Red Flags in Amish Country?

It was a gorgeous day in Adams County, Ohio Amish country last weekend. If you ever want a pleasant afternoon drive from Cincinnati, just head east on State Route 32 to Adams County where you'll find a hilly haven honeycombed with tiny ribbons of road just itching to be explored.  For me, this is, in many ways, where it all began...my Amish experience, some 22 years ago.  But I'll write more about that soon.

This is a neat photo that Rachel captured of an elderly Amish woman making her way back home from Miller's Market along Grace's Run Road.  What this photo also captures is an increasingly common safety feature on open Amish buggies and carts: the red flag.   Notice the red flag on the white pole rising above the woman on the left side of the buggy.

I've seen this flag on carts in Ross County, Ohio, Adams County, and  in northern Indiana and Michigan.  An Amish woman recently told me that she really liked the red flags and said maybe they could help prevent tragedies like the Labor Day pony cart accident that occurred near Middlebury, Indiana last year.  As the photo illustrates, the carts and wagons are lower to the ground and potentially out of the immediate line of sight of a rapidly moving motorist.  The flags help add a splash of warning color higher up. Of course this also illustrates the split within the Amish church as some are rebelling against such bright safety colors, while others - like this settlement - are embracing them.  As an aside, these carts (sometimes called "gigs") are popular with younger single people or the elderly. They are very manageable and notice the spot for storing groceries beneath the seat.  Pretty cool!

And, of course, in addition to red flags, reflectors, and triangles, these ubiquitous yellow buggy signs serve as a reminder to visitors to slow down and share the road!