Car Drivers Opinions Of The "POLITE" Hi Viz

ROG said:
I am already a member (ROG) and have done a few posts on that thread

Many on there are ASSUMING that those with the POLITE hi-vis are trying to mimic POLICE but the reality is that any driver who thinks that in seeing one needs their eyes testing

Put one police horse and rider in amongst 12 with polite vests and I'll spot the cop easily

Police horses and riders look very different - that from me who is not a horsey person - well, I rode a donkey on the beach in my younger days!!
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Hi ROG :)
Thankyou for contributing here :D
I saw the link on another forum I use and thought I would share it here. I'm not a member on PH, but the general impression given out is that many drivers won't tolerate any other road users, horses being the "worst" hazzard.
There are a few "good" posters on there though who do try to put a balanced opinion across, but the general "ignorance" (as in lack of knowledge rather than just being horrible) of a lot of drivers is frightening.
There is very little tolerance in general of "anyone else but them" using the roads. Country roads, as I'm sure you know, are the most dangerous roads in the country, but I get the impression that most PHers like to use twisty back roads as their very own personal raceway.
I have personally nearly been wiped out on country roads while riding, walking and cycling by the wannabe WRC/F1 type of "boy racers" who think they own the roads. :)
 
AprilBlossom said:
As both a rider on roads and a driver I personally find the 'polite' thing a bit weird and irritating. It does come across as riders are impersonating police (as a rider myself, I can tell from first glance that you ain't no policeman on that fair hairy native pony :D) and I just find it irks me far more than just regular hi-viz which I think is perfectly adequate.
Cyclists don't use a faux-police tabbard, why do riders feel the need to?


Not meant in any sort of inflammatory way BTW, just my honest view and would be interested to hear response. I'm genuinely interested to know the answer to my question.
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Agree with this, plus the attitude of the equisafety is really quite disgusting.
 
Some one recently posted a link to a consumer tv programme regarding the "polite" range.

Unfortunately, they claimed so much of the yellow is covered by writing, chequer tape etc, the tabard does not meet British Standards for hi-viz. Hence driver will have less recognition time than a vest that does meet standards.
 
I think what probably needs to be mentioned to these people is, if they don't drive carefully, their precious car will be wiped out too more than likely.
I really don't understand why some foolish people can't grasp that part, you might not care about us (probably little more than we care about you) but we BOTH care about our stupid hobbies. So why don't we respect each other and my horse wont end up splattered across the road and your scooby/corsa/evo wont end up completely obliterated and your insurance go through the roof :)
 
ooo i've stopped reading its making me too angry!!
but i do have to say i never ride 2 abreast when cars are about, if i was driving it would do my nut in if cyclists were 2 abreast blocking the road. everyone just needs to respect each other :D
 
I think it is quite telling (and also quite sad) that something as innocuous as a bit of high viz with a blue chevron and a word that looks like 'police' on it should get motorists' danders up so much! I mean, where is the justification for someone to get so angry with another person for trying to improve their safety on the road?

It's weird, and I can understand it a little, because the baby on board stickers and the like do annoy me just a teeny bit, but the psychology behind their use is subtley different - I mean I wasn't going to try and tail end such a car in the first place, so why would I doubly not do it now because you tell me there is a child on board? Whereas with the high vis, the primary purpose is to make you notice a definitively more vulnerable road user because of the colour, and then if you are the type of driver that is ignorant enough to not give a s**t, the secondary thought is that you might confuse them for a police rider of some sort and that might slow you down.

As to why that would make your blood boil is obviously only a question for the types of drivers that would actually go out of their way to upset a horse and rider: **curses, I have been double-crossed!!!!!** (steam vents out of ears)!!!! (and as an aside, I am incapable of understanding why anyone would have such disregard for another human being and animal as some of the users on that other forum and those I have read about in the press who do not have any regret when they cause these accidents - unbeliveable - are they from another planet?)

