Speakers at an event marking 10 years of the British Horse Society's Dead Slow road safety campaign called on equestrians to keep reporting incidents to authorities. House of Commons deputy speaker Caroline Nokes and Sussex Police chief constable Jo Shiner emphasized persistent advocacy to parliamentarians and police. The gathering highlighted rising risks and the need for national action.
An event on 20 April commemorated a decade of the British Horse Society’s (BHS) Dead Slow equestrian road safety campaign. Held to promote safer roads for horses and riders, it featured addresses from key figures including Caroline Nokes, House of Commons deputy speaker, and Jo Shiner, Sussex Police chief constable. Both speakers, lifelong riders themselves, stressed the importance of equestrians engaging lawmakers and law enforcement continuously. Nokes noted that about 5% of the population connects to horses, potentially informing 30 MPs, but urged targeting the remaining 600 with personal stories and GoPro footage of close passes by vehicles. “Go and see them, take your GoPro footage and make them live the experience,” she said. She praised persistent MPs like Newbury’s Lee Dillon for repeatedly raising equestrian road safety, advising, “Don’t give up, don’t let it drop.” Shiner shared a BHS video distributed to all police forces and discussed nationwide “close pass” operations targeting antisocial driving, one of the “fatal five” accident causes alongside drink and drugs. She highlighted community complaints, especially from equestrians and cyclists on country roads, and announced secured funding for a national operation including AI road cameras. “We need to work together to make sure in the future we’re reducing the risk and most importantly, changing minds,” Shiner said. Both called for a national road safety board as part of the government’s strategy and insisted all incidents, even minor ones, be reported to inform police intelligence.
