Ohio Horse and Buggy Accident Lawyer | How Do Amish Buggies Affect Ohio Roads?

There are 12,000 Amish residents living in the southeastern townships of Geauga County. 35 miles of gravel county roads have been paved in the past decades. But improving the roads led to new issues. Paved roads that wind through Geauga County's Amish community have subtle differences from those in other parts of Northeast Ohio. The shoulder is one to three feet wider so children can safely walk to school, the surface is a polymer compound to make it more resilient to buggy traffic, and lanes are rutted with narrow trenches caused by metal knobs welded on horseshoes to provide traction.

It was easy to accommodate the Amish children in Geauga County, who walk to school, they were provided with three-foot shoulders and in the winter, road crews plow snow off the shoulders. Five years ago, the county began using a polymer compound to repave the roads and make them more durable. While it costs five to ten percent more, the grooves aren't as deep and the road is expected to last years longer.

To keep their horses from slipping on the asphalt, especially when going downhill, the Amish weld metal knobs on the front and sides of the horseshoes. This has a tendency to bring up the asphalt on the roads creating a trench. These trenches are creating a safety hazard for vehicles, they fill with rain and snow, and then freeze.

While very few accidents occur between an Amish buggy and motorized vehicle, the possibilities are increasing with more buggies on the road and motorists driving past them sometimes in excess of 60 MPH. Geauga County had a total of 2,346 accidents that resulted in ten deaths, 827 injuries and 1,764 counts of property damage.


If you have been in an accident, call the Geauga County car accident lawyers at Chester Law Group at 1-800-218-4243 or visit our video website and order your FREE BOOK entitled “The Insider’s Guide to Handling Ohio Accident Claims” at www.chesterlaw.com.