I am not scared of the riding on the road and my horses are very good with traffic. However, in order to get to nearly all of the few bridle paths we have around here, I have to go on a very busy, single carriage derestricted road. I have to say, I am now finding hacking very boring and dispiriting because I really don't want to go on said road, so have to stick to pretty much the same route all the time. It seems that nearly every time I ride the 1/4 mile or whatever to get to where I need to be on the main road, something happens. I defy any horse not to be scared of an artic coming past it at 50 mph, a old lady driving on past with inches to spare and wobbling around when cars were coming the other way because she couldn't process the thought to actually stop for a few seconds, or having his rider's stirrup clipped by a speeding white van. I actually took to carrying a super long schooling whip with a high-vis end and carried it sticking out into the road to try and get people to keep a wider berth. I always thank people who are courteous.

All of the above are stereotypes, I know, but all happened to me and so I bought one of these vests in the vague hope it might help. Don't know whether it has tbh, as still not venturing on that road (the back lanes are fine) that often. The thought that it might actually make people more discourteous is worrying :(
 
BoolavogueDC said:
I think what probably needs to be mentioned to these people is, if they don't drive carefully, their precious car will be wiped out too more than likely.
I really don't understand why some foolish people can't grasp that part, you might not care about us (probably little more than we care about you) but we BOTH care about our stupid hobbies. So why don't we respect each other and my horse wont end up splattered across the road and your scooby/corsa/evo wont end up completely obliterated and your insurance go through the roof :)
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Very good point!

I think some of the replies on that thread are quite funny...

'I see about one horse a week, I make a real effort to not alarm horse or rider, horse boxes are a different thing, usually a 1940's Bedford with 2 bhp heaving itself and four nags, plus a middle aged horsey woman up a 1 in 4 at 1 mph.

Sometimes slowing down for Horses can be beneficial, when they are nicely topped off with a nice young lady of about 18 with ample frontage, all that bouncign up and down is fairly mesmerising, and Jodphurs can look damn good.'

:D:D:D
 
AprilBlossom said:
As both a rider on roads and a driver I personally find the 'polite' thing a bit weird and irritating. It does come across as riders are impersonating police (as a rider myself, I can tell from first glance that you ain't no policeman on that fair hairy native pony :D) and I just find it irks me far more than just regular hi-viz which I think is perfectly adequate.
Cyclists don't use a faux-police tabbard, why do riders feel the need to?
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AB, this is my feeling entirely. I don't like the Polite stuff, and for some reason I can't fully justify, it does irritate me. The recent comments on Fake Britain about the unnecessary writing obscuring the useful "hi vis" fabric have given me a more valid reasoning on which to peg my visceral dislike of the stuff though :D
 
Irritates the heck out of me too JFTD.... I prefer a plain Hi-viz to any kind of writing.

I particularly hate the ones with "jokey" writing.

Pootleperkin, I also find "baby on board" stickers bloody irritating, and the "jokey" versions even worse. They make me think "well I wasn't planning on ploughing into the back of your car in the first place but now I know that there is a 'princess on board' or a 'tiny person on board' or a 'Crazy Chick On Board' I actually think I might because you're clearly a total plonker..."

Ok maybe I'm not that bad but I really dislike them, and hate the message they send out. Any perceived benefit is totally negated by the overuse of "jokey" versions.
 
Kat said:
Pootleperkin, I also find "baby on board" stickers bloody irritating, and the "jokey" versions even worse. They make me think "well I wasn't planning on ploughing into the back of your car in the first place but now I know that there is a 'princess on board' or a 'tiny person on board' or a 'Crazy Chick On Board' I actually think I might because you're clearly a total plonker..."
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Such a relief. I thought it was just me :D
 
I always wear my "polite" hi viz and no I'm not pretending to be a policeman - especially on my hairy traditional. However, if it makes people slow down then I'm all for it. Rightly or wrongly it does seem to have more effect on my local roads than normal hi viz.

I passed a rider yesterday in full flourescent kit on a shady country lane (national speed limit) and i spotted her from quite a distance, I slowed down, drove around a puddle to stop it splashing and scaring her horse. Did she acknowledge me or say thank you - no !!! :mad:

I live on the Surrey cycle route - if I had a £1 for everytime I saw a cycllist driving down the same shady lane without any hi-viz or even lights on I'd be extremely rich and could afford to stop and give out hi viz jackets to every single on of them!!!
 
