Allow space and drive slowly when approaching horses on the road – that’s the message the Medway Community Safety Unit wants all road users to understand.

Promoting road safety is an important part of the day job for PSCOs Sean Humphrey and Jeanette Reed, who cover areas including Rainham South, Hempstead, Wigmore and Bredhurst.

Owing to their wards being more rural than much of the Medway towns, they regularly engage with horse riders and know that many of them have had experiences where vehicle drivers have startled their animals.

Horse collage desktop
Officers supporting the ride out  (from left) Jeanette Reed, Sean Humphrey and Steve Barrett

To help raise awareness, both officers joined horse riders for a ride across their respective wards on Saturday 18 September 2021.

The horse riders themselves were participating in a national initiative, called the Pass Wide and Slow Campaign, which has received support from stables across the UK.

PCSO Sean Humphreys said: ‘Thankfully, collisions involving horse riders and cars are exceptionally rare and we want to keep it that way – that’s why we were more than happy to show our support to such an important campaign.

‘If you do see a horse on the roads, please slow down your speed and only pass when it is safe to do so. That includes not overtaking on the approach to a corner and ensuring you leave plenty of space so you don’t startle the horse.’

By Ed

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