With an increasing number of reported incidents involving horses and vehicles, the BHS are building on their solid foundation of road safety education and campaigning to make drivers aware of what to do when they encounter horses on the road.
The BHS collates statistics each year to understand the rate of incidents involving horses and riders on UK roads. In the last year there were:
- 1,010 road incidents involving horses reported to BHS
- Of these, 46 horses have died and 118 have been injured
- 130 people have been injured because of road incidents
- 45% of riders were victims to road rage or abuse
- 80% of incidents occurred because a vehicle passed by too closely to the horse
- 43% of incidents occurred because a vehicle passed by too quickly
Four simple steps for drivers
- Slow down to a maximum of 15mph
- Be patient, don’t sound horns or rev engines
- Pass the horse wide and slow, (if safe to do so) at least a car’s width if possible
- Drive slowly away
The BHS urge all riders and carriage drivers to report all incidents they are involved in, regardless of severity. It is vital each and every incident is recorded in order to be added to our national statistics. Anyone can report their incidents or near misses to us; you don’t have to be a BHS member.