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, around 6pm, a 2006 Ford F250 careened into the back of an Amish horse-drawn carriage in Cumberland County, Virginia, killing an eight-year-old girl who was riding inside.

Just over an hour later, a 2020 black Ford Escape smashed into the rear of an Amish buggy in Lowville, New York, killing a 17-year-old boy.

The two tragic accidents come amid a devastating surge in fatal crashes involving Amish vehicles, whose low speeds and poor visibility are wreaking havoc on the roads.

Yet some stubborn Anabaptist communities are refusing to comply with new laws designed to improve public safety - even though their own children are being killed as a result.

Ardent traditionalists say they won't fix electric lights to their buggies because it conflicts with their religious beliefs, sparking the ire of local residents.

There has been a devastating surge in fatal crashes involving Amish vehicles in recent years

On Sunday, July 14, a 2020 black Ford Escape smashed into the rear of an Amish buggy in Lowville, New York, (above) killing a 17-year-old boy

The low speeds and poor visibility of horse-drawn Amish carriages are causing road chaos

One sect in Ohio has even said they would rather be thrown in jail than compromise their principles.

The stand off has divided opinion, with some defending the Amish and pointing the finger instead at careless motorists.

Indeed, preliminary investigations into the crashes last month appear to suggest the Amish were not to blame.

But there is a growing body of evidence that indicates the horse-drawn buggies are involved in an alarming number of traffic accidents.

In Virginia, there were 24 collisions involving a horse and carriage between 2016 and 2022, which resulted in four fatalities and at least 65 injuries, according to the Virginia Mercury.

A study conducted by the Ohio Department of Transportation in 2019 revealed that there were 723 buggy-related crashes in the state between 2009 and 2019, with 350 leading to injuries and 17 resulting in fatalities.

There were 100 buggy crashes in 2023 alone, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, with the figure for 2024 on track to exceed that.

In an attempt to address the issue, the state passed a law in 2022 to require Amish buggies and other animal-drawn vehicles to display a yellow flashing light while driving on public streets.

The bill was supported by more progressive members of the Amish community. 

'A few of my friends have been killed, and many hurt, including me and my parents,' one supportive testimonial said. 

'That's not it, the English [a term the Amish use to refer to non-Amish] have to live with that feeling to have hit someone. I am very sorry for that. Most of this could have been prevented, including my accident, by one simple step, [a] strobe light.'

The ultra conservative Swartzentruber Amish in Ashland County, however, have resisted the change.

Shortly after the law was passed, dashcam footage obtained by FOX 8 showed two Amish men being pulled over by a deputy for failing to comply.

When asked if they were aware of the flashing light requirement, one of the men told the deputy, 'We heard about it. I would put it on but my bishop is not allowing me.'

Lt. Brad Bishop said at the time that elders and bishops were resentful of the new law, arguing that using electric lights was 'not what their forefathers did'.

Most Amish buggies are already fitted with reflective panels to improve visibility

But stricter sects, who shun modern amenities including electricity, have refused to comply with new laws requiring buggies to be fitted with flashing yellow lights

In January 2023, dozens of Swartzentrubers were slapped with fines of up to $150 each for violating the law. The magistrate who doled them out tried to impress on them the seriousness of the matter, stressing that the law was in place 'for the safety of yourself and your family as well as the safety of the driving public'.

One by one, however, they refused to pay up, citing religious reasons. They said their traditions require them to keep their buggies 'plain and simple' and a yellow flashing light was too 'worldly'.

Several indicated they would rather go to jail than pay.

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

Instead, he tried to reason with them.

'Are you going to pay your fines?' Judge John Good asked one of the Amish members, Ashland Source reported.

'No, not at this point,' was the response.

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

'Not that I know of.'

'Could you pay them if you had the income or funds?' Good continued.

'Yup, but I can't pay them for religious reasons.'

Other exchanges followed a similar pattern. Exasperated, Good asked the defendants what he should do.

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

'Pray,' he said.

'It's the best advice I've gotten all day, Mr. Zook,' Good replied.

A judge in Ashland County, Ohio, has issued liens on the properties of dozens of Amish who have refused to fix lights to their buggies while refusing to pay fines for the violations

Most Amish have complied with the rules, with one more progressive member telling DailyMail.com that the refusal of others to obey the law has caused tensions with locals

Others have come to their defense, arguing they have been targeted for their religious beliefs

Throughout the hearings, the judge expressed discomfort about having to punish the Amish for adhering to their religious beliefs.

But in February, he dismissed challenges by some Swartzentrubers that the buggy law was unconstitutional, concluding that it was justified in the name of public safety.

'I've tried to be patient, but now it's to the point where you have pushed the court up against the wall to where I have to decide that I'm either gonna let this go or I'm gonna do everything in my power to affect the fines and costs like I would in any other case involving any other citizen in Ashland County,' Good said.

He placed liens on their properties that would accrue interest until they paid them off.

Not that it has changed much.

The Swartzentrubers have shown little willingness to cough up. Sergeant Bridget Matt of Ohio State Highway Patrol told DailyMail.com nothing had changed on the ground, with traditionalists still refusing to fix lights to their buggies.

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

In Charlotte County, Virginia, Amish elders have warned that younger members have refused to follow their guidance to install lights on buggies because they 'think they're invincible', the Farmville Herald reported.

Wayne Wengers, an Amish man from Wayne County, Ohio, who represents his community on a state steering committee on public safety, claimed around 90 per cent of the Amish were already using lights before the state made it mandatory.

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

Erik Wesner, who runs the blog AmishAmerica.com, pointed out that many Amish buggy crashes, including those last weekend in Virginia and New York, occur in more progressive communities where lights have been fitted to buggies.

This suggests the fixation on the issue is misdirected, he added.

Others have gone further, even suggesting a conspiracy against the Amish.

In an opinion column published in the Columbus Dispatch last year, Cory Anderson, a scholar at the Pennsylvania State University and the Amish and Plain Anabaptist Studies Association, said the law on buggy lights is completely unproven and was passed under questionable circumstances.

Anderson, who completed a master's thesis on motor vehicle-buggy crash scenarios, said the law feigned Amish support, including a letter purporting to be from the Amish community but including only non-Amish names.

He added that the implementation of the battery-powered flashing lights on Amish buggies prompts debates about potential religious targeting, as members of strict Amish denominations object to these lights on religious grounds.

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

'I probably know more of what's going on than anyone else and need to be careful with what I know,' he said. 'At this moment, the situation is sensitive enough.'