Wiltshire and Gloucestershire see MAJOR rise in road incidents involving horses
New figures have been dropped by the British Horse Society
Last updated 24th Mar 2021
Road incidents involving vehicles and horses or ponies in Wiltshire have more than tripled in a year.
That is according to new statistics released by the British Horse Society (BHS).
Between February 2020 and February 2021, Wiltshire saw 37 accidents involving horses - compared to 12 the previous year.
It's the second highest number of incidents across the South West, but no horses were killed.
There was a smaller increase of 57% in Gloucestershire, where cases rose from 21 to 33.
NUMBER OF INCIDENTS STILL WORRYINGLY HIGH
The BHS has collated figures to understand more about horse-related crashes on UK roads.
In total, 1,010 incidents were reported to the equine charity over the past 12 months. 46 horses lost their lives and 118 were injured.
Although the number of cases nationwide has fallen by 3%, the BHS claims the figure is still "worryingly high".
Furthermore, the charity says only 1 in 10 horse-related crashes are actually reported.
80% of them occurred when vehicles passed too closely, with close to half of the incidents caused by road rage.
A new free safety app, 'Horse i', has been launched by the BHS - allowing riders to report crashes as soon as they return to the yard.
DRIVERS URGED TO SLOW DOWN:
The charity is now urging motorists to overtake horses with care, encouraging them to adhere to its Dead Slow campaign messages.
The initiative consists of four key behavioural changes:
- Slow down to a maximum of 15mph
- Be patient - I will not 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
'There is still a great need for better education'
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, despite the time spent in lockdown over the past year.
"With 80% of the incidents reported to us having occurred due to vehicles passing too close, it is evident that there is still a great need for better education on how to safely pass horses on the road.
"We all have a right to feel safe on the roads and no one should face abuse for exercising this right".
RIDERS:
Meanwhile, riders are also being reminded to improve road safety.
The BHS recommends that bikers:
- Wear hi-vis, fluorescent and reflective clothing whenever they ride on-road or off-road, even in bright sunlight
- Wear protective headgear to current, approved standards
- Be alert and give clear and decisive signals
- Acknowledge and return courtesy, a smile and a nod are enough if your hands are full