Cumbrian Rider Saddlery - Horse And Rider Road Safety Campaign

Horse And Rider / Carriage Driver Road Safety Campaign

Be Safe, Be Seen, Be Considerate....And Save A Life

Please, everyone, take extra care out on the roads.

It is so important to wear something reflective, regardless of weather conditions or time of year.
It can be just as difficult for a driver to see you in bright sunlight as it is on a dull or wet day.

Even wearing only a pair of reflective leg bands on your horse can make a huge difference.

NOW YOU
SEE ME.....

NOW YOU DON'T !

This is the same image.

All that has been changed
is the colour of the rider's
jacket, hat and jodhpurs and
the horse's exercise sheet
and boots.

How many times have you
ridden out in dark clothing
like the rider on the right ?

Remember, the best areas to highlight are those most likely to be in the direct line
of sight of vehicle drivers, i.e. car bonnet to car roof height, but every little helps.

Try to be more considerate to other road users of all sorts. Don't ignore each other.

It costs nothing to be patient, polite and thank everyone whether riding or carriage driving.

A nod or a smile will suffice if you really cannot take your hands off the reins and
it just might make the difference necessary next time and save a life.

This applies even to those that are not quite as considerate as they should be.
Remember, it may just make them think about being considerate next time around.
Ignoring them will just make them treat everyone with even more contempt / lack of respect.

For those of you that have had bad experiences on the road and/or experienced Road Rage
please do not let this put you off from saying thank you. We have all experienced this at
some point in time. In all walks of life there will sadly always be those odd few that care
nothing for any living person or animal, but the majority do, so it is worth making the effort..

For those riders and carriage drivers that use remote areas such as fells and common land,
or ride / drive in areas that hot air balloons, helicopters and low flying planes operate,
remember too that hi-viz will enable people to see you from the air and in the event
of an accident, enable them to find you much faster.

On average, reflective wear can allow a driver to see you
3 seconds earlier than they would otherwise have done.

AT 30MPH THAT IS 120 FEET (36 METRES)
ALMOST THE LENGTH OF A DRESSAGE ARENA !

AT 40MPH THIS IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
LIFE OR DEATH

Typical Stopping distances in GOOD weather for cars

SPEED	THINKING / REACTION TIME DISTANCE	BRAKING DISTANCE	OVERALL STOPPING DISTANCE
20 mph	20 ft. (6 m)	20 ft. (6 m)	40 ft. (12 m)
30 mph	30 ft. (9 m)	45 ft. (14 m)	75 ft. (23 m)
40 mph	40 ft. (12 m)	80 ft. (24 m)	120 ft. (36 m)
50 mph	50 ft. (15 m)	125ft. (38 m)	175 ft. (53 m)
60 mph	60 ft. (18 m)	180 ft. (55 m)	240 ft. (73 m)
70 mph	70 ft. (21 m)	245 ft. (75 m)	315 ft. (96 m)

As riders and carriage drivers we NEED TO BE SEEN AND HEARD in order to increase
our own safety and put more pressure on government to take our situation as seriously
as that of pedestrians and cyclists in order to get better riding / driving facilities and bridleways.
The statistics below emphasise just how important this is.

Should you suffer an incident on the road, please also take the time and effort to fill in
a BHS road accident report. Every little helps.

REMEMBER

ONE IN SEVEN RIDERS has had an accident on the roads in the past five years
ONE IN THREE RIDERS has had a near miss
HORSES WERE INJURED in 61% of accidents.

RIDERS WERE INJURED in 49% of accidents

DON'T BECOME A STATISTIC!

Below are previous years figures taken from road accidents reported to
The British Horse Society up to 31 January 2008,
but there are many more near misses and accidents which go unreported. :

	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
Accidents Reported to the BHS	114	91	78	89	107	67
Horses Involved:
Ridden	86	66	53	68	85	40
Being Led	4	2	6	4	8	5
Loose	15	18	8	5	6	19
In harness	2	3	3	7	1	2
Riders Injured	40	30	31	20	45	12
Riders Killed	7	3	3	5	0	0
Other Road Users Injured	14	6	5	6	8	7
Other Road Users Killed	1	1	1	1	0	3
Horses Injured	37	30	32	28	35	22
Horses Killed or Destroyed	24	23	12	19	16	23
Riders:
Under 12	3	2	0	3	3	0
12-18	8	3	12	6	12	3
19-30	23	16	17	50	46	0
31-64	29	23	12	12	24	4
65 and over	2	0	4	0	0	0
Male Riders	4	3	7	7	2	2
Female Riders	83	60	50	61	84	44
Reported accidents in:
Countryside	55	37	34	45	34	38
Villages	25	30	9	4	32	3
Suburbs	17	9	13	7	20	14
Towns	13	4	5	0	2	2
Minor roads	70	59	40	58	72	30
Main roads	23	16	16	11	21	30
Dual Carriageways (usually involving loose horses)	5	1	2	2	0	2

The information above covers the major issues reported, but it is important to note that not all information has been included in this summary and that not all of the questions on the BHS Accident Report form are answered on reports submitted.

Horse Head Graphic