New campaign aims to tackle dramatic increase in horse-related incidents on Bucks, Beds & Herts roads
New statistics revealing that double the incidents were reported to the charity during 2021
The British Horse Society (BHS) is urging drivers to 'humanise horse riders' after it released new statistics revealing that double the incidents were reported to the charity during 2021.
Overall, incidents in the East have risen dramatically compared to the previous year. Bucks is the worst affected area with 65 incidents, followed by Bedfordshire - 36 incidents, and Hertfordshire – 27 incidents. Road incidents involving horses and vehicles continue to rise across the UK, with a total 2,943 incidents reported to the equine charity in 2021.
Of the 2,943 total reported, 85% of them occurred due to vehicles passing by too closely. As part of its ‘Look Out for Laura’ campaign, the BHS has released two new videos to educate and encourage riders to safely pass horses on the road.
The videos tell the story of two horse riders who rely on riding as a way to de-stress from their hectic, working lives. Both encourage drivers to really think about how they look at, and empathise with, horse riders when they are out on the road.
This campaign has been informed by considerable research carried out by Nottingham Trent University, in collaboration with the BHS and Cycling UK, with funding from The Road Safety Trust, who are dedicated to achieving zero deaths and serious injuries on UK roads. It reveals that drivers who have greater awareness of a rider’s personal story have significantly improved how they would pass riders on the road, giving a greater passing distance and slowing down their speed.
A change in attitude is more important than ever, with over 500 horses reported to be killed on the roads since 2010. The charity is urging more drivers to think about how they look at horse riders when they are out on the road and encourage them to adhere to its Dead Slow campaign messages.
Dead slow was launched to help better educate drivers on how to safely pass horses on the road. In line with the new Highway Code changes, the campaign consists of four key behavioural change messages to drivers:
If I see a horse on the road then I will …
-Slow down to a maximum of 10mph
-Be patient – I won’t sound my horn or rev my engine
-Pass the horse wide and slow, (if safe to do so) at least a car’s width if possible
-Drive slowly away
Alan Hiscox, Director of Safety at The British Horse Society said: “The number of incidents involving horses on Britain’s roads remain far too high. It is, therefore, vital that we continue to urge drivers to be more considerate when passing horses and aware of how to do this safely.
Riding helps people from all backgrounds and walks of life, particularly when it comes to relieving stressful and difficult situations. We need to push awareness of this, and believe the ‘Look Out for Laura’ campaign offers a powerful message that will encourage drivers to think about the riders around them and help to reduce the significant number of horses being killed on Britain’s roads.”
Researchers at Nottingham Trent University were tasked with evaluating the impact of the videos on drivers’ attitudes. Professor Crundall a Professor of Psychology at Nottingham Trent University reported: “Our analyses have demonstrated that these videos improve both drivers’ attitudes towards horses, and their future intended passing behaviours, when compared to a control group.”
The BHS encourages all riders to report their incidents to the charity, at horseincidents.org.uk or through its app Horse i. The more incidents that are reported, the more the BHS can do to protect the rights of horse riders on Britain’s roads.