Rosie Margerson and Bean, campaign to educate drivers

[Hanno Verian]

I've just read the excellent article about Rosie Margerson and her campaign to improve driver awareness, what a great campaign, in her words:

Make it part of the driving test to test drivers on how they would approach any situation involving a horse, ridden or loose. If they do not show they know how to safely do so this should be deemed a serious or dangerous fault, and they should not be given their license.

People’s lives can be put at risk when drivers do not know how to drive safely around horses. We must do something to prevent horses getting hit and killed, riders to be injured and cars wrecked.

Drivers need to be better educated on how to drive around horses. The roads are too often not safe for anyone not in a vehicle and unless something is done it could get worse. If we ensure drivers are tested on how to drive safely around horses then at least we’ve tried.
Sign this petition - 6,191 signatures as at 13/05/21

https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/newmarket-horse-crossings-safety-call-745127

Good luck to her, I've seen some of the footage on her Twitter feed, what a Star Bean is, good luck to her, I've signed up

 

[stormox]

Roads are forever being widened by removing verges, bends are straightened out, corners and junctions removed....all this enables cars to go faster, and makes it easier for bigger vehicles to use these previously small roads.
The Council really need to think more about vulnerable road users and provide safe cycle/horse/walking routes when they increase the size of roads, even if only by providing safe refuges for them to wait while cars pass.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Signed. Our roads are very narrow and getting busier every day.

 

[cowgirl16]

Signed. Fingers tightly crossed.

 

[AnShanDan]

I've signed it.

I had a bit of a run in with 2 policemen in a van a few weeks ago, long story, but they demonstrated that they hadn't a clue about how to pass horses and then admitted to us that they "don't know much about horses". No excuse really and if the police don't know how to pass horses, what hope for the general driving public??

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

I have signed too, but I do wonder where this would stop if it was brought in. Would you have to do a special segment on cyclists, disabled cyclists on low bikes, scooters etc etc..?

 

[mini_b]

Signed!

 

[mini_b]

I have signed too, but I do wonder where this would stop if it was brought in. Would you have to do a special segment on cyclists, disabled cyclists on low bikes, scooters etc etc..?

Educating folk how to safely pass anyone that isn’t a motorised vehicle would be a good call.

 

[brighteyes]

Signed. Long thought it should be a mandatory, signed-off part of driver instruction, too.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I have signed too, but I do wonder where this would stop if it was brought in. Would you have to do a special segment on cyclists, disabled cyclists on low bikes, scooters etc etc..?

Why not, they are all vulnerable road users?


ETA, I emailed my MP to tell him that I had signed the petition and got a personal reply from him within half an hour, following the automated instantaneous reply. I was quite impressed, actually, although it doesn't make me any more likely to vote for him

 

[Dave's Mam]

Even passing cars is difficult apparently. I slowed to let someone exit my yard yesterday & the taxi behind me overtook. No words.
We had a fatal outside last year where someone overtook on a blind bend & met a tractor.
People need to take more responsibilty & THINK.

 

[vmac66]

Signed

 

[mini_b]

Even passing cars is difficult apparently. I slowed to let someone exit my yard yesterday & the taxi behind me overtook. No words.
We had a fatal outside last year where someone overtook on a blind bend & met a tractor.
People need to take more responsibilty & THINK.

there seems to be no thought to “what could be around this corner?”
I drive like a snail but I’m hyper aware there could be a Walker, cyclist or rider around the next bend.
People seem to be in such a rush

bloody set off earlier!

 

[teapot]

Rosie's sister was hit by a car this morning while riding out, both fine thankfully but...

 

[Hanno Verian]

Really sorry to hear that, I hope that both horse and rider are OK, on a similar note I was absolutely infuriated by Hampshire Polices failure to investigate Jazz Higgins incident as reported in H&H.

https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/new...ocked-at-police-failure-to-investigate-746869

I'm going to write to the newly elected PCC for Hampshire Donna Jones, not that it will do much good:

Facebook.com/DonnaJonesPCC
www.donnajones.org.uk
info@donnajones.org.uk

 

[Kaylum]

It would be good as well if we could do more educating riders as well some of them are very ignorant. No hi viz, no road sense, chatting on their phones oblivious to what is going on and these are adults.

 

[Hanno Verian]

I completely agree, it drives me mad when people are working so hard to improve road safety that people behave like ****, I literally nearly ran into a 4* event rider who thought it was a good idea to ride and lead one each, with their groom down a narrow road that is used as a rat run, early in the morning, in the fog and when asked why they werent wearing hi viz replied - "I dont have any!"

I personally believe we should be required to have third part insurance, but as a trade off horse riders should have greater protection in law, I also believe that if you are riding without an agreed standard of hi viz it should be viewed as contributary negligence, and potentially invalidate insurance cover.