I have never even considered the polite range, I suppose there is a remote chance with a bigger horse my 14.2 might get away with it at a distance, but as I mainly hack with young daughter I can't imagine anyone mistaking her for police.
If i'm riding a green horse & want hgvs etc to slow down, I have found a low cut top, padded push up bra & sitting trot to be the most effective way, with a Sam browne belt.
It's true about people not considering the damage to their cars. On a handful of occasions I have met morons who will try & squeeze next to my 7yr old on her 11.1 at junctions, but soon back off when I reinback towards their car. You can almost see them thinking 'I don't mind risking a small child & pony hitting my car but don't want that thing crushing it'. Also when I know a driver is going to overtake somewhere stupid, eg the brow of a hill that I never overtake bikes on as its too narrow, I find a bit of lateral work puts them off. All they see is a horse suddenly going sideways. On the whole though most local drivers are pretty good, they see us a lot & know I always get out of the way if possible & thank them. Another local woman has the opposite, rides down the centre of the road at a crawl causing massive traffic jams & abusing everyone. Hence local drivers hate her.
I had a lovely experience a few days ago. A fully kitted up subaru pulled up behind, full of teenage lads whilst waiting to cross a busy road. They turned the music off & left a good gap. Middle aged couple pulled up behind them & started bibbing despite the fact even in a ferrari there wasn't a gap I could have crossed in. Two of the teens got out of the subaru & went shouting at the couple behind, really laid into them about bibbing near horses & especially at a child on a pony. After thanking them profusely they said it was the least they could do.
 
So, do we vote that on balance, I should cover the 'polite notice' writing with gaffer tape on my vest? :)

I don't want irate annoyed drivers targeting me and Gully just 'cos of that!
 
I personally would not wear a Polite vest either. Some riders don't help the cause, have passed a few myself lately, very slowly and wide etc and not even a thank you. I always thank everyone.
 
I always wear hi viz but my hi viz doesn't have any writing on it and I'm not keen on the polite range for several reasons. I do wonder that if a driver mistakes you for the police they may assume your horse is as bombproof and good in traffic as police horses are and pass you quicker/closer than they may do you average happy hacker.

Like I said, my hi viz (for both me and horse) doesn't have any wording on it and it does the job perfectly well.
 
I was told 'baby on board' stickers was in case you crashed and the rescue services didn't notice a baby seat amonst the wreckage...grim. I was given one at y baby shower but it's yet to make it out of the house.

I was mildly amused by a sign in a car the other day - it said 'I have 9 points so I'm sticking to the limit'!
 
littlelegs said:
I have never even considered the polite range, I suppose there is a remote chance with a bigger horse my 14.2 might get away with it at a distance, but as I mainly hack with young daughter I can't imagine anyone mistaking her for police.
If i'm riding a green horse & want hgvs etc to slow down, I have found a low cut top, padded push up bra & sitting trot to be the most effective way, with a Sam browne belt.
It's true about people not considering the damage to their cars. On a handful of occasions I have met morons who will try & squeeze next to my 7yr old on her 11.1 at junctions, but soon back off when I reinback towards their car. You can almost see them thinking 'I don't mind risking a small child & pony hitting my car but don't want that thing crushing it'. Also when I know a driver is going to overtake somewhere stupid, eg the brow of a hill that I never overtake bikes on as its too narrow, I find a bit of lateral work puts them off. All they see is a horse suddenly going sideways. On the whole though most local drivers are pretty good, they see us a lot & know I always get out of the way if possible & thank them. Another local woman has the opposite, rides down the centre of the road at a crawl causing massive traffic jams & abusing everyone. Hence local drivers hate her.
I had a lovely experience a few days ago. A fully kitted up subaru pulled up behind, full of teenage lads whilst waiting to cross a busy road. They turned the music off & left a good gap. Middle aged couple pulled up behind them & started bibbing despite the fact even in a ferrari there wasn't a gap I could have crossed in. Two of the teens got out of the subaru & went shouting at the couple behind, really laid into them about bibbing near horses & especially at a child on a pony. After thanking them profusely they said it was the least they could do.
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What nice young lads!

and i agree, a bit of lateral work or rein back works a treat! we are fortunate to not have alot of road word on our hacks and so dont often meet traffic. most people are great and we always say thankyou and smile and nod, even when people havent stopped or gone past at a sensible speed we will thank them hoping that it may change their perception of us. Not all of us are rude, pompous twits. :D
 
littlelegs said:
If i'm riding a green horse & want hgvs etc to slow down, I have found a low cut top, padded push up bra & sitting trot to be the most effective way, with a Sam browne belt.
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Maybe that is the answer... I know someone who rides in a bikini (but with jods on too), but she has the figure for it. Bet the traffic slows down for her!

