PLEASE SLOW DOWN FOR HORSES!
With the highlight on National Brake Road Safety Week, horse riders are one of the vulnerable groups likely to be encountered on country roads. From British Horse Society statistics, the number of reported horse incidents on the roads in 2013 totaled 203, and already in 2014 up until August has reached 48 which is already a concerning figure, as there are likely to be many more that have not been officially reported.
RIDERS – PLEASE KIT YOURSELF (and horse if possible) OUT WITH HI-VIZ CLOTHING
Hi-Viz clothing for both horse and rider is essential, regardless of the time of day or whether it may be bright daylight – it is the riders responsibility that both rider and horse are visible to other road users. Put yourself in the drivers shoes – would you be able to see yourself and horse whilst driving ? Studies have shown that through the use of hi-viz clothing an extra 3 seconds reaction time can be gained, therefore meaning travelling at 30mph will give an extra stopping distance of 40m – this may mean the difference between hitting your horse or passing safely. Remember also to be courteous to considerate drivers who take the time to pass wide and slow.
DRIVERS -PLEASE PASS WIDE AND SLOW
Please be aware that horses are animals not machines – meaning that at any given point, usually without any pre-warning to the rider, the horse can react to something in the grass verge for instance (yes crisp packets are seriously scary to the majority of horses!). This is why it is recommended that drivers give the horse room and pass WIDE and SLOW. A “spook” of the horse into the path of a passing vehicle is never likely to end well for either party.
Respect that horses are sensitive to noise, therefore revving the vehicle engine with impatience waiting to pass is likely to cause a horse to tense up and react accordingly to the “scary predator” that is behind them – the follow on effect being that the horse may jump suddenly putting both rider, the driver and itself at risk. Note that horses have “blind spots” and they cannot see what is directly behind their tail.
Look out for the riders signals –
PLEASE STOP – The rider will show a raised palm
PLEASE SLOW DOWN – The rider will show an outstretched right arm, palm down , moving the arm slowly up and down
Although your delay of a minute or so waiting for a safe place to pass a horse and rider may seem to be an inconvenience, an accident will cause an even bigger delay…be that hours or years….
Can you afford not to slow down?
PLEASE SLOW DOWN FOR HORSES ON DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAYS ROADS
