00:00You're an idiot, you could wait!
00:03Close calls like these are endangering horses and riders across the country, including here
00:10in Kent.
00:11Cassie Dixon from Sevenoaks has been riding for 47 years, but she says her confidence
00:17was completely knocked when she and her horse Winter were hit by a lorry while riding along
00:23the road earlier this year.
00:25This happened at the end of April, it's taken me until probably the last month to not freak
00:32out when I go out on the road because if there's a slightly large delivery van coming that's
00:38really rattly, it's not even about winter.
00:41It scared me, I mean I could barely stand afterwards, you know when you get so frightened that the
00:47adrenaline pumps in and your legs are like jelly, I was terrified to look at her head.
00:50The accident happened on Malthouse Road in Stansted and now Cassie and the local community are
00:57campaigning for better road safety measures.
00:59We want really to have the speed limit reduced because obviously it's through the lanes, the
01:05lanes are 60 miles an hour, we've got a lot of blind corners around here and some people
01:10are driving 50 and 60 around a blind corner.
01:13If a car comes that fast around the corner, you know, you've just got no hope.
01:17According to the British Horse Society, there were nearly 3,000 accidents involving horses
01:23on roads last year, with 82 happening here in Kent.
01:28And they say it's because not enough people know about changes to the Highway Code, which
01:33were introduced four years ago, and say drivers must slow down to 10 miles per hour and leave
01:40at least two metres distance between them and the horse when overtaking.
01:44The riders here say it's not that they want to be on the roads, but they don't have any
01:50other choice.
01:50So we're not on the roads to try and slow you down. They are on the roads because they
01:56need a safe place to ride. So they are going from a stable to a bridleway or a bridleway
02:01to another bridleway. But there might not be enough safe off-road access.
02:07Those at the meeting say this isn't about pushing drivers off the road. It's about working collaboratively
02:14with them to improve safety for everyone.
02:17We all have to use the road and it's appropriate that we drive at a suitable speed for both horses,
02:24cyclists and pedestrians. It is not just your road as a motorist. It is shared by the whole
02:31community.
02:31While Stansted locals are encouraging drivers to slow down, they're hoping efforts to improve
02:37road safety will begin to speed up.
02:40Sophie Denny for KMTV in Stansted.
Comments