the importance of hi viz

I always smile to myself when I see a horse and rider out in Hi Vis. I wear a Polite tabard, fluorescent hat cover, and Shy has his own hi vis tail guard, plus bad weather a full hi vis sheet. I do it because I love my pony so much - and when I see other riders doing the same, I know they love their horses.

I used to be on a yard where a woman (eccentric hunting type) said to me " I always wear hi vis when cycling, but never on a horse, as a horse can move out of the way ". Ok love, off you go in the fog dressed in black - good lucK with that. Why do hunters think you can see them in the pitch black ?

Riders that care about their horses safety - makes me smile. x
 
I couldnt get the link to work but I've always wore hi-viz - even off road - makes sense to me as walkers/cyclists/dog owners can see us coming - usually to stop and ask to give boyo a pat :). We have a fire hq nearby and they can see us and switch off the blues briefly until we're past them x
 
I always insist on riders and horses wearing Hi Viz, my horses can't leave home without it, I also can't see the link but when I see horses out and about in Hi Viz, I always want to stop and say, well done, I can actually see you
 
It's a horrible story, those poor horses and riders - what they went through sounds absolutely horrendous :frown3: Just awful.
This is what it says, for those who can't see the facebook page - the description is upsetting:

My name is Nikki and I am nearly 60 years old. The reason I have joined this group is because I was asked to by my good friend Oz - Austin - who I met up with on a horse forum and we became friends. He wanted me to tell the story of an horrendous accident I had 10 years ago between Norton and Daventry on a quiet country B road.

My friend and I decided to go out for a ride one lovely sunny evening - 22nd August 2003. Just before 6.30 pm we exited the yard on our horses, closed the gate behind us and waited in the off road entrance to cross the road onto the bridleway the other side. To our right was a very bad left hand bend some 200 yards away, to our left was a clear stretch of road for some 500 yards to the junction of a main road. As usual, we looked and listened, all was clear so we started to cross the road. As the horses’ heads were crossing the white lines in the middle of the road, I heard the scream of a high performance motorbike and as I heard the noise I saw a blue motorcycle come hurtling out of the bad bend straight towards us. I screamed to my friend who was on her horse on my right "Move! Go! Go!" We kicked on towards the other side of the road, but to our horror as we attempted to get the horses out of the line of fire, the cyclist lost control of his bike, whacked the brakes on and slammed broadside straight into the abdomen of my friend's beautiful Trakhener. The force of this impact slammed this massive 16.5 hh horse into mine, trapping my right leg and foot, and driving the stirrup iron straight into my horse's rib cage whilst at the same time jettisoning me straight upwards out of the saddle into the air, up and up for what seemed like a lifetime. I remember thinking this is it I am not going to survive this, when there was a huge slamming feeling and I blacked out. I think this was my friend's horse, the motorbike or the rider or all 3 slamming into me. Anyway, I came to a few seconds later bouncing on the road from my knees onto my front. I saw my horse get to her feet and gallop off down the road, but my friend's horse was split asunder with all his guts, blood and stomach contents pouring out all over the road. My friend was in hysterics kneeling beside her horse trying to scoop the guts back into his body cavity. I was paralysed and could not move, but somehow managed to crawl across the road to where my mobile phone was lying in its shoulder bag and ring my husband. The traffic all came to a stop of course, and someone rang the ambulance. My friend's horse was panicking of course and lashing out, kicking my friend several times but not hurting her. I was lying beside the horse calm but terrified that he was going to get to his feet and come crashing down on me. At the same time the motorcyclist was pressed up against me and kept moaning and trying to take off his helmet. I shouted at him not to do that but to lie still and took his hand to try and calm him. I wanted to kill him, but luckily for him my christian duty came to the fore. The ambulance came, put me in a neck brace, made me stable, tended the motorcyclist, took him off, and then got me into an ambulance. There was blood and guts and stomach contents everywhere. The ditch beside the road was filled up with my friend's horse's blood. We were all covered, the road was covered, it was horrendous. The police came and interviewed me and off we went to hospital.

We WERE wearing high viz vests, bright tops etc. etc. and most important of all we were not on our mobile phones – our phones were taken away for 3 weeks by the police for forensic testing. We did absolutely nothing wrong. The motorcyclist’s speed going into the corner was estimated at being well in excess of 120 mph. Coming out of the corner the speed was estimated at 100 +. Unfortunately, he was looking down at his bike as he came out of the corner, he was not looking where he was going. When he did look up, he panicked, whacked the brakes on and the resultant skid mark was 30 metres long. His speed at point of impact was 70 mph. The handlebars ripped open the stomach of that poor horse, who died in agony at the scene. My horse as I say galloped off, but died 3 days later from massive internal injuries caused by my stirrup iron being blasted into her ribs.

My friend thankfully suffered nothing worse than a broken toe and severe PTSD of course. I suffered a broken neck, Ischial ramus, possibly coccyx, right ankle, severely damaged right knee and of course severe PTSD. But the hospital sent me home the same night saying I had no breaks!! I should have sued them, but didn’t, I had enough to cope with at the time. The pain was indescribable, and I still am suffering a lot from neck pain and arthritis in the various broken bits that went undiagnosed for a long long time.

