Getting cars to slow down?

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Merlod

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Idiot drivers seem to be on the increase where I am and I am just wondering if anyone had any helpful ideas for getting them to pass slower? I wear hi viz and horse wears hi viz, I always smile and thank the good drivers. I know there used to be whips with slow down or something written on the end but I can't find them for the life of me. Other than that maybe just a pocket full of stones for hurling at them!

There was one blood boiling moment recently when some moron was zooming down the hill towards me and my pony, I began sticking my arm out to do the slow down signal but he was going so fast he waved (thinking I was thanking him) and continued past before I even managed to motion my signal!!
 
Good question, and one I'm sure all road hackers would like an answer to. I just hold my hand out palm outwards, which sort of helps sometimes. I always thank the "good" drivers to encourage further consideration. I think the stone idea is a good one, but might lead you into all sorts of other troubles! I had a friend who used to hit the car roof with her schooling whip, if it was close enough. That made enough of a noise to make the driver think there's a problem, but didn't do any actual damage.

If anyone has any better ideas then I too would like to hear them.

Actually, we have more issues with bikes than cars around us. Don't they put bells on the bleddy things any more?
 
I won't hack out on the roads these days unless accompanied by my own tame ninja cyclist.

New mare is a saint, but the inattentive and sometimes downright dangerous behaviour of a significant minority of motorists had made hacking a nightmare.



He only leaps into action to calm traffic if needed, otherwise we both stay hard over to the left and thank courteous drivers. (Am temporarily in the middle of the road on this bit because this is a worn and slippery section of road).

He's actually riding my bike which has a rear view mirror, which is very useful for spotting traffic coming up from behind.
 
Ride enough in off the edge of the road that cars have to slow down. Obviously not in the middle of the road, but not stuck right up against the hedge/whatever else it is.

Usual things about pulling over when safe and sensible places is still good practise.

Often makes drivers more careful about passing- although there are obviously still going to be daft drivers who speed past on the wrong side of the road.
 
It depends on your roads. As someone who rides on single track country roads I tend towards riding in the middle of the road, this stems from not having road pins and needing grip. (not around blind bends of course) It also helps to slow people down. It also helps that I ride a Clydesdale, the size of him really makes people slow down and think. However, I would be more inclined on a busy road to invest in a head cam and send footage to the police. If I was riding on a very busy road like an A road I would not expect the cars to slow down that much.
 
Hat Camera and Tail guard on the horse showing the cctv symbol (hackcam.com) amazing how much more courteous drivers are when they realise they are being filmed! only cost me £50 for camera and tail guard and I'm really pleased with it :)
 
I saw on a Facebook page some one had tied streamers from bike handle bars on the end of a schooling whip, which she said helped keep cars a bit further away from her.
 
It depends on the type of road but around me they are pretty narrow and due to horse being traffic shy I need them to slow right up to a halt. I therefore ride in the middle of the road until they stop and they quickly move over with a big smile - that usually does the trick but not always.
I've found holding my hand up just makes them wave back.
 
I had this problem leading my horse, trying to condition his feet. I gave up in the end :(
I did have a discussion with the police, who said the signal you need to use is flat of the hand facing the car, rather than flagging down, and also they would be happy to have a word with anyone driving dangerously if you had evidence from a body cam. I think that is the way to go personally, the more drivers get a visit from the police the more will realise it is their responsibility to slow down.
Does anyone know what happened to the proposal to make it mandatory to pass at least two meters wide and no more than 15mph? Did it get lost in the Brexit stuff? Maybe the BHS would resurrect it if we raised it with them - anyone on a committee?
 
I stick my horse in the middle of the road if someone appears to be flying up with no intention of slowing down. Then I smile sweetly and say "Thank you so much!".

