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LIBERTY TOWNSHIP — A number of readers have asked us about an non-fatal Amish buggy crash that took place in the area on Aug. 7.
This is what we know, and what possible solutions have been suggested to prevent another crash.
The incident occurred on a Sunday afternoon when a 2012 Ford Focus crashed into the rear of an Amish buggy carrying six passengers, according to the Morrow County Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
The driver of the Ford Focus was cited with an assured clear distance violation, accord to the Patrol.
“The car (Ford Focus) was coming around the heel and didn’t see the Amish buggy,” Trooper Randis Ramsey reported. “He didn’t see the buggy when he was coming up the hill.”
Ramsey said the vehicle was traveling around 45 mph.
Liberty Township Trustee Don Rine says the speed limit needs to be enforced but that doesn’t happen consistently — mostly due to the deputies having limited resources and time to check for speeding across the county.
“Hit them in their pocketbook” Rine said.
The crash happened right outside of Rine’s house, though he was inside when it happened.
Some have suggested another solution could be to reduce the speed limit, though New Delaware’s limit is 45 mph.
Speeding
Changing the speed limit on a county road isn’t as simple as changing numbers on signage.
“It has to be approved by commissioners and the Ohio Department of Transportation,” Knox County Engineer Cameron Keaton said.
A speed study has to be completed. Such a study includes how many vehicles travel the roadway, how many driveways and houses are located on the road and is it located in a rural or urban area?
“There’s some ODOT formulas you have to go through too,” the county engineer said.
The data then calculates a recommended speed for the roadway. The final say belongs to ODOT, which can approve or disapprove the speed recommendation, he said.
“People are just driving way too fast,” he said. “People don’t seem to realize to slow down. People are driving a lot quicker than they should.”
Rine also expects there’s been more speeding in recent memory.
Signage
Rine also wants more buggy signs posted along the roadway, since he’s seen an increase in buggy drivers in recent years.
Keaton says adding more signage may not be the best thing for New Delaware Road.
“To put up a sign it’s just my call,” the engineer said. “We don’t like putting more signs up … people just ignore it.”
Keaton said that he’s simply asking folks to use more common sense.
Instead, Keaton says you have to look behind the causes of the accident and see if someone was making a bad judgment call.
“A sign probably isn’t going to fix that problem,” he said.
Though, the engineer’s office will certainly look at it.