The moral of this story? ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS wear high viz clothing. We of course were – had we not been, and had we been on our phones, the police would have prosecuted us. As it was, they wanted to prosecute the motorcyclist, but the CPS said because he was now a paraplegic he had been punished enough and he got off scot free in terms of the law. Me, I would have thrown the book at him, travelling at that speed on a country lane. I would have had him up for attempted manslaughter.
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I always go out in top to toe hi-viz, both on me and the horse in case we "part ways", we may look ridiculous and decked out as if we're about to hack down the M6 when we realistically only meet a few cars along quiet country lanes, but I would never forgive myself if something awful happened because we couldn't be seen in time.
 
Yes it's a typo error and I'm glad this story has been posted on here for all to see, I'm Oz the one who suggested that Nikki posted the original story on the facebook group's page.
If Nikki hadn't had any hi viz on at all then she thinks the bike would have hit her at a even higher speed and I'm sure none of them would have survived such an impact.
The more hi viz the better.
Oz
 
I feel undressed without my Hi Viz jacket of waistcoat, I wear it wherever I ride, and even walking the dogs. I also keep one in the car, after a horrendous experience breaking down with my horse in the trailer on the wrong side of a bad bend on a 50mph single carriageway "A" road. Hanging my jacket on the back of the trailer until the police arrived gave the drivers that extra couple of seconds to avoid hitting it, quite likely saved my horse's life plus that of anyone hitting the trailer at 50+. I just can't understand people that don't wear it, especially now the nights are coming in.
 
I'm another who would never ride out without Hi Viz and drum it into the kids the importance of road safety.
Saturday just past proved it works. We were just coming back from our local bridleway on a b-road which is only 1/4 mile from my yard, when, on a slight bend the screeching of tyres coming up behind us, well I thought this is it! A nissan 4x4 truck obviously speeding ended up less than 2 ft away from Roberto, who for a youngster, didn't bat an eyelid. A huge arguement followed, no apologies at all then sped off.

This is the proof I have for it happening as I went back to photograph the skidmark to take to the next Parish meeting and the council as I know there are many villagers pressing for something to be done along this stretch of road. If we weren't all wearing Hi Viz there's a chance I wouldn't be sitting here typing this!

Edited to say there was a car coming towards us so really no way for him to get past.

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cambrica said:
I'm another who would never ride out without Hi Viz and drum it into the kids the importance of road safety.
Saturday just past proved it works. We were just coming back from our local bridleway on a b-road which is only 1/4 mile from my yard, when, on a slight bend the screeching of tyres coming up behind us, well I though this is it! A nissan 4x4 truck obviously speeding ended up less than 2 ft away from Roberto, who for a youngster, didn't bat an eyelid. A huge arguement followed, no apologies at all then sped off.

This is the proof I have for it happening as I went back to photograph the skidmark to take to the next Parish meeting and the council as I know there are many villagers pressing for something to be done along this stretch of road. If we weren't all wearing Hi Viz there's a chance I wouldn't be sitting here typing this!

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That's some speed to make THAT skid mark!
Good evidence too why are some drivers SO arrogant and insist it's NEVER their fault?
Glad you are ok, Oz
 
cremedemonthe said:
That's some speed to make THAT skid mark!
Good evidence too why are some drivers SO arrogant and insist it's NEVER their fault?
Glad you are ok, Oz
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His arguement was that he was doing 60mph (yeah, right) and its the national speed limit. My response was that the national speed limit does not mean you are to drive at 60mph, you drive at a speed that is safe on that particular road! My next investment is a hat-cam!
 
yes that's a good idea, on that facebook group of which I am a member they say the same thing, hat cams all the way as cameras don't lie like car drivers can!
Everyone is in such a hurry aren't they, cocooned in their cars they don't realise how fast they are going.
We have one come down our road mostly late at night but not always,sometimes during the day too.It's the localsub woofer blasting, illegal pipe, boy racer hatchback who lives down the end of our road, we do have horses up and down here as well as children, cyclists, old people , cats ,dogs etc one day he will flatten someone or some thing.Police have spoken to him but he ignores it.
What can you do?
Oz
 
cremedemonthe said:
yes that's a good idea, on that facebook group of which I am a member they say the same thing, hat cams all the way as cameras don't lie like car drivers can!
Everyone is in such a hurry aren't they, cocooned in their cars they don't realise how fast they are going.
We have one come down our road mostly late at night but not always,sometimes during the day too.It's the localsub woofer blasting, illegal pipe, boy racer hatchback who lives down the end of our road, we do have horses up and down here as well as children, cyclists, old people , cats ,dogs etc one day he will flatten someone or some thing.Police have spoken to him but he ignores it.
What can you do?
Oz
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Stinger! I saw the police stop a (presumably crims on the run) speeding car by hiding behind a wall then shooting this spring like contraption across the road just as the car came by. All 4 tyres shredded.
 