I had a cyclist come up behind me, then panic and jam his brakes on about 4ft from Alfs tail, sending a spray of pebbles all over his hindlegs (he just rolled his eyes and ignored them - he's used to me doing awful things to him). Cyclist apologised profusely and said "I wasn't quite sure what I should be doing". I chuckled and said "Probably anything but what you did do!" and explained that a loud "Hello" and a bit of space was fine.
 
I add the novelty factor; I have flashing leg bands which my partner got me from Aldi - £4.99 for four. I also wear a flashing band on my horses tail (when he's not rubbed it raw!) and I also attach one to the back of air jacket.

I had a lady comment the other day that she liked my horses sparkly bracelets. I also have had two people stop their cars and wind down their windows and take the trouble to tell me that I am very well lit up and this is a brilliant thing, so many people hack out and don't bother. My reply, I am not going to be another accident statistic. I am too long in the tooth to care what people think about me and Bails looking like a Xmas tree :)
 
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I tend to ride defensively and am always polite to other road users nodding my head to thank them if I am unable to use hand signals.
Having spent many years hacking by my self in Central London and picked up some useful tips from the mounted police officers.
I wear a long sleeved Hi-Viz jacket so that other road users can clearly see my hand signals.
I wear Hi-Viz hat band, double sided Hi-Viz reign covers and nose band.
If I want someone who is coming towards me to stop then I point at them for 3 seconds and then put up the palm of my hand and face it towards them.
If I hear someone coming from behind me I turn my head and look into their eyes.
If I am going round a bend and a car is coming towards me I loo behind me indicating I have heard a car coming from behind me and that slows most down.
I avoid riding on the roads when there is low bright sunshine as this can blind drivers.
And last of all I would suggest that you do the BHS Road Safety Course which will provide you with a number of useful tools for when riding out.
Contact BHS H.Q. for details of local courses. www.bhs.org.uk
 
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Education and staying as polite as you can I think. I tend to ride more middle of the lane and move over as and when required. I HATE the bend I have to ride out on from my place but luckily the majority of my hacking is off road or private drives.

I generally smile and thank everyone even if they havent slowed down. I think acknowledging them is important to make them realise you are a person and perhaps they will think next time? Failing that I use the end of my whip to thud the car roof as it goes past and I'm not too bothered about getting off my horse and fighting someone if needs be (as long as they arent too big you understand!)

What really gets my back up are the idiots ... and yes you are total idiots!! .. who dont wear high viz when hacking out. Its selfish, dangerous and damn right ignorant and for all the hard work people are doing for road safety awareness those idiots are undoing it just as quickly by not wearing high viz and I dont have any problems telling them as I pass either :(
 
Thanks for the replies, it's country lanes but sometimes you get people cutting through from the big roads, and usually at quite a speed. I do wear hi viz all the time and thank the nice drivers. I'm a bit loathered to put my pony in the middle as it's mostly bendy country lanes and he is not very intimidating at 14.2hh. I've just purchased a very wide hi-viz rein sleeve via ebay and will attach it to the end of my crop which I can hold out into the road to take up space in a safe manner- hopefully that will help!
 
Lucky788 said:
Hat Camera and Tail guard on the horse showing the cctv symbol (hackcam.com) amazing how much more courteous drivers are when they realise they are being filmed! only cost me £50 for camera and tail guard and I'm really pleased with it :)
Click to expand...
Off topic but make sure you type this website in correctly - I read it as hatcam which is not at all the same kind of site :eek:
 
I find when I wear my head camera it tends to slow drivers down as they can see it, which is a good thing, what they don't know is it's probably run out of battery. but a really good deterrent.
 
Also interested in replies to this.

I have a go pro I wear (even if it's dead!) though I am thinking of investing in some of the 'you're on camera' wear as obviously they can't see the camera from behind! I have also had someone tell me I was stupid for wearing it (not quite sure on that one???)...

Our normal hi vis stuff in winter (clipped horsey) is: gilet/jacket (depending on weather), exercise sheet, leg bands, fly veil and gloves. On hot summer days we swap the exercise sheet for breast plate that attaches to the girth as he just gets too warm in a sheet.

