January 15, 2018 12:23 PM

PENN YAN, N.Y. (AP) - Rising populations of Amish and Mennonite communities in more rural parts of New York state over the last decade have meant an increase of horse-drawn buggies on the roads.



Law enforcement officials say that's also meant an increase in collisions between the buggies and motorized vehicles.



The New York times says there are about 24,000 Amish and Mennonites in the state. The communities avoid most technology and aspects of modern life, and use the horse-drawn conveyances to get around.



Authorities say there have been outreach efforts to work with the communities on traffic issues. While buggy accidents aren't tracked as a separate category, officials say it's a familiar problem, ranging from accidents where people are hurt to more serious collisions resulting in deaths of the buggy riders and the horses.



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Information from: The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com