If I tried that I think I'd end up hospitalising myself or having very black eyes at the very least. And the drivers would probably speed up to avoid having to look :D so it would be counterproductive.
 
MochaDun said:
Some of those attitudes are very depressing :( Yesterday out on a hack on a small road that is deemed a "quiet lane" by the local council, which has signs up about walkers, cyclists, horses as it is a country lane used frequently by all of these, two of us out hacking had a car coming towards us at speed (straight stretch of road), the rider in front flagged him to slow down, he just gesticulated and mouthed abuse through his car window. Take the horses out the equation and he's still doing 50mph in a 30mph but that's his attitude and no-one's going to tell him otherwise. I despair. I'm sure that guy uses that route and will adopt that attitude to every horse rider he has to pass.
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You really should report the 1st driver to the police. They can (and will in some cases) prosecute for careless driving. Sis and I got a successful prosecution years ago for a similar incident.
 
I find that prancing sideways down the road ( arab) always gets a wider berth than plodding sedately next to the kerb ( highland).....

I do wear a 'polite' vest....I am quite obviously NOT the rozzers but I find it works really well and I get loads of nods and smiles.....but then again I make an effort to thank everyone who passes me- they're more likely to slow down next time, even if it isn't for me......
 
BigRed said:
I always wear Hi-Viz. I actually would NOT wear the POLITE hi-viz because people who use them, are hoping that people will think for a second that it is a police rider and they hope it will mean drivers will slow down more. I don't think it is necessary.

The important thing is to make yourself visible and to ride sensibly, ie in single file. I avoid busy roads in peak travel time. I know plenty of people who shrug their shoulders and say it's their right to go on the road, which is true - but it won't make you feel better when you are sitting in a hospital bed.
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Yep, agree with all the above.

But I have to say I read the first few posts on that thread and felt myself getting very irate - so I stopped. There are some truly ignorant people on our roads, most of whom appear to subscribe to that forum.
 
I think most drivers don't seem to understand we don't want to ride on roads but are forced to because there are so few bridleways left....
And often the grim face they make at drivers is because they are so worried about being overtaken by a 2tonne weapon doing 40mph about 3 inches from them that they can't bring themselves to smile at the following driver who does pass wide and slow..... I hate riding on roads. No choice though to get to Bridleways. I also hate the road tax argument I'm pretty sure road tax was abolished in the 1930s and instead VED was implemented... so roads are maintained through other means too?
 
I work in the car trade and see the type of person on Pistonheads all the time, they are my customers and I grin and ber them in a polite and professional manner.

My workshop is located next to the yard where approx. 15 horses are kept (including my own). All the horses are good with traffic and we're in a rural location with signs for horses etc. but that doesn't stop pillocks haring up and down the lane because the last thing they expect to see is a horse/cyclist/pedestrian. The problem is that these people aren't educated when it comes to horses on the roads. They don't realise that a horse has priority over any motorised transport and that horses can legally ride 2 abreast.

Yet you try and politely let somebody know that and you will probably be met with a torrent of abuse.

The other thing is that these pillocks will assume that because you have a horse, you are a 'toff' and are loaded with a snooty attitude - wrong again...!

I wear the Polite range mainly because it works - it slows down traffic, but I'm also very courteous and wave/say thanks, smile, eye contact etc. because that always helps to try and dispell the image that horsey bods are idiots too.

No matter what you wear (and we should all wear some hi-viz), you will always be met with some pillock who will give you attitude :(
 
AprilBlossom said:
As both a rider on roads and a driver I personally find the 'polite' thing a bit weird and irritating. It does come across as riders are impersonating police (as a rider myself, I can tell from first glance that you ain't no policeman on that fair hairy native pony :D) and I just find it irks me far more than just regular hi-viz which I think is perfectly adequate.
Cyclists don't use a faux-police tabbard, why do riders feel the need to?


