Riding & Road Safety.....
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I have been a victim, as many people have, of rude, abusive, impatient drivers, who pass so close it is scary. One ride I remember very well, I was happily walking around a corner in our local village when I could hear a car approaching from behind, knowing it was a bend I asked my horse to trot on and get out the way so the approaching car would see us after the bend, we were kitted out in our reflective gear and so didn't expect any issues. The car came around the corner, I turned to make eye contact with the driver to basically say "I see you, do you see us" and without even lifting off the accelerator, he (a youngish male) actually drove towards me and took my stirrup off my right foot and the whip clean out of my hand, then sped away! Well, I have to admit to being extremely angry and upset, my horse, the delightful Pepsy, was unperturbed thankfully and just continued as if nothing had happened, while I had made a mental note of the car and driver and would be reporting this to the local policeman.
So, if the roads are getting busier, faster and more dangerous, we as riders still want to use them, but how do we make ourselves less likely to have an accident, obviously we cannot help what some motorists do, but as riders what can WE do to lessen the chances??
Well, the obvious ones (to me) are:
- Always wear reflective clothing, as stated in the Highway Code (HC): Rule 50 states, Light coloured or fluorescent clothing in DAYLIGHT, Reflective clothing in dull or dark (hopefully you won't be riding in the dark!!!) conditions.
- Do not ride along on your mobile phone, although not a "rule" it is in my opinion a rather silly thing to do! How can you hear what is coming around the corner or from behind?? The same applies to Ipods, and NO I am not old fashioned, but it happens!
- Always wear a correctly fitting hat (hard hat that is!) to the correct safety standard and with the chin strap correctly fitted and fastened. (Rule 49 HC)
- Make sure you can control your horse! (spooking is a hazard which is unavoidable at times, but if your horse is clearly badly behaved, maybe think about it prior to going out??)
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Any horse or pony on the road must wear a correctly fitted saddle and bridle.
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Remember to thank drivers for slowing down, if you don't they may take offence and not be so kind to the next rider they come across which could cause an accident. A smile goes a long way, even if you can't take your right hand off the rein to say thank you!
Please do not be put off riding on our roads by reading this blog, as I said at the beginning, this is about my thoughts and my desire to pass on some tips for you and to be safe and enjoy using our networks of roads for many years to come.
The BHS have more information and useful information available at www.bhs.org.uk where there is also a site for registering accidents and incidents, which the BHS are interested in as they can then put together a list of "hot spot" places which can then be passed on to the relevant authorities for further investigation.
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