News

Tuesday 13th August 2024

Please Go Slow on Devon’s roads.

The start of the school summer holidays is a mixed blessing for children, parents, motorists and especially for keen horse riders.  With longer daylight hours and time on their hands, horse riders of all ages have far more opportunities to venture out on their horses. Heading out on a hack with your friends both equine and human and being closer to nature is an exhilarating experience for those lucky enough to do so. But once riders leave the comparative safety of fields and bridlepaths for highways, it can be a very different story. Injuries to riders, horses and motorists are on the increase.

The statistics speak for themselves. In the past five years, around 375 incidents involving equestrians on Devon’s roads have been reported to police and the British Horse Society (BHS). These collisions have left 19 horses injured and three dead, while 29 horse riders have been injured with one rider killed.

According to its figures, the British Horse Society has announced that, in 2023, at least one horse per week was killed on the roads across the UK, and that during that same time period, three equestrians also died as a result of a road incident – the highest number of human fatalities in horse-related road accidents recorded by the charity since 2018.

Losing an equine companion is any owner’s worst nightmare, no matter the reason behind it. But many riders find their loss even more difficult to come to terms with when the cause is due to careless – and uneducated – drivers.

These alarming statistics are a stark reminder that road incidents continue to be an issue across the UK, despite the changes implemented in the Highway Code in 2022 setting out clear guidance for passing horses safely.

A shocking 3,383 incidents were reported to the BHS over the course of 2023, with 85% of those occurring because a vehicle had passed too closely or too quickly. Reports also showed that 23% of riders had been victims of road rage or abuse.

Alan Hiscox, Director of Safety at the BHS, said: “Looking at the 2023 statistics, it is clear that a significant number of drivers are still unaware of the Highway Code and the importance of driving carefully when passing and approaching horses. This is detrimental to the safety of equestrians.

“We want to inform and guide road users on how to pass horses safely, explaining the consequences of passing too fast and too close.”

“Together, we can stop these tragic incidents from happening over and over again. To do this, it is essential that we all follow the Highway Code guidelines in place, which are aligned with our key Dead Slow behavioural messages. Collaborating with Devon County Council, and displaying these posters, will be a critical step towards driving greater awareness and ultimately improving the safety of all vulnerable road users.”

The Society’s advice to riders is:

·       Wear hi-vis clothing and equipment, even on bright days

·       Wear protective headgear to current approved standards

·       Avoid riding in poor light, fog or darkness, snow or ice, unless absolutely necessary

·       Be courteous to drivers.  A smile and a nod are sufficient if your hands are full

·       Take the British Horse Society Ride Safe Award

The BHS is also urging riders and carriage drivers to report every incident they’re involved in, regardless of its severity, in order to better understand why there are an increasing number of equine-related incidents. The campaign also includes incidents relating to off road users, dogs, slippery road surfaces, low flying aircraft, drones and fireworks.

The Highway Code has very specific guidelines for motorists when seeing horses on the road:

·       Slow down to a maximum of 10 mph

·       Keep calm.  Don’t sound your horn or rev your engine

·       Give the horse a wide berth, preferably at least two metres if possible

·       Drive slowly past and slowly away

·     If you’re driving on Dartmoor or Exmoor, it’s important to give feral or semi feral horses or ponies the same consideration as ridden horses

“Accidents involving horses invariably happen in a few seconds, but the implications can be life changing,’ says Roger Henderson of the Accident and Injuries team of Rundlewalker. ‘We cannot emphasize enough the need for swift advice; hence we are just a phone call away.

If you’ve been involved in an accident involving a horse, a pony or a motorist, the implications can be very serious, physically, emotionally and financially. You need to act swiftly and get the right legal advice. The highly experienced Accident and Injuries Team at Rundlewalker is available to you.

Simply contact us now to discuss your legal situation and we can advise you of the options available to you. For more information, call Roger Henderson on 01392 209218 or email roger.henderson@rundlewalker.com.

Roger has worked closely with many road safety professionals and stakeholders, so he very much supports all road users taking extra care and being respectful to each other whilst on the roads of Devon and Cornwall.

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Vision Zero’s ambition is to cut road deaths and serious injuries to zero by 2040 – and to reduce current numbers by 50% by 2030.

In 2021, 47 people were killed and 647 were seriously injured on the roads of Devon and Cornwall. That number MUST come down. While the region is one of the safest when it comes to road safety, we believe that any death or serious injury is too many.

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This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Please note that the law may have changed since this article was published.