ELKHART, Ind. (AP) — Two recent incidents in Elkhart County highlight the dangers of distracted driving accidents involving motor vehicles and horse-drawn buggies.
A 17-year-old girl who rear-ended a buggy carrying an Amish couple and their 6-week-old baby on May 29 told police that she got distracted and didn’t see the buggy until it was too late to avoid the accident. Another distracted driver rear-ended a buggy carrying an Amish woman and her 4-year-old child on June 2.
Neither accident resulted in life-threatening injuries.
But the accidents show motorists often overestimate the time they have until they reach a horse-drawn buggy and don’t make a move to pass or slow down soon enough.
The Center for Traffic Safety’s director tells the Elkhart Truth that people traveling in plain country need to increase their awareness and decrease their speed.
