Horse riders who go out hacking on country roads often
report issues with drivers overtaking too quickly and too close to their
animals. They also point out that many drivers approach horses too fast, which
can spook the animal and lead to an accident.
With a good couple of months of winter to go, and visibility
particularly in the early morning and evening often poor, Horse and Hound magazine has taken the
opportunity to remind riders and drivers alike how to stay safe on the roads.
One of the key things for all riders to do (if they haven’t
already) is invest in high visibility jackets for themselves, as
well as consider buying reflective or high visibility accessories for their
horse.
And riders shouldn’t only wear high vis if they’re out in
the dark or bad weather - the publication stressed that high visibility gear
should be worn every time you go on the roads on your horse, because it makes a
big difference to your visibility.
It cited research which found that drivers travelling at
30mph saw a horse and rider in high visibility gear a full three seconds sooner
than horse riders without high vis clothing. Those three seconds may not sound
like a lot, but in terms of reaction times they can be significant and make a
big difference.
Drivers, meanwhile, were reminded of the need to slow down
when approaching a horse and rider, and to give them plenty of space when
overtaking. The general rule is to overtake slowly, and with the same room
you’d give another vehicle.
Lee Hackett, director of policy at the British Horse Society
(BHS), revealed that not leaving enough room was the primary reason for
accidents between horse riders and vehicles.
“Out of the 2,070 accidents reported to the BHS, 75 per cent
were caused by the vehicle not leaving enough room while passing the horse,” he
stated.
The BHS has already had success in making drivers more aware
about how to deal with horses they meet in the roads, with its Dead Slow
campaign winning the Driver Education Campaign of the Year award in
2016 from the Driving Instructors Association.
Teaching drivers how to pass horses safely is the key aim of
the campaign, which was created by the BHS in
collaboration with the police and the Department for Transport.
The message is for drivers to slow down to at least 15 mph
when passing and approaching horses, and to give them plenty of space as they
go by.
And although you might assume more accidents occur early in
the morning or in the early evening, BHS statistics show that accidents are
most likely at 11am, while June is the most common month for incidents to
occur.
The Dead Slow campaign also has a message for
horse riders, with one of the key points to wear high-vis clothing no matter
what time of day you’ll be out, and to avoid riding on roads in failing light,
fog or darkness unless absolutely necessary.