Not meant in any sort of inflammatory way BTW, just my honest view and would be interested to hear response. I'm genuinely interested to know the answer to my question.
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couldn't agree more! and not meant as a inflammatory either:)
 
Kat said:
Irritates the heck out of me too JFTD.... I prefer a plain Hi-viz to any kind of writing.

I particularly hate the ones with "jokey" writing.

Pootleperkin, I also find "baby on board" stickers bloody irritating, and the "jokey" versions even worse. They make me think "well I wasn't planning on ploughing into the back of your car in the first place but now I know that there is a 'princess on board' or a 'tiny person on board' or a 'Crazy Chick On Board' I actually think I might because you're clearly a total plonker..."

Ok maybe I'm not that bad but I really dislike them, and hate the message they send out. Any perceived benefit is totally negated by the overuse of "jokey" versions.
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I too don't like the baby on board stickers,thought I was just being a miserable git. That said, perhaps If I had one in my car I wouldn't have had to heave my 4wk old baby into the car through the boot (estate car) last week as some plonker had parked so far over in their car parking space.

My big daughter has A POLITE tabbard, she likes it and it encourages her to wear her high viz, therefore I am a happy Mummy. The sort of drivers who would deliberately drive badly due to a tabbard are going to be w**kers anyway.

Perhaps they would only slow down if you were wearing nothing but your Katy Price bikini. Rest assured I wont be doing this as drivers shutting their eyes in horror would be more dangerous!
 
AprilBlossom said:
I was told 'baby on board' stickers was in case you crashed and the rescue services didn't notice a baby seat amonst the wreckage...grim. I was given one at y baby shower but it's yet to make it out of the house.

I was mildly amused by a sign in a car the other day - it said 'I have 9 points so I'm sticking to the limit'!
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Lol at the 9 points sign ;)

I don't think that's logical though - I doubt most people take them in and out of their cars every time they pop out without said brat on board, so how are the ES to know the difference between "popped out without kid" and "some horrific incident whereby child is not visible during the accident tidy up and treatment of other casualties" - I doubt they would be able devote any significant time to checking for a child which they couldn't be sure existed :cool:
 
I deeply dislike the POLITE hi-viz, plus they're not up to standard of other hi-viz quality vests. It worries me why anyone would try to impersonate the police.

I have a 'Please pass wide and slow thankyou' vest. Plus my horse is black and without a vest frankly you wouldn't see us. Mostly all people I see slow and are considerate. Considerate drivers are greeted by a thankyou wave and a smile. Of course there are always the odd one or two idiots.

Having read the posts on that forum it worries me how these POLITE vests are being perceived by motorists.
These vests are giving off the wrong impression of horse riders being up themselves and superior when frankly its not the case.

At the end of the day we're normal people enjoying our hobby. Reving engines, hooting, speeding drivers would end result in dead horses, riders, drivers and families without their Mum,Dad, daughter, son etc. Wearing a hi-vis vest is to make yourself more visible not a status.

I would love not to go on the road at all but there aren't enough bridleways.
 
AprilBlossom said:
As both a rider on roads and a driver I personally find the 'polite' thing a bit weird and irritating. It does come across as riders are impersonating police (as a rider myself, I can tell from first glance that you ain't no policeman on that fair hairy native pony :D) and I just find it irks me far more than just regular hi-viz which I think is perfectly adequate.
Cyclists don't use a faux-police tabbard, why do riders feel the need to?


Not meant in any sort of inflammatory way BTW, just my honest view and would be interested to hear response. I'm genuinely interested to know the answer to my question.
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I have a polite tabbard and a young horse (he is very good on the road *touches wood*) now I wear mine as I have found that car drivers do slow down more with this tabard than with just my plain hi-vis.

we look nothing like a police team but I do make a point of shouting thank you & smiling to every car and if a car is stuck behind me while traffic is coming the other way I do turn and shout "thank you for being patient" while smiling.

I cant say I would buy another polite one when this one has worn out as it is overpriced for what is quite a lesser quality item
 
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