Highway Code changes:have they made any difference to road safety?!

[Josie Pearson]

Hi all,

Newbie here so thanks for reading. I’m very interested in making our roads safer for all equestrians. I’m currently doing my dissertation to see if the Highway Code changes have had any effect! I would really appreciate responses to a survey I’m doing. Only takes 5 mins. I’m hoping the results will be able to be used as evidence when lobbying for more to be done to make our roads a safer place. Link below. Thanks in advance. Please share far and wide.
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/K6LSZ2N

 

[rabatsa]

You will get more traffic if this is posted in Tack Room.

 

[ycbm]

I'm sorry I can't complete your survey for two reasons,. The first is that I can't remember what close calls I had with traffic the year before last. The second is that my hacking last year was in a totally different place than the year before and mostly off road.

I would also question whether your results are going to be of any statistical significance when 2021 was spent partly in lockdown and wholly with large amounts of working from home reducing traffic volumes and changing driving behaviour.

Sorry

 

[rabatsa]

I'm sorry I can't complete your survey for two reasons,. The first is that I can't remember what close calls I had with traffic the year before last. The second is that my hacking last year was in a totally different place than the year before and mostly off road.

I would also question whether your results are going to be of any statistical significance when 2021 was spent partly in lockdown and wholly with large amounts of working from home reducing traffic volumes and changing driving behaviour.

Sorry

I too did not complete the survey as like you near misses are forgotten about with time, except the really scary ones like the time the ponies nose was almost taken off by a passing wagon pulling in too sharply. That pony was never good in traffic after that event and it more than halved her value as a driving pony.

 

[Rowreach]

Sorry to be pedantic, but your survey title reads "United Kingdom" which includes Northern Ireland, when you're actually only looking for responses from GB due to our Highway Code not having been updated.

It might be interesting for someone to look at NI, where we have practically zero off road riding or designated bridleways and our choices are between arena riding or road hacking.

 

[cauda equina]

I didn't complete the survey as I too can remember a number of near misses, but not what happened when.

It was my impression that immediately after the new Highway Code guidelines were introduced most drivers did take more care, although of course a few did not
The effect seems to have worn off now; at a guess I would say roughly half the drivers I meet pass in what I would consider a safe manner and half don't

Good luck with the study