# Road Accidents.



## Rollin (20 June 2016)

The latest a horse and rider injured by a BMW allegedly travelling at 20mph!! Driver said the horse reared, rider says she has never reared.  If he was only travelling at 20mph how come he was unable to stop?

On 6th June a horse was killed and rider hospitalised in Lechlade.  Thames Valley police are quoted as saying that no one has been reported for an offence.

When will British Police find the 'boy bits' to deal with motorists who continue to maim and terrorise riders on British Roads. Although I now live in France, part of my decision was because I was sick to the back teeth of keeping a 7.5 ton lorry on the road to transport my bomb proof horses 5 miles!! to keep them safe from selfish and ignorant motorists.


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## applecart14 (20 June 2016)

Rollin said:



			The latest a horse and rider injured by a BMW allegedly travelling at 20mph!! Driver said the horse reared, rider says she has never reared.  If he was only travelling at 20mph how come he was unable to stop?

On 6th June a horse was killed and rider hospitalised in Lechlade.  Thames Valley police are quoted as saying that no one has been reported for an offence.

When will British Police find the 'boy bits' to deal with motorists who continue to maim and terrorise riders on British Roads. Although I now live in France, part of my decision was because I was sick to the back teeth of keeping a 7.5 ton lorry on the road to transport my bomb proof horses 5 miles!! to keep them safe from selfish and ignorant motorists.
		
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I agree there are a number of numpty motorists out there. THe problem as I see it is that they are ignorant of the facts about overtaking horse and rider.  I've had people as soon as they see me and my brightly covered hi viz horse slam on their brakes and switch the engine off which really isn't necessary.  On the other side of the coin I've had people drive past me at 40mph with the drivers side tyres on the verge on the other side of the road  thinking that it was okay to pass me fast as long as they gave me room.  I've also had a number of drivers crawl pass me and actually come so close they have on occasion caught my stirrup iron!

Where I have moved to some two years ago is brilliant for hacking.  As long as you keep clear of the roads from 5pm - 5.20pm as some of the lanes are used as a rat run, you encounter no hassle or silly driving - worth its weight in gold.  The very fact that I can go for a hack in the evening after work for an hour and maybe encounter half a dozen slow moving, sensible drivers is brilliant and one of the main reasons I stay at the yard I am at.  Having been on yards before where hacking is abysmal its great to have good hacking.

Car drivers need to be made aware by adverts on TV showing a horse spooking into the road (if needs be for the sake of the advert get someone stood in the hedge to startled the horse) and film from behind and show how much this horse will veer into the road.  Then get the message across by showing some accident scenes.  This is what shocks people and when people are shocked they remember better.  I never forget the two adverts I remember from my childhood.  'Clunk, click on every trip' and my favourite 'only a fool breaks the two second rule' where you drive along the motorway and say the phrase out loud when the car in front of you passes a marker.  If you get to the marker before you have finished the sentence you are too close to the car in front and need to back off.  I am sure if we had an advert for passing horses with a suitable phrase associated with it we would be half way there.

And to be honest riders need to help themselves.  Why people hack out without any form of Hi Viz is beyond me.  I have a hiviz exercise sheet brought cheaply from Aldi, flashing leg bands (again from Aldi @ 4 for £5) and a tabard and hat band (high hedges by us).  Fellow liveries joke they can see me for miles.  I am quite proud of that fact. 

The very fact that a lady driver stopped her car next to us the other day on the road and said "I just want you to know that its really good that you are visible in the way you are, I saw you really easily" says it all really, for all the numpties that don't wear high viz shame on you.


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## KautoStar1 (20 June 2016)

I think these drivers are ignorant full stop AC14, whether it be horses or other road users.  Its just basic common courtesy and manners to slow down and pass wide.  Something which so many people seem to lack in all areas of life these days.

But as riders, we should help ourselves with hi viz, riding sensibly - e.g. single file when its necessary, not being on the phone, thanking drivers etc etc.


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## Rollin (20 June 2016)

Are you saying either move house or stay off the road?

I too wear hi-viz and always have done.  

