West Midlands Regional Safety News

Horse riders urged to have their say on dangerous dogs

The British Horse Society is encouraging horse riders and owners to respond to a consultation document issued by the government on dangerous dogs.

Defra is consulting on a number of options as to how the current situation regarding dangerous dogs might be improved. The British Horse Society is keen to see as many equestrians as possible respond to the consultation. The Society has been collecting information from the victims of dog attacks over the last 10 years in an effort to demonstrate the impact of dangerous dogs on horse riders and owners.

During that time, more than 97 reports have been received from victims of dog attacks – 74 of which have occurred in the last three years – and this only covers those that have been reported to the Society. Ten of these attacks proved fatal for the horse and another 42 resulted in injury to a horse. Alongside this, 43 riders and owners have suffered injury, demonstrating that dangerous dogs have serious implications for equestrians.

The BHS believes the consultation on dangerous dogs raises many pertinent issues to owners and riders of horses, proving their vulnerability to attacks by dangerous dogs.

Mark Weston, Director of Access, Safety and Welfare at the BHS, said: “The number of reported incidents is continuing to rise and steps to make dog owners responsible for their animal’s behaviour would be welcomed by the Society. Any new legislation should cater for dog attacks on horses and riders as they, as proven by our reports, are increasing.”

Further information on the consultation can be found on The British Horse Society website, www.bhs.org.uk  
For further information and pictures, please contact: Alison Coleman, The British Horse Society, 01926 707737 or a.coleman@bhs.org.uk 

1. The consultation document  on dangerous dogs can be found via the following link http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/dangerous-dogs/index.htm
2. Any regulations or ban would apply in England and Wales only. Dangerous dogs legislation is a partially devolved matter; Scotland has its own Dangerous Dogs Act and Northern Ireland also has its own legislation on this issue.
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Changes to driving legislations will impact on horse industry warns BHS

New driving licensing legislation revoking ‘grandfather rights’, to accompany learner drivers in small lorries, buses and vehicle plus trailer combinations will have a profound impact on the equestrian industry according to The British Horse Society.

From 6 April 2010 drivers who passed their car driving test before January 1997 will no longer be able to act as ‘supervising’ drivers to those learning to drive small lorries, buses and vehicle plus trailer combinations (but not car/horse trailer combinations i.e. Category B+E). Crucially for the equestrian industry this will include 7.5 tonne horse boxes.

In a response to questioning by The British Horse Society, the Driving Standards Agency stated: “Drivers who passed their car driving test before January 1997 were granted implied entitlement, sometimes known as ‘grandfather rights’, to drive small lorries, buses and vehicle plus trailer combinations. These are classed as categories C1, C1+E, D1 and D1+E and subject to certain restrictions.

“It should be noted that it was never the intention to allow learner drivers to drive a vehicle on public roads unless being supervised by a qualified driver who had passed a test for that category of vehicle.“Clearly there are road safety issues involved where a person who has never passed the relevant driving test will act as the supervisor for a driver in these categories.

“These changes will not affect the person’s existing entitlement to drive C1 or D1 vehicles or vehicle plus trailer combinations. They will however make it illegal for anyone to act as a supervising driver in such vehicles if they only hold pre-1997 implied entitlements.” The new legislation has not been widely publicised and the BHS is concerned that many drivers will not be aware that they will be affected when the changes come into place on 6 April 2010.

Sheila Hardy, BHS Senior Executive Safety said: “It is concerning that this legislation has not been more widely publicised. It has left people no time at all to prepare themselves.”

A detailed description of the changes from the DSA is available on The British Horse Society website.
For further information, please contact: Alison Coleman, The British Horse Society, 01926 707737 or a.coleman@bhs.org.uk 
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The BHS responds to A Safer Way

The British Horse Society has responded to the Department for Transport (DfT) consultation A Safer Way, calling for improved recording of accident statistics, improved provision of rights of way, lower speed limits and the protection of vulnerable road users. The consultation seeks views on the vision, targets and measures for improving road safety in Great Britain beyond 2010.

