Horse Riders Arrested....

I don't understand why they have made them with the markings which are very clearly identifiable with the police in this country? Surely the high viz itself is enough.

I do not think riders should be treated any differently to anyone else. These jackets are clearly trying to fool drivers from a distance into thinking it's an officer.
 
Where does it say horse riders arrested? This has been around for some time and as far as I know no-one has actually been arrested, any more than people going to fancy dress parties wearing bogus police uniforms have been arrested. WOuldn't you think ACPO would be happy it was having the effect of safeguarding riders from idiot drivers?
 
This comment made me laugh!

"The likeness really is remarkable.Last night when i was out stealin cars and robbin old grannys a horse rider turned up and it really put the wind up me till i realised it was just little cynthia on her pony"
 
HBM1 said:
I don't understand why they have made them with the markings which are very clearly identifiable with the police in this country?

Surely the high viz itself is enough.

I do not think riders should be treated any differently to anyone else. These jackets are clearly trying to fool drivers from a distance into thinking it's an officer.
Click to expand...

As the driver approaches it is clear that the wording is not police. They only have to slow down if they were going faster than they should have been when they approach a horse and rider - or a police car.

I would have no issue in police pursuing this technicality if they also did the same to all other minor breaches of vehicle rules, but they don't, cos they have higher priorities, and the same should apply to this. It smacks of publicity grabbing by the individual concerned who should be concentrating on the breaches of the highway code being committed by the drivers who are cross about braking suddenly to get to a speed they should have been doing in the first place.

I hope the police representative in question is happy to face the parents of a young rider killed having been made to remove this most effective hi viz and replace it with hi viz which means drivers don't bother to slow down.
 
Some of the comments are hilarious!

Surely if the police want to bring charges under section 90 of the Police Act 1996 they would find the RSPCA an easier target.
 
Drawn from the mail's article;

"The BHS says there are 3,000 accidents involving horses on roads every year."

Is this a quote which was attributed to the BHS, or have they actually made that statement? Earlier in the article it said;

"With the deaths of four horse riders and more than 100 casualties on the roads in a year, .......".

As for the thread title, having read the quotes from the article, it seems that riders are being warned, rather than having actually been arrested, unless I've missed something.

A good few years ago now, a bloke was under threat of prosecution, because being fed up with motorists speeding past his house, he donned a dark jacket, borrowed his next door neighbour's Milkman's hat, and pointed his wife's hairdryer at motorists heading towards him. Apparently it was quite effective!! I don't remember the outcome, but he received a visit!! ;)

Alec.
 
I possess a high vis coat - no words on, but does have the blue and white checkerboard. If reported under section 90, I will happily attend court, however it's doubtful the CPS would pursue this - one of the criteria of a prosecution states
"You should consider the motive of the defendant. Where the impersonation involves a threat to the safety of any person, or to property, or is done with a view to financial gain, then a prosecution should follow."

Mind you, the CPS love easy targets and convictions - far easier to pursue a horse-rider out for a Sunday hack than deal with real criminals!
 
I would wear one if I thought it would make me safer. Some of the drivers here burn past horses at such dangerous speeds. Only the other day a rider on the other side of the road was happily out on a hack when a bike went burning past the horse at and he was so close, I was shocked. The horses response was to rear into the road, it could have been nasty. I wonder if he would have done it if she was wearing this.
Its not like horse riders are going to go out of there way to make people think their a officer, there just trying to slow driver down, nothing wrong with that, keeps everyone on the roads safer.
 
Sussexbythesea - Classic I love that comment so much

But on another note am sure the Polite gear was endorsed by the cops when it came out years ago ??

An basically from what drivers have said in there letters & the officers quote in the Daily mail to is, that drivers are more than happy to slow down for the Police as not to be fined & prosecuted, but as far as Horse riders go, they can go **** themselves, they dont want to slow down for them, thats my take on the read anyway, which is a total disgrace.
An instead of Cops going off at riders, the people writting in those letters should be looked into !!
 
Alec Swan said:
Drawn from the mail's article;

"The BHS says there are 3,000 accidents involving horses on roads every year."

Is this a quote which was attributed to the BHS, or have they actually made that statement? Earlier in the article it said;

"With the deaths of four horse riders and more than 100 casualties on the roads in a year, .......".

As for the thread title, having read the quotes from the article, it seems that riders are being warned, rather than having actually been arrested, unless I've missed something.

A good few years ago now, a bloke was under threat of prosecution, because being fed up with motorists speeding past his house, he donned a dark jacket, borrowed his next door neighbour's Milkman's hat, and pointed his wife's hairdryer at motorists heading towards him. Apparently it was quite effective!! I don't remember the outcome, but he received a visit!! ;)

Alec.
Click to expand...

Love that bloke and his wife's hairdryer. A citizen in action!
 
s4sugar said:
Some of the comments are hilarious!

Surely if the police want to bring charges under section 90 of the Police Act 1996 they would find the RSPCA an easier target.
Click to expand...

I take it you would want to include traffic wardens, security officers in that too?

There's a distinct difference between the uniforms of these than that of the Polite range.

People are fully allowed to wear uniform. But when they are mimicking the 'POLICE' wording, and of the same colour and blue and white squared lines, then it's a bit different! ;)
 
Lots of those comments are very predictable with their 'stay on the bridleways' message. It's just a shame that it's so hard to find a bridleway around here that isn't infested by louts on trials or quad bikes and groups of cyclists who charge up behind you with no warning. Not much different to being on the road really.
 
Think I'll carry on wearing mine and stay safe and seen.

If the police want to pull a 21yo girl in for questioning over impersonating a police officer, well shame on them.
I did actually speak to my father's partner about this (she is a Met police officer) and she said it's all bull.

We have no bridleways nearby, and the ones we do have we have to use the road to get to them. I'd rather be visible to other road users and mimic a POLITE person than get involved in an accident.
 
let me get this straight......

drivers are complaining because they find themselves feeling that perhaps they should keep to the speed limit (the outrage:rolleyes:) and possibly consider passing horse and riders respectfully.

IMO drivers should behave the same as they would around police around ALL road users... so the fact that riders feel the need to wear this style of hiviz to feel safe is not a concern????

Police should be concentrating on more important issues eg. reducing number of road accidents caused by reckless and disrespectful drivers, resulting in serous injuries and death for humans but also people's beloved horses.:mad:

But of course that's just ridiculous :rolleyes:

*sits back in chair and sighs having got it all off her chest before contenplating the purchase of certain hiviz with blue checks*
 
Clearly it's more important that people respect the authority of the police than concern themselves with relatively minor matters like safety.
 
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