Dangerous drivers

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chaps89

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The yard where we keep the horses is on a fairly fast stretch of road, but it's very straight and 9 out of 10 drivers slow down for us, if not going wide. Today the driver that didn't slow down was dangerous. (I took my horse out for a hack over lunch, with my mum on her bike.)
The guy went past us at about 60 mph, just before a bend. So mum scowled at him, he promptly slammed his breaks on, reversed and parked across the road (blocking other cars) got out and shouted at her.
Apparently because horses don't pay road tax he has right of way and why shouldn't he go past as he did, we don't pay tax or insurance, therefore he is more important. Excuse me, but everyone else manages it. And we do pay for insurance!
But what got me most was his final comment 'Oh, well if your horse had jumped in front of my car and damaged it your insurance would have paid anyway' And what about the damage/potential death of my horse? Or does that not matter?!

Ooh, I was fuming. And annoyingly both me and my mum failed to get his number plate! Luckily pony is the quiet sort when it comes to traffic and hadn't reacted. Had I been on my youngster it could have been a different matter.

Ironically if he had slowed down and gone past us, he would have got a nice smile and a thank-you, and probably been on his way alot quicker than he was given he chose to stop and get out of his car!

Sorry, rant over now!
 
sorry to hear your story


it's vey common....though what gets me is that drivers think if they hit horse that their car will be a bit damaged....

What they fail to realise and I always point it out that half a ton of horse flesh going through the winscreen or over the top of a car will KILL the driver..

Something they fail to consider....
 
Exactly, Jay-d. It's perhaps inappropriate for me to laugh at these tossers who think the horse is simply going to dent and scratch the paintwork, when in reality, they'd be lucky to come away with their life!
 
Yes exactly. I think all drivers should see this picture, might make them think!

Accident-Horse.jpg
 
It does make you wonder doesn't it. We've had people go past us fast before, which fair enough, but the way he acted was laughable really! It's not just for our sakes we ask them to slow down but I suppose not many drivers think of that!
There just doesn't seem to be enough publicity/awareness in the non-horsey world about the potential dangers. (That said, even my totally non-horsey colleague said a) who would overtake approaching a bend and b) what's the harm in slowing down)
 
Isit a busy main road you are next to? I only ask because we arestill considering moving ours to my in-laws which is next to a busy road, and our decision is being somewhat made for us by the fact we may have to retire my 8 year old and can't afford livery for him if he's not in use. I was under the impression that the main roads were probably safer due to better visibility?
 
IMO the main roads are definitely worse, even with good visibility. There are just so many idiots out there that don't see any reason to slow down for a horse, or try and force their way through when there is a car coming in the opposite direction, nearly taking your leg off in the process.
 
Yeah, it's a busy main road. The rest of the roads in the area/where we ride are country lanes. It's a very fast stretch coming off the A5/A444 and a cut through to other main routes so we don't ride at rush hour.
In the 2 or 3 years we've been on the yard, it's the first traffic related incident we've had.
Yes there are people who go fast past us, but because it's a mostly straight road, they can see ahead and pull over wide enough so as not to get too close to the horses and we have no problems. For the most part, people slow down for us, as I'm assuming they can see us well in advance (we always have lots of fluorescent/reflective wear on)
That said we get very little trouble on the country lanes either, but ours are quite open to be fair, or off road tracks.
 
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The driver is obviously a total twat
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This.

Unfortunately, people like this think the world revolves around them and that they will be safe in their tin can. Explain the damage half a ton of horse coming through the windscreen will do to them, see if they understand, though sadly I doubt it would get through their thick skull.

And as far as I'm aware, though correct me if I'm wrong, in situations such as this, the most vulnerable road user is supposed to be yielded to, even if they don't have right of way.
 
I always tell them to go and read the highway code. All motor vehicles by law have to give way to horses which have the right of way, the same as sail has the right of way over steam on the sea. As for tax and insurance - what about pedestrians and cyclists?
I also always try to use up my side of the road. Being tucked into the gutter too much just encourages them to fly past without moving over. Also always wear flourescent regardless of light conditions and when I hear someone coming fast, I always eye-ball the driver before they get to me. Needless to say all good drivers are acknowledged. Not many drivers realise that the police advise us to ride 2 abreast when in company, the same as they do, and take up the width of a car to get respect.
 
There seem to be people about who just resent horse riders. I posted recently about a driver who gave me 'the bird' for absolutely no reason.

What drivers like the one you met will never understand is that slowing down and passing wide is just good driving and the 'you don't pay tax' argument is just bl**dy infantile, of course I do, on my CAR and my MOTORBIKE
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Oh dear, these ignorant selfish people are so infuriating.
 
Cyclists get the "tax and insurance" story from motorists too. Doesn't matter which saddle I'm sitting on, I just wave my car keys at these idiots and ask them what I'm spending £100+ on every year then. I live 16 miles from where I keep my horse, do I fly there on a magic carpet or something???
 
Sadly some of us horse riders are pig ignorant many times I slow for riders and sometimes feel its safer to stop only to be totally blanked by the riders I will always slow for horses but if people fail to thank drivers, then they might not feel so obliged to be so carefull next time ... I do think sadly the roads are too dangerous to ride on these days every body is in a hurry and sat nav send strangers hurtling down every back road in search of a short cut....
 
Pass my horse close if you dare, the steel top of my dressage whip will smash your windscreen as easy as anything. complain to whoever you like and they will tell you you
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must have been too close!
 
I posted this on Bridleways a couple of days ago-

The roads are for getting from a to b for "everyone" to use, not a race track as Jerkoff Clarkson likes to think, I run 3 vehicles so one of them is always on the drive or parked, I am well paying for cycle tracks which cyclist dont pay for or even have insurance, never mind lights, so I use them to ride my horse on rather than on the road when available , I bloody well pay through the nose over and over to be on the road with my horse, I also pay through the nose for council rates for where I live, so I expect the council to clean up my horse shite along with, fly tipping, travellers crap, chewing gum, larger cans, takeaway wrappers, used condoms, bottles crisp chocolate wrappers etc etc etc strewn everywhere, so this "we have to fit in with traffic and dont pay to be in the road" is total bollocks, WE DO PAY.
 
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