I try and wear as much as possible no matter how silly we look, we do get comments when leaving the yard that people can't miss us :D , I think that'll at least grab drivers attention even if they don't all slow down.

I'm thinking of getting some lights to wear now it's a bit duller during the day too - not many people do so it might make drivers think twice as it's unexpected.

I'm not sure what really will help slowing them down. Some people just really don't seem to care and whiz past. Most of our riding is on country lanes (there is one very nice housing estate route we can take and I much prefer getting to there - drivers are much better at going nice and slow), I always thank people who slow down and pass wide, even people who don't slow down too much but at least give us space, to be polite. I don't thank drivers who pass downright dangerously (too close/fast), they get a few choice words shouted at them.....
 
Merlod said:
I've just purchased a very wide hi-viz rein sleeve via ebay and will attach it to the end of my crop which I can hold out into the road to take up space in a safe manner- hopefully that will help!
Click to expand...

I think you might find that makes a difference, when I'm only taking one horse out I carry the longest schooling whip I can and poke it directly out into the road :D

I usually ride and lead, people often slow down too much when they see us, but that's a nice problem to have, I guess it looks like more of a hazard to some drivers.

Fortunately for me I'm in a very horsey area so most people drive with consideration. Cyclists are a bit more of a worry, Auslander, I love your reply, it's the kind of thing I would say :D
 
I ride defensively- towards the left-middle of my carriageway, if a driver is coming too fast from the front I try the palm forward, if that doesnt work wave frantically! If they are approaching from behind I turn round and look at them and do the same thing- palm of hand and frantic waving.
As far as making it law to slow down to 15mph, I think that is expecting a bit much, especially on a 60mph road. I think 'pass carefully and at an appropriate speed for the conditions' would be more sensible.
 
I used to hack out with a friend whose dogs came with us loose and it was amazing how much it slowed down drivers. This was on country lanes. I'm not sure why they thought a couple of loose collie's trotting along under control were more unpredictable than the two horses, a lot of people seem to have a highly inflated idea of how much control a rider has and maybe have more experience with dogs? Not sure I'd do it with my dog though.
 
There was a discussion on Jeremy Vine recently about the most effective messages for cyclists slowing down drivers. The only one which made any difference referred to a camera (can't remember the exact wording). Polite et al did nothing. Although it was a rather poorly run study from what I recall.

I think total hi vis, especially on greys, can be almost less visible. I prefer a hat band, hi vis long sleeved top or jacket under my bp, and add leg bands in poor weather. A bit of hi vis ribbon on the end of a schooling whip works well at increasing the passing distance.
 
OWLIE185 said:
I tend to ride defensively and am always polite to other road users nodding my head to thank them if I am unable to use hand signals.
Having spent many years hacking by my self in Central London and picked up some useful tips from the mounted police officers.
I wear a long sleeved Hi-Viz jacket so that other road users can clearly see my hand signals.
I wear Hi-Viz hat band, double sided Hi-Viz reign covers and nose band.
If I want someone who is coming towards me to stop then I point at them for 3 seconds and then put up the palm of my hand and face it towards them.
If I hear someone coming from behind me I turn my head and look into their eyes.
If I am going round a bend and a car is coming towards me I loo behind me indicating I have heard a car coming from behind me and that slows most down.
I avoid riding on the roads when there is low bright sunshine as this can blind drivers.
And last of all I would suggest that you do the BHS Road Safety Course which will provide you with a number of useful tools for when riding out.
Contact BHS H.Q. for details of local courses. www.bhs.org.uk
Click to expand...

I think you may have responded in the past? I found this very helpful. I too now do the point and flat palm towards driver. It works more often than not, so thanks for sharing.
 
Nudibranch said:
There was a discussion on Jeremy Vine recently about the most effective messages for cyclists slowing down drivers. The only one which made any difference referred to a camera (can't remember the exact wording). Polite et al did nothing. Although it was a rather poorly run study from what I recall.