It does not stop people driving too fast, the horse that was killed was being ridden on a straight stretch of road, the driver drove into the back of the horse.  The horse and rider were hit by a tractor, after he had been asked to stop and after he had caused an accident.  The tractor drove off.

If a driver hits a cyclist and puts them in hospital, with broken bones or life changing injuries and the cyclist is not wearing hi-viz does that excuse the motorist?


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## applecart14 (20 June 2016)

Rollin said:



			If a driver hits a cyclist and puts them in hospital, with broken bones or life changing injuries and the cyclist is not wearing hi-viz does that excuse the motorist?
		
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No of course not, but research by the BHS has shown that it gives a driver three seconds of reaction and braking time with someone wearing hi viz and someone not which equates to a distance of something like 40 metres at 30mph - the difference between being hit and not being hit possibly?


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## Rollin (20 June 2016)

applecart14 said:



			No of course not, but research by the BHS has shown that it gives a driver three seconds of reaction and braking time with someone wearing hi viz and someone not which equates to a distance of something like 40 metres at 30mph - the difference between being hit and not being hit possibly?
		
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I understand all that.  I was a BHS Access Officer and I always wear Hi-Viz but it annoys me that when horses are killed and their riders injured, the police do nothing and we always seem to get into the debate about riders wearing hi-viz and saying thank you.  

It is your responsibility as a motorist to understand the Highway Code and to be able to stop safely within the distance that you can see.  If you cannot see then slow down or give up driving.  

I am now retired but had a long Sales and Marketing career, accident free for 25 years when I clocked up over 1,000 miles per week.  I am not tolerant of excuses made by motorists for injuring other road users.  The police should be much more active in their pursuit of these individuals.


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## benson21 (22 June 2016)

I was involved in a road accident in 2010, where my horse was hit by a car.  I broke my back, my friend who I was riding with was also injured, the horse I was riding died on the road, and the other one was put down 8 weeks later.  The driver was charged with dangerous driving and was given a 2 year suspended sentence.  We were informed by the Police that, if we hadnt been wearing hi-vis, the driver could claim he couldnt see us, and quite possibly not been charged!  If I hadnt of been wearing it I would have to live with the guilt that, because I wasnt wearing it, my horse was killed.


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## KautoStar1 (22 June 2016)

I think I remember your case,  it took ages to come to a conclusion didn&#8217;t it.
Such an awful thing to have to go through &#61516;.  I hope the physical and metal scars are healing.

I do agree, wearing hi viz gives riders the best chance of being seen and it&#8217;s a sensible thing to do. We need to make ourselves as visible as possible at all times and be polite to those who do slow down.  But I don&#8217;t accept that not having it on is a blanket excuse for drivers to absolve themselves of responsibility or the police and insurance companies to use this as an excuse to not prosecute or activate a claim.   There will of course be instances with horses, pedestrians, cyclists, other motorists where the motorist doing the damage is not to blame &#8211; how many times have you seen people crossing the road while glued to their phone with no concept of what&#8217;s going on around them or cyclists who run red lights.   But there is no excuse for driving too fast past a horse.  If you can see it to pull out, you can see it to slow down.  And if you can see it, high viz or no high viz, you can pass slow and wide.    Of course drivers can&#8217;t be held responsible for horses leaping out into the road.  But they need to put themselves in a position so that should this occur, they can react appropriately.   I think its common sense not just road sense.  Sadly so many people these days seem to have no sense at all.


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## Rollin (22 June 2016)

benson what a truly awful experience.  Do you and your friend still ride? I cannot imagine how you recovered from losing two horses. 

I had a horrible near miss, when a driver attempted to overtake into a blind bend and then put his landcover into a skid when he met an HGV coming the other way.  I will never forget it - in spite of witness statement no prosecution was ever brought.


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## Sukistokes2 (23 June 2016)

applecart14 said:



			I agree there are a number of numpty motorists out there. THe problem as I see it is that they are ignorant of the facts about overtaking horse and rider.  I've had people as soon as they see me and my brightly covered hi viz horse slam on their brakes and switch the engine off which really isn't necessary.  On the other side of the coin I've had people drive past me at 40mph with the drivers side tyres on the verge on the other side of the road  thinking that it was okay to pass me fast as long as they gave me room.  I've also had a number of drivers crawl pass me and actually come so close they have on occasion caught my stirrup iron!