In his consultation response, BHS Director of Access Safety and Welfare, Mark Weston, said: “It is incomprehensible how a consultation document into making Britain’s roads the safest in the world can fail to make any reference at all to horse riders and carriage drivers, who are legal users of the road network. Over the last 10 years there has been an increase of two million in the number of people who now ride. To ignore this fact and to fail to consider the needs of equestrians on our roads over the next 20 years is something that must be corrected immediately.”

The BHS is concerned by the under-recording of accident statistics that involve equestrians, and deplores the fact that the Stats 19/National Reporting Injury Road Accident Data Collection System does not require recording of accidents where injuries or death are caused to a ridden or driven horse if the rider or carriage driver suffers no injury that is apparent at the scene, even if injuries in the human later become apparent.

Many riders are too fearful to ride on our roads because of the speed and volume of traffic. The BHS calls for an explanation about how data on suppressed use is collected, if it is considered at all. The BHS sees the key challenge of improving road safety should be the protection of all vulnerable road users.

The BHS supports the focus that will be given to improving safety on rural roads, advocating lower speed limits on all roads as recommended by the DfT Circular 1/06. The BHS does not agree that priority should be given to assessing A and B roads, believing that C and unclassified roads, predominantly used by the recreational vulnerable road user, should be equally assessed.

For further information please contact Mark Weston Director of Access Safety and Welfare on 01926 707760 or email access@hs.org.uk
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BHS calls on National Audit Office to look at improving road safety for equestrians

The British Horse Society has questioned a recent report from the National Audit Office on improving road safety for vulnerable road users, which considers improving safety for pedestrians and cyclists but does not include equestrians.
Head of the National Audit Office, Tim Burr, said: “Making roads safer for pedestrians and cyclists is a key element in encouraging people to walk and cycle more. While their safety has improved generally, some are more vulnerable, such as child pedestrians from deprived areas.
“The Department for Transport needs to draw on its research programme and the lessons learned from the projects that it funds to find ways of improving safety, especially for groups most at risk.”
British Horse Society Director of Access, Safety and Welfare, Mark Weston, said: “Making roads safer for equestrians is a key element in encouraging people to ride more.
“To produce a report that fails to address the road safety concerns of equestrians is absurd and a wasted opportunity to make recommendations that would improve the safety of all vulnerable road users, not just pedestrians and cyclists.”
The BHS has asked when the National Audit Office will produce a report that looks at improving road safety for equestrians.
Details of The British Horse Society’s campaigns for equestrian access can be found at www.bhs.org.uk
For further information, please contact Mark Weston, BHS Director of Access Safety and Welfare, on 01926 707760 or mark.weston@bhs.org.uk
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BHS welcomes proposal to reduce speed limits

The British Horse Society has welcomed recent proposals to reduce the speed limit on rural roads from 60 to 50 mph.
The government will issue a consultation later in the year, which proposes this blanket reduction in the speed limit – the greatest change since 1978, when the national speed limit was reduced form 70mph to 60mph.
The proposals are for single lane carriageways only – dual carriageways and motorways will remain unaffected by the proposed legislation.
The BHS has been lobbying for a reduction in the speed limit on rural roads in order to protect the riders that use them, and would like to see further reductions in speed limits.
Mark Weston, the BHS’s Director of Access, Safety and Welfare, said: “The measures proposed by the government are a welcome step towards a safer road network for equestrians and drivers alike, but they do not go far enough. We would advocate even lower speed limits. Due to inadequate provision of a safe, accessible off-road network, many riders are forced to ride on roads which these days carry traffic that is increasing both in volume and speed. We are glad to see that the government is taking the safety of all rural road users seriously.”

For more informaiton, please contact Mark Weston, BHS Director of Accesss, Safety and Welfare on 01926 707760 or mark.weston@bhs.org.uk
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