Stencilface said:
I think the story highlights they could have been prosecuted for being on their phones not to do with hi vis, how I read it anyway :)
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Oh ok they might have struggled to prove that too ,its not illegal to talk on the phone on a horse.
The police would have to have proved that being on the phone caused the accident and the defence would have been able to prove the speed the car motorcycle was going .
Not that I think talking on the phone and riding on the roads is a good idea.
 
After a near miss where the women driver (once calmed down) said thank god we were wearing high viz ..... Still to this day I dont know why me and my friend decided to wear high viz ... we didnt normally but i swear since then I will not leave the yard without it.

I love my horse and I value his safety and one way I can show him that is by wearing high viz each and everytime we leave the yard together.

The other day a corsa went flying down the road next to the yard beeping his horn as he approached the corners ... I can only assume to make people aware he was coming!!!!!! What ****ing difference would it have made beeping or not beeping ... he was still going too fast and clearly knew it was unsafe or why beep! :mad: I will be keeping an eye out for that one thats for sure and give him a good slap if i catch him!
 
My biggest bugbear are people who go out in dangerous light/visibility and believe that any amount of hi viz is going to make any real difference in those situations - irresponsible beyond words.

I saw two ladies riding two abreast down a busy A road in the fog last week - they had hi viz on, but to be fair I think it is the most mindless idiocy I've seen all year.
 
Goldenstar said:
Oh ok they might have struggled to prove that too ,its not illegal to talk on the phone on a horse.
The police would have to have proved that being on the phone caused the accident and the defence would have been able to prove the speed the car motorcycle was going .
Not that I think talking on the phone and riding on the roads is a good idea.
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Proving a phone call was attempted or already in progress at any specific time (or that a text was sent) is one of the easiest things they can do. It's not illegal to talk on a phone while on a horse but there'd be a case for lack of due attention or care (not sure which specific law in a rider's case).

Speed in accidents like this is also relatively easy to gauge - among other possible means (jammed speedos, witnesses, CCTV, etc.) skid marks can be used to work out the speed to within a certain window (I believe 6mph or at least it used to be).

If a mobile phone was a suspected factor, ultimately all the other circumstances of the accident that could be ascertained would have to be taken into account and then it would be considered whether the phone use was likely to have been a contributory factor, or at least if it matched the timings of the accident.
 
RunToEarth said:
My biggest bugbear are people who go out in dangerous light/visibility and believe that any amount of hi viz is going to make any real difference in those situations - irresponsible beyond words.

I saw two ladies riding two abreast down a busy A road in the fog last week - they had hi viz on, but to be fair I think it is the most mindless idiocy I've seen all year.
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I also agree with this - two weeks ago,whilst driving very slowly round a blind bend, I came across 3 riders, riding 3 abreast coming towards me. I couldn't see them because 1) it was a blind bend and 2) there was an incredibly high hedge obscuring vision as you went around the bend. Fortunately for the riders, I was going extremely slowly so stopped within seconds but still had a horse directly in front of my car facing me. The rider had the nerve to castigate me stating that she had hi-Viz on and I should have seen her! - quite how I can see around corners is beyond me but wearing Hi-viz does not make you invincible and in some/few cases (not all ) I think it gives a false sense of security- it cannot be used as a substitute for raid safety and common sense!
 
Optimissteeq said:
I also agree with this - two weeks ago,whilst driving very slowly round a blind bend, I came across 3 riders, riding 3 abreast coming towards me. I couldn't see them because 1) it was a blind bend and 2) there was an incredibly high hedge obscuring vision as you went around the bend. Fortunately for the riders, I was going extremely slowly so stopped within seconds but still had a horse directly in front of my car facing me. The rider had the nerve to castigate me stating that she had hi-Viz on and I should have seen her! - quite how I can see around corners is beyond me but wearing Hi-viz does not make you invincible and in some/few cases (not all ) I think it gives a false sense of security- it cannot be used as a substitute for raid safety and common sense!
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Edited to say road safety instead of raid and to add that I'm not anti hi-viz and do wear it myself
 
riverdale said:
Aldi are selling hi viz gillets at the moment, they are waterproof, warm and reversible. They are only £15.
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I've tried all 3 Aldi's near me and none of them have any left :( but I did pick up some awesome hi-viz workman over-trousers for £7 that I'm planning to ride in :)
 
One of the most dangerous coditions is bright low sunlight which causes drivers to be blinded. Avoid riding out in these conditions.
I always recommend wearing long sleeved Hi-Viz jackets as other road users can see your hand siignals far more easily.
I also believe that all riders should take the BHS Road Safety course and exam as this will give them some valuable skills which they can use when riding on the roads.
 
I have lived around Daventry for the last 20 years and I can say that not once have I heard of this story. I call fake.


Edit - Not to say i dont agree with wearing Hi Viz - You bloody well should!
 
If the police didn't prosecute the biker, then would that have meant the riders weren't able to get compensation for their severe injuries and the loss of their horses, being unable to work and vet bills ?
The financial aspect would be considerable.
 
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