Urging action on Highland County buggy safety

To the editor,

I am writing to bring urgent attention to the safety crisis occurring on our local roads. Within just a single month, Highland County has seen four separate horse-and-buggy accidents, three of which were tragically fatal. The heartbreaking losses of Melinda Coblentz on U.S. Route 50, Albert Keim on state Route 138, and Scott Richardson near the intersection of state Route 136 and U.S. Route 62, alongside a severe carriage collision on state Route 124 at Herbert Road, underscore a danger that can no longer be ignored.

The root cause of these compounding tragedies extends beyond simple driver error; it is deeply tied to structural policy decisions at the state level. When public school driver's education was abandoned across Ohio 35 years ago, the responsibility of training young drivers was pushed entirely onto costly private companies. As a consequence, a massive generational gap was created where individuals between the ages of 18 and 53 were legally permitted to obtain their first-time driver’s licenses completely bypassing formal driver’s education. While the state's recent 2025 mandate closing this loophole for drivers under 21 is a vital step forward, our community is still dealing with decades of untrained motorists sharing high-speed routes with slow-moving vehicles.

While long-term engineering adjustments take time to secure funding and implement, our community cannot afford to wait. I believe immediate, temporary measures can and must be taken right now while permanent solutions are being determined. I am calling for the immediate authorization and implementation of the following comprehensive steps on high-risk sections of U.S. 50, U.S. 62, S.R. 124 and S.R. 138:

1. Immediate Speed Reductions & Alerts: Deploy highly visible, flashing caution signs specifically warning of Amish buggy traffic and lower the legal speed limits immediately on high-risk sections of U.S. 50, U.S. 62, S.R. 124, and S.R. 138 as an interim protective measure.

2. Infrastructure Upgrades: Prioritize the planning and installation of permanent wide paved shoulders, dedicated buggy lanes, and high-visibility blind-curve warning signs. This provides the exact direction we want authorities to take for making permanent changes.

3. Proactive Traffic Enforcement: Increase OSHP presence along these corridors during high-volume travel hours to address speed and distracted driving.

4. Community Visibility Initiatives: Partner with local Amish community leaders to coordinate enhanced carriage lighting standards or retroreflective markings tailored to local safety needs.

I have formally requested that the Highland County Board of Commissioners, ODOT District 9, and the Ohio State Highway Patrol Wilmington Post initiate an emergency joint safety review of these specific road sections. I urge my fellow neighbors to speak out and support these immediate safety initiatives before another life is needlessly lost.

Sincerely,
Tammy Sheridan