The Swartzentruber Amish and very conservative sects of the Old Order prefer their buggies to be as plain as possible. This means very few, if any, safety symbols are displayed. The above photo are of some very traditional buggies that you might find in northern Indiana or more progressive Wisconsin communities. Other settlements take these buggies a step farther, inserting red caution flags and flashing battery-powered LED lights at night. On the other end of the spectrum: below are some photos I took of some Swartzentruber Amish-owned buggies in Pike County, Ohio. The last two photos are front and back shots of the same buggy and note the absence of any safety symbols. Do notice, however, that the gray reflective strips that are there reflect light pretty well.
BethR
I've never been to a Swartzentruber settlement, I might have to look into that. They're SO "rustic" though, it almost makes me think of camping. There's not anything wrong with it at all, don't get me wrong, in fact it makes me even more curious, but that seems like a tough life. Love the pics!
Laurie
Do you know where I can get an authentic Amish crafted buggy?
Cindy
Laurie,
If you live near one of the larger Amish settlements, they will have periodic auctions where anyone can purchase a buggy. There is also a newspaper called The Budget - http://www.thebudgetnewspaper.com/.
Sometimes you will see advertised auctions and/or buggies.
Dawn Kirk
I've heard about some orders using two lanterns sitting on two levels to establish different heights for vehicles to see.