The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
‘Reckless’ near-miss leaves rider shocked
125%: Number of incidents involving cars and horses soars
The number of near-misses between vehicles and horses on country roads has rocketed amid fears drivers are not being educated in equine safety.
The British Horse Society has recorded a 125% year-on-year increase in incidents on Scotland’s roads.
In the past year there has been a complaint more than once a fortnight on average, but the true number of potentially-fatal incidents is believed to be far higher.
The startling figures emerged as one Perthshire rider claimed her horse was almost clipped by a “reckless” motorist near Perth.
Eileen Reid, who recorded footage of the nearaccident, said: “He just missed us – he nearly took my leg off.
“People don’t realise that if they hit a horse and it goes through the windscreen they (the drivers) don’t stand a chance.”
She is calling for safely passing animals to be a mandatory part of the driving test.
Shocking footage which shows a driver narrowly avoid crashing into two horses has emerged online.
Eileen Reid and her friend were out for a ride in Bridge of Earn when the bright yellow Fiat careered past, narrowly missing her leg.
The 50-year-old managed to control her mount, Sam, but warned the incident could have been fatal.
She said: “I didn’t hear him until the last minute, and just as I turned round he was right up the back end of my horse.
“He just missed us – he nearly took my leg off.
“I don’t think he saw me, even though I was wearing all my hi-vis stuff. It was frightening to say the least. Sam froze and backed off – he was about to spin and run the other way but I managed to stop him. Normally he’s bomb-proof, he doesn’t bat an eye – but that shocked even him. It could have been deadly.”
She is calling for more driver education on how to properly pass animals, which she believes is a key skill as Scotland has so many rural roads.
“I think it should be included in the driving test – especially in Scotland, because it’s such a rural area,” she said.
“People don’t realise that if they hit a horse and it goes through the windscreen they (the drivers) don’t stand a chance. You need to pass slowly and quietly and give them room.”
The British Horse Society (BHS) says it has recorded a 125% increase in the number of incidents involving horses on Scotland’s roads from 2015-16.
In the past year there have been 26 road incidents, up from 12 the previous year, but the true number may be even higher as the BHS relies on reports being made. The charity runs a Dead Slow campaign to educate drivers on how to safely pass a horse on the road.
BHS director of safety Alan Hiscox said: “When we launched Dead Slow, a number of riders reported that they’d noticed drivers being more considerate, but we still have a long way to go.
“We are educating drivers to slow down when they see a horse on the road and think about what might be around the corner.
“If you cannot see round the corner, slow down. If people adhere to these rules, we will save horses’ lives, drivers’ lives, riders’ lives.”