Road Safety Week Is 20-26 November

More than eight road incidents involving horses happen daily in the UK prompting the British Horse Society and the Leeds office of national law firm Irwin Mitchell to team up to show their support for road safety charity Brake’s Road Safety Week.

Brake’s annual campaign aims to raise awareness of the need to improve road safety and for all road users to respect one another’s right to use the roads. This year, the organisation is encouraging everyone to ‘Speed Down Save Lives’ for Road Safety Week.

Irwin Mitchell and the British Horse Society are lending their support to the initiative because by drivers reducing their speed, the number of incidents can be reduced from its current total of eight a day.

Serious injury specialist at Irwin Mitchell Cathryn Godfrey was recently recognised by the British Horse Society for her outstanding contribution to equestrian safety and received the Sefton Award.

Speaking about Road Safety Week, she said: 

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“All road users need to respect one another and take their responsibilities for road safety seriously, particularly when it comes to vulnerable road users.

“Road Safety Week presents us with an opportunity to raise awareness of the dangers of speeding on the road and the implications for all road users.

“Horses can act unpredictably and can be spooked by a speeding car, which can result in an incident. The highest number of collisions involving horses are after a bend in the road when the driver encounters the horse which takes both the horse and driver by surprise.

“By reducing their speed, drivers are more able to respond to horses and other road users, which will hopefully lead to a reduction in the number of horse related incidents. The consequences of a collision can be horrific and life changing for all involved.

“In addition to the injuries to the rider and horse, often resulting in the horse being put to sleep, the weight of the horse and speed of impact can cause serious damage to the vehicle and the driver and occupants.

“It is in both the driver and riders interest for speed to be reduced.” Cathryn Godfrey - Associate Solicitor

The issue of horse rider safety is one that is often over looked during discussions of road safety, but with 3.5 million regular riders in the UK the issue is not one to be ignored.

Alan Hiscox, Director of Safety at The British Horse Society, said: “Road Safety Week is a great opportunity for us to raise awareness of the issues that horse riders face on our roads. 

"We would like to remind drivers to adhere to the messages of our Dead Slow campaign, and slow down to a maximum of 15mph when they see a horse on the road, passing wide and slow with at least a cars width  between themselves and the horse”.

For anyone who has an interest in improving their knowledge of riding and road safety or how to pass horse riders safely, the British Horse Society is organising safety talks across the country.  For more details please contact the British Horse Society. 

Read more about Irwin Mitchell's expertise in serious injury claims.