Aberdeenshire horse riders raise awareness about road safety
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A group of horse riders in the Cornhill area raised awareness about the importance of road safety when they are being passed by vehicle drivers.
Pass Wide and Slow is a national campaign to highlight passing vulnerable road users safely.
Statistics are collated each year by the British Horse Society to understand the rate of incidents involving horses and riders on UK roads, with the incident numbers having increased year on year.
Between January 1 and December 3 last year 3552 road incidents were reported which saw 68 horses die, 125 horses get injured and 139 people were hurt.
As of January 29, 2022 information was added in the Highway Code on how to pass horses and riders safely.
It states: "Be particularly careful of horse riders and horse drawn vehicles especially when approaching, overtaking, passing or moving away. Always pass wide and slowly.
"When you see a horse on a road you should slow down to a to a maximum of 10 mph. Be patient – do not sound your horn or rev your engine.
When safe to do so, pass wide and slow allowing at least two metres of space."
Moira Cooper and Shelley Baird Clarke organised a Pass Wide and Slow ride on the local roads around Cornhill.
There were two rides on the day of the event which were a distance of 10 miles and 8.5 miles.
Overall 16 horses and riders, one cyclist and three walkers took to the roads to raise awareness of passing more vulnerable road users safely.
Moira said: "It was a success. Motorists were kind and supportive. During the day one car was reported to the police.
"Although this was the only campaign ride held in Aberdeenshire there were 300 planned rides across the UK.
"If anyone would like further information about the Pass Wide and Slow campaign they can visit the Pass Wide and Slow Facebook page or official website.
"It would be good to have more Pass Wide and Slow campaign rides in Aberdeenshire and Moray.
"It is all about making a difference on the roads for the safety of everyone."
