Sheila Corkett, the Partnership Manager said: “Motorists and horse riders both have a right to use the road, especially in a rural county like ours, so it is all road users’ responsibility to keep safe. Mutual courtesy and care between motorists and riders is important to prevent confrontation and improve safety.”

Horse sense for motorists:

• Look out for horses being led or ridden on the road
• At left hand bends and on narrow country roads take extra care and keep our speed down
• When you see a horse rider on the road – slow down
• When approaching from behind a horse rider give them plenty of room and be ready to stop
• When overtaking, pass wide and slow. Do not sound your horn, rev your engine or accelerate rapidly once you have passed them as horses are easily scared by noise and may panic around fast moving vehicles
• Look out for horses turning right. Riders keep to the left even when turning right as it would not be safe to position their horse in the centre of the road
• Beware of horses on roundabouts. Riders will signal right at exits they do not intend to take and signal left at the exit they want
• Horse riders are often children, so take extra care and remember riders may ride in double file when escorting a young or inexperienced horse or rider

Riders should always wear the correct protective headgear and fluorescent/reflective accessories so that they can been seen at all times.

For more information, see our Fact Sheet

Chris, said; “I had my first bike, a Vespa, when I was 16 and a 125cc at 17 but ended up crashing both of them!  I then got my HGV licence and drove a truck for many years.  As is typical of many men my age, I bought a sports bike and, even though I was an experienced rider, I decided to get a riding qualification.  This led onto me applying for the motorcycle coordinator role.

“One of the target groups I’ll be working with are older riders, who perhaps haven’t ridden a motorbike since their youth.  They are at higher risk of accidents because  motorbikes now are much more powerful and the roads are busier.

“But I will also be targeting young and inexperienced riders and will be going into schools and colleges to talk to young people about the dangers of riding illegally or in an anti-social way and the benefits of safety training.”Chris will become a familiar face at bike shows and festivals throughout the county and is available to give talks to groups about motorcycle and moped safety. To book a talk, please contact Chris on 01452 427585.

During the morning the soldiers were given presentations by Tracey Wilson from Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue, PC Simon Ross from Gloucestershire Constabulary and Garry Handley from the Gloucestershire Road Safety Partnership. Using the theme of Christmas past, present and future they conveyed the importance of the drink drive campaign’s key message, ‘none for the road’, by discussing their personal experiences of working at the scene of a road traffic collision caused by drink driving, the effect this has on them and the impact on those involved and their friends and families.

Garry said; “When we arranged to visit the regiment we discovered something rather poignant that emphasised the importance of the drink drive campaign’s message to the soldiers and everyone involved. We discovered that 29 Regiment consists of just over 400 people, which is almost identical to the number of people that were killed in drink drive road collisions last year. It was shocking to look at such a large group of people and think that the size of the group replicated that of all the lives lost. This really highlighted the important role that we all play in keeping the county’s roads safe by driving responsibly and this is why we are urging the whole community to take heed of the ‘none for the road’ message in this year’s Christmas drink drive campaign.”

The road safety partnership ask that parents should take into account the following points:

• Choose your child’s  bike with care and get advice from a good dealer
• Buy them a cycle helmet that is the right size, that they like and they will wear
• Train them in basic cycle control away from the road
• Teach them good road sense by setting a good example
• Cycle along with your child in front of you, that way you can see them, talk to them and protect them from following traffic
• Ensure they take part in an organised Cyclist Training Scheme. Ask your school for details.
• Whatever the pressures, don’t let them out on their own until you are certain they can cope
• Make sure they are always easily seen and wear bright, high visibility clothing
• Enjoy cycling with your child – it’ll make all the difference

“I have to rely on lifts to and from work and even had to move home because my house was to far from a bus stop. The gym, the cinema and the shops are all much harder to get to. I’ve lost friends over it. This campaign is important because it sends home the message that a drink drive conviction can affect your whole life.”

“We look for statistics and best practices in terms of teaching/instructing driving licence applicants, unique ideas that improve safety a lot and to show Polish viewers (drivers, authorities…etc.) that there are many ideas that improve safety that have been applied abroad for a long time now”.

The film covered SAGE; the older drivers’ assessment, the driver improvement course, the drink drive rehabilitation course, as well as Gloucestershire Constabulary’s Roads Policing Team and Fire and Rescue services.

• Organising and delivering a major occupational road risk day for all staff at E-on, Gloucester. Partnership work involving the private sector, Police, Fire and Rescue and Road Safety.
• Organising and delivering a road risk workshop for drivers working for Young Gloucestershire. Three hour theory session followed by practical driver assessments.
• Running two drink drive rehabilitation courses – one on Monday, and another on Saturday. Both happen to be the last day of four day courses. Clients will have been with us for 20 hours.
• Concluding a driver improvement course that took place on Friday and Saturday 20/21^st.
• Assessing about 10 drivers on various themes could include assessing older drivers through our SAGE scheme, TAXI Drivers, company drivers, etc.
• Developing and consulting on a local scheme to advise drivers to change behaviour at a junction.
• Supporting a joint road safety operation in Gloucester, between the residents and police.
• Attending the first few days of the International Motorcycle and Scooter Show at the NEC, discussing the “ride it right” routes in Gloucestershire and the training opportunities available to riders.
• Providing cycle training at Heywood and Bournside Secondary schools, as well at Calton Junior School in Gloucester.
• Visiting Berry Hill Primary school to talk to years 3 and 6 about pedestrian and cycle safety, and Whaddon Youth Club on the evening of the 24^th November.
• Road Safety Officers will also be visiting Wyedean School over two consecutive days to discuss road safety with year 10 students.