New road safety rules to protect horses are welcomed
CHANGES TO the Highway Code which help protect horse riders and carriage drivers on the road have been welcomed by an equine charity.
The British Horse Society (BHS) said it was “delighted” to see the positive changes for vulnerable road users which came into effect last Saturday.
The charity, which has a longrunning “Dead Slow” campaign calling for better equestrian road safety, said the announcement came on the back of reports that four horses had been killed on Britain’s roads already this year.
One of the main changes to be implemented in the Highway Code is a new Hierarchy of Road Users, where horses are now ranked alongside pedestrians and cyclists, as vulnerable road users.
The purpose of the new rule is to highlight that, irrespective of the method of transport, those who can do the greatest harm have the greatest responsibility to reduce the danger or threat they may pose to others.
The advisory speed for passing people riding horses or driving horse-drawn vehicles has been reduced from 15mph to 10mph, and drivers must allow at least two metres (6.5ft) of space.
The BHS’s director of safety, Alan Hiscox, said the charity, which has been part of the Department for Transport’s Highway Code stakeholder group, is “thrilled” that these “crucial changes” to the Highway Code have been brought in.
He added: “They are a significant step forward for equestrian road safety and will help protect vulnerable road users, making the roads safer for everyone.”
In November 2020, BHS figures showed just over one incident involving horses and vehicles are recorded on Yorkshire’s roads each week.
The charity said during 201920, 62 incidents were reported, an increase of 33 per cent on the previous year. Forty-five per cent of the incidents reported took place in West Yorkshire, with 28 recorded over the year.