautiously pass, I probably would have killed everyone in the buggy, as well as the horse and possibly myself, because I would have been right alongside the buggy when the horse got startled.

The responsibility on roadways doesn’t just lay with motorists, but also the Amish drivers. According to the WisDOT, a horse-drawn vehicle must have a slow-moving emblem displayed on the rear of the carriage. They also must be equipped with at least one lighted white light facing ahead, two lighted red lights to the rear, and two yellow or amber strobe lights mounted on the rear.

Lanterns are no longer allowed, although I’ve seen some that still have those and no electric lights.

No matter how well they are or aren’t lit, buggies and wagons on Wisconsin roadways are a fact of life, and motorists need to not only be aware of that, but also obey the laws and use their heads to keep everyone safe.

So you’re delayed for a few seconds or even minutes. Isn’t that better than risking lives?