^ Map showing recorded road incidents involving horses in Faversham and Mid Kent since 2023.
I have been contacted by constituents about safety on our country lanes. One constituent was riding her horse and suffered a hit and run from someone driving too fast on a single lane country road. Thankfully, in this case both horse and rider were OK.
I raised this with the British Horse Society (BHS) and the situation is worse than I feared. In 2024 there were over 3,000 road incidents involving horses with 58 horses and ponies were killed and 97 were injured on our roads nationally, while in Kent we have seen a 48% increase in incidents since 2023. Interestingly, according to the BHS it is more likely to be older drivers involved in incidents than younger ones.
I have taken this up with Lilian Greenwood MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, and I am not happy with her response. She talks about the Government’s THINK! Road safety campaign which aims to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads. It includes a campaign video which highlights the consequences of driving too fast for the conditions, especially on rural roads, and champions those who respect the road and arrive safely.
You can see the video here: www.think.gov.uk/campaign/speeding2025/.
I have gone back to Lilian Greenwood asking how this campaign targets people who passed their driving test some years ago, who the BHS believe to be the main problem, and how she is making sure people see this campaign. It is not just horse riders who are affected by dangerous driving on our lanes. Cyclists, pedestrians and pets, particularly cats, are also impacted and if we are going to enjoy the benefits of living in the countryside we also need to be able to enjoy our roads.
Please scroll down to my survey and let me know what your experiences are like on our country lanes.
