Another horse Death

[Rollin]

The rider was wearing Hi-Viz, hit from behind. Her horse dead and her companion's horse injured.


WHEN will British Government and Police take the safety or riders most of whom are women and children as seriously as the safety of cyclists (mostly male??).

It is a disgrace that so many people have to be injured and mentally traumatised before courts will throw the book at the irresponsible drivers.

 

[rascal]

Disgusting, you do your best to make sure people DO see you, and they still fail.

 

[madlady]

I agree - accidents involving horses should be treated just as seriously as accidents involving cyclists and pedestrians.

For me any driver who kills another road user through driving dangerously should face a manslaughter charge and should see the inside of a prison. It's only by having harsher penalties that people will start to think.

 

[popsdosh]

The rider was wearing Hi-Viz, hit from behind. Her horse dead and her companion's horse injured.


WHEN will British Government and Police take the safety or riders most of whom are women and children as seriously as the safety of cyclists (mostly male??).

It is a disgrace that so many people have to be injured and mentally traumatised before courts will throw the book at the irresponsible drivers.

Till we know the facts we wont know what the circumstances were !You would already have hung the driver when it may not be their fault, I only say that because this time of year is notorious for this type of accident usually due to a very low sun blinding drivers until its to late .I have two friends in wheel chairs that were involved in these type of collisions both this time of year. Im afraid a lot wont like it but its this scenario where yellow Hi ViZ actually makes matters worse as it adds to the issue. Thats why orange hi viz has become mandatory in high risk industries outside ie Railways etc.

 

[Rollin]

popdosh, I used to drive to work on the M25 every morning from Reading to Edmonton NE London. In the winter as the sun rose in the sky, it was always dazzling. I slowed down. I drove 1,000 miles a week for over 20 years accident free. If you cannot see the road ahead you SLOW down.

There can never be an excuse for running into the back of another road user - unless it is a vehicle travelling in the dark without lights.

 

[Magnetic Sparrow]

While it is true that at the moment we don't know the circumstances of this particular accident, I have to agree with Rollin that you should only drive at speeds where you can see within your stopping distance.

Sadly that probably means your vehicle will get rear-ended by the reckless or inattentive, but at least cars don't die.

 

[popsdosh]

While it is true that at the moment we don't know the circumstances of this particular accident, I have to agree with Rollin that you should only drive at speeds where you can see within your stopping distance.

Sadly that probably means your vehicle will get rear-ended by the reckless or inattentive, but at least cars don't die.

Whilst I have to agree however that does not cover incidents when you go round a bend and are totally momentarily blinded by the sun. Sorry but been there and im sure many have its got nothing to do with speed you could be doing 10MPH and it still happens.
As I said yellow hi viz actually makes you less obvious in that scenario. We always try as much as we can to not ride out if this likely to be an issue as it is pretty specific to this time of year and the further north in the country the worse it can be. Both of my friends that have suffered this were investigated and on both occasions speed was not the determining factor but the glare from the sun was, its just unfortunate but if you have never been placed in that situation you dont really know how much vision is impaired so quickly. I just think it is unfair to crucify the driver so quickly when the investigation is not complete i am sure they are already upset by what has happened, and I feel to many people jump to judgement without knowing the facts!! Just for the record some of my horsey friends are indeed the worst drivers i know

 

[fburton]

Nevertheless, it is possible to anticipate blinding sunlight and slow right down. There are always signs that glare may be a problem ahead. Wet roads call for even more vigilance. Sunglasses can help a lot.

If there is a collision, speed makes a huge difference to the severity of injury. For human pedestrians, the difference between 10 and 20 mph is huge. I think horses are more likely to be injured because of their weight; they can't 'bounce' off the front of a car as readily as a person - but reducing speed always helps.

 

[Caracarrie]

The rider was wearing Hi-Viz, hit from behind. Her horse dead and her companion's horse injured.


WHEN will British Government and Police take the safety or riders most of whom are women and children as seriously as the safety of cyclists (mostly male??).

It is a disgrace that so many people have to be injured and mentally traumatised before courts will throw the book at the irresponsible drivers.

What makes you think that accidents involving cars with cyclists are investigated or treated with any form of importance? I can assure you from personal experience that if you aren't supported by 4 wheels, the police don't want to know. I was knocked off my bike while cycling to work in broad daylight, a nice sunny early summer day. The driver who hit me tried to overtake me on the inside as I was turning right, realised there wasn't enough room and rather than wait the 2 seconds it would have taken for the space to be created by me, overtook me on the outside instead, knocked me off my bike and drove off. He only stopped, way down the road, when I stood up. He told the biggest pack of lies to the police who were happy to accept his account as it meant they could shut the book on it. Luckily I had fully comprehensive insurance because that was what picked up the tab, all £1100 pounds of it (and this was in 1992 so you can imagine that I wasn't riding a bike made of gas piping). The only satisfaction I had was that my pedal punched a big hole in the rear passenger side door.
As for most cyclists being male, well maybe the ones who get involved in accidents are, but I see plenty of fellow-females out on their bikes every day.

RIP to the horse involved.