Hi viz and rules of the road...a question

Enfys

Enfys

Well-Known Member
Joined
11 December 2004
Messages
18,085
Visit site
This is purely out of curiosity as I no longer ride on the road at all, the only hi-viz kit I have is an orange jacket and that is to avoid being shot in the woods in hunting season.

What hi-viz do you think is the minimum essential for horse and rider?

Does anyone wear hi- viz gloves all year round?

A question ... I was informed (by a Road Safety Officer when doing R&RS with PC) that it was unwise for a rider to indicate to a following driver that it was clear for them to pass by. Is this so? What do you do?
 
A question ... I was informed (by a Road Safety Officer when doing R&RS with PC) that it was unwise for a rider to indicate to a following driver that it was clear for them to pass by. Is this so? What do you do?[/QUOTE]

I think this is probably standard advice - its the same for drivers having learnt to drive late in life quite recently I was also told this -- don't signal to people to 'come on' or to let them go, because you may not have seen something they have, and if they go on at your suggestion they may blame you if they hit something. however in reality i do sometimes do this when riding and driving. just people covering their backs I think.
 
RE hi viz - My normal combo is a tabard and hatband on me and an exercise sheet and martingale bands on the neddy. Although I don't ride on busy roads at the moment, I have been pleasantly surprised at how many farmers (working in their fields) spot me through the hedges and stop hedge cutting/fertilizing/whatever while I pass. It's really kind of them and I always wave to thank them.
 
Enfys said:
A question ... I was informed (by a Road Safety Officer when doing R&RS with PC) that it was unwise for a rider to indicate to a following driver that it was clear for them to pass by. Is this so? What do you do?
Click to expand...

Hmm....well, I do quite often wave drivers on....I can see more of the road from where I am than they can. If they don't want to pass, then fine.
I've usually stopped the horse or got out of the way into a gateway etc. Don't like causing a tailback:eek:

I wear HiViz all year round...at the least a tabard. Horse hates leg wraps though.
 
I do wave drivers on where I can see better than they can-I can also hear stuff they can't.

I wear hi viz tabbard or jacket depending on time of year, hat band and horses have hi viz boots/spats all round-have been thinking of hi viz breastplate job as well as current loan horse is very dark and we have lots of tree lined roads and woodlands.
 
I always wear my tabard as a minimum.
More on cloudy days snd in poor light etc

I never tell someone to go on or pass me weather riding, walking my dogs, driving etc.
Its up to them to be sure its safe to go.
If they listen to you then have an accident that you try to blame you!
 
I was mortified to fail my ride and road safety for that reason. A car started to reverse out of their driveway then saw me and stopped halfway out. To pass I would have had to ride round the back of their car in the middle of the road. I checked ahead and behind and signalled them to finish their manoeuvre. Apoarentently on debrief I would have also have failed for continuing round them. I should have stood there looking blankly at them until they telepathically realised I was not moving till they had got out of the way. I think the rules are made with non drivers or kids in mind who may not realise driving hazards.
 
I was also told that you shouldn't wave drivers on, but I will sometimes!

If a drive is tailing me on a completely straight and clear road, but not over taking, I will give them a little encouragement! Usually it works. I just figure they're being over cautious!

I would say at LEAST one bit of hi-viz on you and one bit on the horse.
 
I wouldn't wave drivers on.

Regarding hi-viz I think it's wise to have atleast one thing on you and one on your horse incase you fall off. I have gone OTT with hi-viz lately and find myself in : Tabard, hat band, bands on each arm & leg
Horse : spats on each leg & Tail guard

:D

I will also be investing in an exercise sheet this winter. :)
 
Enfys said:
What hi-viz do you think is the minimum essential for horse and rider?

Does anyone wear hi- viz gloves all year round?

A question ... I was informed (by a Road Safety Officer when doing R&RS with PC) that it was unwise for a rider to indicate to a following driver that it was clear for them to pass by. Is this so? What do you do?
Click to expand...

Minimum is a hi viz tabard, however I believe that there should be hi viz on the horse as well...............if you & horse part company the horse wouldn't have any hi viz for drivers to see.

Police officers, when trained to drive police vehicles, are never told to flash lights to other drivers or wave other drivers through whilst driving. There is a stated case that if they do & something goes wrong i.e a collision occurs they are held to be directing traffic & therefore liable.