I think total hi vis, especially on greys, can be almost less visible. I prefer a hat band, hi vis long sleeved top or jacket under my bp, and add leg bands in poor weather. A bit of hi vis ribbon on the end of a schooling whip works well at increasing the passing distance.
Click to expand...

I was listening to this. Didnt they say the 'POLITE' high viz actually made drivers drive CLOSER to the cyclist? I hate those 'polite' stuff its just asking for trouble IMO!
 
Antw23uk said:
What really gets my back up are the idiots ... and yes you are total idiots!! .. who dont wear high viz when hacking out. Its selfish, dangerous and damn right ignorant and for all the hard work people are doing for road safety awareness those idiots are undoing it just as quickly by not wearing high viz and I dont have any problems telling them as I pass either :(
Click to expand...

Omg. Yes.

I caught the lass who rides my mare coming back from a hack with not a scrap of Hi Vis on. She got a very polite but firm conversation about the risks and how I was not going to risk either horse or human in an accident because of the lack of Hi Vis. I then fetched a tabard so she would never be without! Since then she has worn it religiously :D

To you out there who don't wear Hi Vis, if you came off in a wooded area or into long grass, your tabard may be the thing that the emergancy services spot and could potentially be a lifesaver, if you and your horse part ways, please make sure your horse is visable without you, especially with nights creeping in on us.

Do not give motorists the excuse to speed past you, do everything in your power to be seen!

I will be getting the lass who rides Buffy a tabard saying "smile you're on camera" - I think the threat of it is enough to make motorists slow down.
 
Antw23uk said:
What really gets my back up are the idiots ... and yes you are total idiots!! .. who dont wear high viz when hacking out. Its selfish, dangerous and damn right ignorant and for all the hard work people are doing for road safety awareness those idiots are undoing it just as quickly by not wearing high viz and I dont have any problems telling them as I pass either :(
Click to expand...

Omg. Yes.

I caught the lass who rides my mare coming back from a hack with not a scrap of Hi Vis on. She got a very polite but firm conversation about the risks and how I was not going to risk either horse or human in an accident because of the lack of Hi Vis. I then fetched a tabard so she would never be without! Since then she has worn it religiously :D

To you out there who don't wear Hi Vis, if you came off in a wooded area or into long grass, your tabard may be the thing that the emergancy services spot and could potentially be a lifesaver, if you and your horse part ways, please make sure your horse is visable without you, especially with nights creeping in on us.

Do not give motorists the excuse to speed past you, do everything in your power to be seen!

I will be getting the lass who rides Buffy a tabard saying "smile you're on camera" - I think the threat of it is enough to make motorists slow down.
 
I'm going to put my tin hat on now..................I have major concerns about hi vis because it puts the responsibility on the horse and rider. Every driver, bar none, should be driving on the road they can see, and concentrating on what they can see there. Movement catches they eye more than stationary objects, so a moving horse should be easily spotted. And there are other non vehicular road users who may not have access to hi vis. Escaped animals, elderly pedestrians, children, if we train drivers to just look for users in high vis they begin to get a mindset that ignores anything that isn't dressed in it.
That is of course in broad daylight, in dusk and poor visibility that is another matter
 
JillA said:
I had this problem leading my horse, trying to condition his feet. I gave up in the end :(
I did have a discussion with the police, who said the signal you need to use is flat of the hand facing the car, rather than flagging down, and also they would be happy to have a word with anyone driving dangerously if you had evidence from a body cam. I think that is the way to go personally, the more drivers get a visit from the police the more will realise it is their responsibility to slow down.
Does anyone know what happened to the proposal to make it mandatory to pass at least two meters wide and no more than 15mph? Did it get lost in the Brexit stuff? Maybe the BHS would resurrect it if we raised it with them - anyone on a committee?
Click to expand...

They can't stop people using mobile phones while driving so I doubt this could be enforced, sadly...
 
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