I am fully in favor of the 1st article of the Bill of rights.. "nor prohibiting the free exercise thereof"..
However, I believe this to be a case of "conflicting rights". The old adage "you have a RIGHT to thrash your arms around all you want, but where they come in contct with my nose..that is where that RIGHT ends..
Running around at night with matt black buggies, doing 8-10 mph at a good trot, is in itself flirting with disaster. I guess they may have a RIGHT to endanger themselves, but not so with endangering other people.
The Amish around here are not having any dispute with SMV signs as far as I know..and with our hilly country the 12' flag wand would be a great idea. Tape alone just won't get it..such tape is found on mailboxes, snow blades, water troughs and just about everything in between. That familiar triangular sign means something..just like the red octagon of a stop sign or the v shaped yield sign.
Frankly, I cannot feature any man being willing to endanger his family in such a way as to fight SMV signs.
BTW: Any of you guys who don't think Amish teenagers "kick up their heels"..haven't heard of "Rundspringen"....
Recently, about 20 miles from my house, a young Amish man with his horse & buggy, gave a sheriff's patrol car a merry chase through a nearby village before being subdued..he was cited with a DWI.
I don't suppose he made any "burnout" marks..but he may have left some "horse apples"..