Horse riders raise safety concerns over speeding

Horse riders and a parish council in Kent are urging for speed restrictions to be imposed in county villages following concerns over safety.

Rider Ashley Cozens told the BBC every time she stepped out onto a road, she was "risking her life and her horses life".

Together with Stansted Parish Council, she is calling on the Government to introduce lower speed limits on rural village roads, arguing it would improve safety for both horse riders and drivers.

The Department for Transport (DfT) said local authorities were responsible for setting speed limits in their areas and they were seeking to help them make the "right decisions".

Yvonne Tisson, chairperson of the parish council, said the issue should be tackled by the Government rather than local authorities because of the cost and "red tape" involved.

"Traffic is travelling at an inappropriate speed for the road conditions," she says.

"For the 60 mph national speed limit to apply to rural roads is a total nonsense. It should be a national issue."

Cozens said: "I think most people are not aware that coming round a corner, they could meet a horse and rider and that's really frightening."

She described how other riders in the area have had "near misses, frightening incidents and verbal abuse".

"It is not going to change. Something really does need to be done," she adds.

Cassy Dickson, also from Stansted, said she had experienced a "terrifying" incident with her horse Winter after a lorry got too close to the pair in recent weeks.

"As she turned her lip or her head hit the side of the lorry," she recalled.

"The noise, I was actually scared to look at the side of her head because it felt like it should have been smashed in to be honest."

"I get emotional talking about it."

Dickson said the driver had to be flagged down to be stopped.

Winter was left with cuts, a split lip and a broken tooth and both were left more anxious about riding on the roads.

"It is becoming noticeably more dangerous," she believes.

In the South East, there were 223 road incidents reported to the British Horse Society in 2025 and two horse fatalities.

"I don't think that there are drivers out there who really want to pass horses inconsiderately," says the organisation's director of safety, Alan Hiscox.

"I just don't think they know those messages in the highway code, that 10 miles per hour and two metres distance."

A DfT spokesperson said: "The safety of all road users is a top priority, and we are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads.

"Local authorities are responsible for setting speed limits in their areas, as they know their roads best, and through our new Road Safety Strategy we are reviewing national guidance to help them make the right decisions for their communities."

Ch Insp Craig West, of Kent Police's Roads Policing Uni,t said: "Anyone, including horse riders, who believes they have witnessed dangerous, careless or inconsiderate driving can report the incident to Kent Police."

He also said all road users have the same rights to be on the carriageway, and recommended a some precautions:

• Drivers and riders overtaking a horse rider should slow down and leave a reasonable gap as they pass.
• If the road is narrow, stop and wait for the rider to reach a safe area off the carriageway.
• You should be patient and not sound your horn or rev the engine if temporarily held up.
• If the horse looks nervous, stop your vehicle and turn off the engine until it has moved past.

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