need safety adverts on tv warning motorists to slow down

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Tufty

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Is it me or are things getting worse on the roads. I was nearly taken out on Monday by a woman in a volvo who actually went faster when I asked her to slow. Whatever happened to those safety adverts on tv warning people to slow down. It was raining and the swoosh in the puddle next to me nearly scared my horse to death !
 
Yes i think there should be, about 2months ago we had the mounted police at our yard talking about it and raising awarness, Calandar News came and so did Look North i had to go on my horse with them on a pretend hack so they could film us we was on tv!!!! ha ha ha

An it is really suprising how quick people slow down when they see you riding with the police
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Have you tried wearing PINK hi-viz? It was in a letter in H&H recently I think, but if you think about it you don't see pink trees do you? yellow is a bit of a vague colour. If you're wearing pink hi-viz all over (you and horse) then you're much more likely to bring attention to yourselves and make drivers think.
Yes, there should be more ads on TV.
 
My previous horse was killed when she was hit by a car out hacking a few years ago so road safety is a special issue to me.
The BHS advert regarding how to safely approach and pass horses on the roads is screened at the discretion of the individual tv companies. The only way to get this ad showed more on the tv is to contact the tv companies and ask them to play it more often. I contacted itv,C4 &5 last year and had replies from C4&5 saying that they would try to air it more often and I have to say its usually C4 that has it on. Basically they probably don't get paid to have it on all the time though and so paying ads probably get precedance.
 
Think you may have a point with the pink Hi Viz but as far as the woman win the volvo was concerned I could have been riding an elephant and dressed as a policeman and she still was no way slowing down !
 
We almost need those stick things some cyclists have to stop cars passing to close. But I think everyone should wear hi-viz. I was coming down a 40mph road the other morning, somewhere you wouldn't expect to find horses , and a girl was riding a bay and wearing dark clothes and you really couldn't see her til the last minute.
 
yellow def shows up better. was driving down the lane and there were two riders one wearing pink the otha yellow, the yellow stood out a lot more, i think clothing manufacturers should make a wider range of hi viz gear , shires do an excellent coat but there are not many others that do
 
My Christmas pressie was one of those big flourescent jackets that motorway workmen etc wear. I also had a new hat and got the Troxel one in bright pink!!! The two put together seem to have a great effect on drivers and a couple have actually stopped to comment that they could see me half a mile away! Yah!
 
i was trotting up a lane this morning and was approaching a blind bend i heard a vehicle speeding down the hill, i moved the middle of the lane so he would see me sooner, he was going so fast he slammed the anchors on and stopped about a foot in front of my horses nose. No apology he just moved over to hedge when i backed up and carried on drving like a looney It was a TNT delivery van, me thinks a phone call to the boss is necessary......
 
I got my yellow flourecent jacket from Millets as I find most of the workmen type too heavy.Cyclist shops have some nice lightweight ones also and there are some descent polo shirts in flourescent yellow too.
My one trouble I get is finding gloves! I bought a pair of stretch ones but the seam was so tiny they split after a few wears
 
I was hit by a car on my horse a few years ago. that was on a straight bit of road.. he said he just didnt see me !! we had all the gear on but the sun was in his eyes. now i am very careful which direction the sun is in when i hack out.
me and horse survived another day
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The advert they used to show on the odd occasion, was screened to late and was in no way hard hitting enough.Some of the drink drive adverts are so awful and really bang the message home. IMO the horse safety one was to mild and not shown at the proper time!!
Someone mentioned earlier that they almost got wiped out by a TNT van, bloody hell so did a friend of mine. They don't ever seem to slow down. Like you say might be worth a PHONE CALL!!
 
Oh Yes indeedy i will be phoning TNT in the morning. dont know how my mare managed to stand still during this incident, usually she spooks at her own shadow! I think she was in shock like me waiting to be hit as we couldnt go backwards as there was a car behind us!!
 
this is definately something that we all need to act on. In Ireland I have never seen an ad on tv asking people to be considerate to horses on the road.

Where I live people just seem to accelerate when they see a horse, anybody else in Ireland want to help start a campaign??
 
I believe the BHS is somewhat good in their campaigns, maybe somebody there could point the UK members in the right direction, I have to have a big think about who to contact in Ireland, any ideas anybody?
 
Is it that people dont 'Know' or that they dont 'Want' to slow down.
I say this as when i hack out in just a hi-viz bib some do slow and some dont.
BUT
When I put on my full jacket which is identical to the police jacket (without wording) virually all cars pass wide and slow.

Now consider I am male and riding a 17h ISH I persoanlly believe they think I am (or could be) mounted police and act accordingly.

If this is the case then we have a bigger problem in terms of education and would need some really hard hitting adverts to show the consequences of not slowing down and giving room. Polite requests and advice dont seem to work.
 
I think in Ireland its just ignorance, I live in a rural area that is easy to commute to Dublin, so you get all sorts on the roads, but even people with horse boxes in tow fly past!!!

I have a 16.3 TB and I think I'm going to have to invest in a hi vis jacket. The roads are 50mph and my horse is totally bombproof when it comes to traffic but I am trying to find a companion for my horse and I will eventually be hacking this companion (whenever I find it!!) and feel something needs to be done.
 
I agree with St Bernard, high viz leg bands are good because they are moving and remember that drivers are generally sitting lower down so horses legs are directly in the line of sight.
 
I appreciate your concerns about riding on the roads. For the BHS to do more for you they need to increase their membership. More members means more annual income and when negotiating with the government etc. they can quote their membership numbers and the percentage this is of the 4,000,000 people that regularly ride in Great Britain so please join the BHS.

The BHS volunteers try very hard to improve road safety and also off road riding but they need the support of horse riders at large.
 
I agree that the BHS do a good job, but I think if everyday riders were to just ask the BHS who to write/contact in either the government depts or the bbc etc, if everydbody on here wrote one letter saying the same thing, this would also get a message accross that even non-BHS members want something.

Also I live in Ireland and I think the BHS has its hands full with the UK, I doubt they would like to take on our case as well.
 
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