As the world seemingly still has its finger on the pause button, it has given some people more time to spend on their hobbies. As the roads have become quieter they have become more attractive to other road users such as cyclists and horse riders.
Going for a ‘hack’ is a favourite past time for most horses and their riders whether they compete or not. It offers a change of scenery and light exercise for both horse and rider to enjoy. Naturally this will generally involve horses using the roads.
As a road user we all owe each other a legal ‘duty of care.’ This means you are obliged to take reasonable care to ensure any action you take, or any action you fail to take, does not cause injury to another road user, or damage to property. It goes without question that this extends to horses and their riders.
Unfortunately, this is not always the case and recent statistics from the British Horse Society show that two horses are killed each week on UK roads and over 1000 incidents were reported to horse charities in the past 12 months. As such, this has warranted many local campaigns in an effort to raise awareness.
This week marks Brake’s Road Safety Week with the theme this year being ‘no need to speed.’ Statistics indicate that someone is injured every four minutes on UK roads with vehicle speed playing a part in every crash.
Lancashire Mounted Police have been working closely with the Lancashire County Council and the British Horse Society to educate horse riders and drivers on how to stay safe on the roads. They offer four clear instructions to drivers when drivers see a horse:
-
slow down to a maximum of 15mph
-
be patient [don’t sound horn]
-
pass the horse wide and slow
-
drive slowly away
The South Ribble have also installed new ‘Dead Slow’ signs to encourage road safety.
If you have been involved in an accident that wasn’t your fault, you may be entitled to make a claim for compensation. To discuss your case with a personal injury solicitor, please call Farleys today on 0845 287 0939 or contact us by email.