Basically it's up to the driver of the other vehicle to decide if he wants to pass or not. :)
 
I wave drivers on, or hold my hand up to stop them if I can see a vehicle coming that they can't.
I know as a driver that no matter who waves me on, even a police officer, it is *my* responsibility to make sure that it is safe for me to proceed. I would have expected BHS to know that!
As for hi-viz, if I need gloves because of weather conditions, I wear hi-viz ones, a hi-viz jacket or other top depending on the weather and a hat-band for me with fetlock boots as a minimum for the horse. We did have a flashing light tail-band as well but because her tail is so thick, it doesn't fit and is falling apart.
 
I wear a hat band and tabard. Horse doesn't wear anything as a rule but his bridle and splint boots are pretty bright colours anyway.

I only wave drivers on when its clear that they can see but they are just being extra courteous/cautious and staying behind until you wave them on and would stay there for ever, maybe, if you didn't tell them to pass. I don't wave drivers on when I can see but they can't, I think it just confuses things and can cause accidents. I just get a move on a bit and then the drivers can see for themselves soon enough. :)
 
Something on the rider and some on the horse. I have a tabard/waistcoat for me and pink and yellow leg wraps for the horse. I think the leg wraps are very good as they are at the driver's height.

For very bad conditions/rain/winter days I can also put on an exercise rug, in which case I probably wouldn't wear the tabard as I would have a waterproof on instead. I also have a hat cover, a breastplate, which is worn with the rug to stop the sursingle going backwards and somewhere I have a tail clip.
 
I was out riding a month or so ago with a friend, and we bumped into some other riders my friend knew.

One of the friends (whilst we were riding along) looked me and my horse up and down and said 'We don't do Hi-viz, it's not a good look' to which I replied 'Better this look than blood and guts smeared all over the road and a vehicle'....

Didn't go down well. :)

If they want to go without, fine by me, but don't sneer at my response when your ignorance is deafening....
 
I always wear a high viz waistcoat and high viz wraps on my horses legs. He wears boots on his front legs and the wraps go over them. My friend wears a high viz tabard only. I do try to stop cars sometimes and rarely wave on. I will pull into a gate way whenever possible. I would never go out on the road alone. I don't have a lot of faith in drivers.
 
DragonSlayer said:
I was out riding a month or so ago with a friend, and we bumped into some other riders my friend knew.

One of the friends (whilst we were riding along) looked me and my horse up and down and said 'We don't do Hi-viz, it's not a good look' to which I replied 'Better this look than blood and guts smeared all over the road and a vehicle'....

Didn't go down well. :)

If they want to go without, fine by me, but don't sneer at my response when your ignorance is deafening....
Click to expand...

Very wise words, DS. I wear a tabard even though I ride on a private lane that is only used by liveries on the yard. They see me a lot quicker than I see some of them riding out on their bays and chestnuts wearing brown and black! I also ride on the common sometimes so a tabard is always worn. I came off in January 2012 and ******ed my ribs so I'd like to think that should it happen again, the air ambulance will be able to see me!
 
I always wear a tabard. I havea sexy, sexy fluorescent hat cover at home that my mum is on the hunt for.

Just bought Barry a fluorescent hi viz exercise sheet, wanted a mesh one for summer but they were out of stock, so ended up getting a waterproof one. He'll roast in that over the summer thing.

I rarely call people on (not sure if I ever have), and when I'm driving and a horse rider or cyclist calls me on I do tend to ignore them.

Sadly "but they told me it was clear" doesn't stand up very well when your car is embedded in another car/tree etc because the person who called you on didn't spot the car coming the other way.
 
I've been told by air ambulance people that if you fall off on a moor etc and you need the big yellow sky taxi, it's great if you're wearing hi viz...but if your horse isn't, they don't have a bloody clue where it is!
 
Pearlsasinger said:
I wave drivers on, or hold my hand up to stop them if I can see a vehicle coming that they can't.
I know as a driver that no matter who waves me on, even a police officer, it is *my* responsibility to make sure that it is safe for me to proceed. I would have expected BHS to know that!
Click to expand...

Me too - one stretch of road we ride round is windy and down hill, from horseback you can see the road really clearly but a driver couldn't see it at all. It's quite long with no-where for us to pull in to allow them to pass so if we see a car coming we will tell them to stop and if it's clear we will signal that it is, but only if absolutly certain it is clear
 
I have a hiviz tabard, a POLITE one at that :eek: ;)

Horse has leg wraps and have recently ordered a wrap around hi viz sheet from Derby House, reduced in the Blue Cross sale from £40 down to £10.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top