Where I have moved to some two years ago is brilliant for hacking.  As long as you keep clear of the roads from 5pm - 5.20pm as some of the lanes are used as a rat run, you encounter no hassle or silly driving - worth its weight in gold.  The very fact that I can go for a hack in the evening after work for an hour and maybe encounter half a dozen slow moving, sensible drivers is brilliant and one of the main reasons I stay at the yard I am at.  Having been on yards before where hacking is abysmal its great to have good hacking.

Car drivers need to be made aware by adverts on TV showing a horse spooking into the road (if needs be for the sake of the advert get someone stood in the hedge to startled the horse) and film from behind and show how much this horse will veer into the road.  Then get the message across by showing some accident scenes.  This is what shocks people and when people are shocked they remember better.  I never forget the two adverts I remember from my childhood.  'Clunk, click on every trip' and my favourite 'only a fool breaks the two second rule' where you drive along the motorway and say the phrase out loud when the car in front of you passes a marker.  If you get to the marker before you have finished the sentence you are too close to the car in front and need to back off.  I am sure if we had an advert for passing horses with a suitable phrase associated with it we would be half way there.

And to be honest riders need to help themselves.  Why people hack out without any form of Hi Viz is beyond me.  I have a hiviz exercise sheet brought cheaply from Aldi, flashing leg bands (again from Aldi @ 4 for £5) and a tabard and hat band (high hedges by us).  Fellow liveries joke they can see me for miles.  I am quite proud of that fact. 

The very fact that a lady driver stopped her car next to us the other day on the road and said "I just want you to know that its really good that you are visible in the way you are, I saw you really easily" says it all really, for all the numpties that don't wear high viz shame on you.
		
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Totally this^^^^^^

Well written


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## flirtygerty (25 June 2016)

I have driven round country roads for many years, in summer, foliage does affect your view and can make darker horses almost invisible until the last moment,  Hi viz does give you extra time to react


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## Rollin (25 June 2016)

flirtygerty said:



			I have driven round country roads for many years, in summer, foliage does affect your view and can make darker horses almost invisible until the last moment,  Hi viz does give you extra time to react
		
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This is true, I was motoring on the Blair Drummond Straight at over 50mph on a glorious summer day, I spotted a glint of something in the dapples cast by the sunshine.  it was an invisible cyclist wearing black, who I only spotted when the sun caught the metal of his wheel.


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## jokadoka (26 June 2016)

". Although I now live in France, part of my decision was because I was sick to the back teeth of keeping a 7.5 ton lorry on the road to transport my bomb proof horses 5 miles!! to keep them safe from selfish and ignorant motorists.[/QUOTE]"

Interesting you should say that. I have lived in rural France for the last 9 years and we are about to return to the UK. I always felt a lot safer on the roads in Britain than I did here. People seem to whizz quite close past you here and almost seem surprised there is an actual horse on the roads/lanes. I still always thank them tho, which seem to confuse them even more. And yes, I am always wearing hi vis.


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## benson21 (26 June 2016)

i am so glad the views on here have changed so much in the past 3 or 4 years!  After my accident, there were so many people on here saying they didnt need to wear hi vis, as their horse was bombproof, and they only rode in the countryside, through fields and on very quiet country lanes!  I could never understand those points!!


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## WeeLassie (26 June 2016)

Although I wear Hi-viz, and I think people should, I dont think the onus  should be entirely on the rider to make themselves visible,  drivers should be educated to take care, and look out for people, horses, animals, bikes etc that may be using the road too. 
Too many drivers these days dont seem to be taught to drive at a speed  they can safely stop if necessary. I wear Hi-viz,but I also make sure I'm not riding in the gutter, as it is easier for a driver to see straight in front of him when hes mainly looking at the road ahead, and you look ahead where you are going to drive, than see something at the side of the road.


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