16.03.10 - Gloucestershire’s Road Safety Partnership is appealing to motorists to exercise some “horse sense” on the county’s roads as the evenings become lighter and more and more riders take the opportunity to exercise their horses. More than half of all collisions involving horses and vehicles happen on minor roads.

Sheila Corkett, the Partnership Manager said: “Motorists and horse riders both have a right to use the road, especially in a rural county like ours, so it is all road users’ responsibility to keep safe. Mutual courtesy and care between motorists and riders is important to prevent confrontation and improve safety.”

Horse sense for motorists:

• Look out for horses being led or ridden on the road
• At left hand bends and on narrow country roads take extra care and keep our speed down
• When you see a horse rider on the road – slow down
• When approaching from behind a horse rider give them plenty of room and be ready to stop
• When overtaking, pass wide and slow. Do not sound your horn, rev your engine or accelerate rapidly once you have passed them as horses are easily scared by noise and may panic around fast moving vehicles
• Look out for horses turning right. Riders keep to the left even when turning right as it would not be safe to position their horse in the centre of the road
• Beware of horses on roundabouts. Riders will signal right at exits they do not intend to take and signal left at the exit they want
• Horse riders are often children, so take extra care and remember riders may ride in double file when escorting a young or inexperienced horse or rider

Riders should always wear the correct protective headgear and fluorescent/reflective accessories so that they can been seen at all times.

For more information, see our Fact Sheet

02.03.10  Gloucestershire’s new Motorcycle Coordinator is certainly well qualified to advise the county’s motorbike users on safety issues. Chris Harrison will be talking to riders of all kinds, from 50cc moped riders through to older leisure bikers about motorcycle training courses, using protective clothing and  riding safely.

Chris, said; “I had my first bike, a Vespa, when I was 16 and a 125cc at 17 but ended up crashing both of them!  I then got my HGV licence and drove a truck for many years.  As is typical of many men my age, I bought a sports bike and, even though I was an experienced rider, I decided to get a riding qualification.  This led onto me applying for the motorcycle coordinator role.

“One of the target groups I’ll be working with are older riders, who perhaps haven’t ridden a motorbike since their youth.  They are at higher risk of accidents because  motorbikes now are much more powerful and the roads are busier. 

“But I will also be targeting young and inexperienced riders and will be going into schools and colleges to talk to young people about the dangers of riding illegally or in an anti-social way and the benefits of safety training.”Chris will become a familiar face at bike shows and festivals throughout the county and is available to give talks to groups about motorcycle and moped safety. To book a talk, please contact Chris on 01452 427585.