HORSE RIDERS UNITE TO EDUCATE MOTORISTS

Broadcaster Alison Mau will take to the saddle this Saturday 20th May, joining horse riders all over New Zealand as part of a national campaign to educate motorists about sharing the road.

The National Ride for Road Safety kicks off simultaneously at 10am in fourteen regions- Whangarei, Matakohe, Dairy Flat, Taupaki, Ohaupo, Taranaki, Central Hawkes Bay, Pahiatua, Carterton, Levin, Kapiti, Hokitika/Westland, North Canterbury and Temuka.

“In just 6 weeks of planning this has snowballed into a major event across 14 locations around New Zealand. It just proves what a huge issue this is for riders, particularly after the death of Auckland horse Curious George and the injuries suffered by his rider journalist Karen Rutherford,” says National Coordinator Simone Frewin of Northland.

New Zealanders own over 80 thousand recreational and sport horses- many of which are ridden on our rural roads.

“We’re not asking to ride down Queen Street, we just want to be safe on the rural roads where we live.”

The National Ride for Road Safety aims to attract people on horseback and on foot to each region’s designated route. Organisers say the event serves as a timely reminder to riders about their responsibilities, and aims to educate motorists about hand signals and safe passing.

Similar rallies with bold slogans and placards have been held in Britain.

“We want to educate drivers that passing at 20km/h and giving a horse 2metres berth, is crucial for the safety of both the motorist and the rider. It takes less than a minute out of your life to slow & pass safely- or you can take a life in less than a second, if you don’t slow down,” says Simone Frewin.

Ride for Road Safety campaigners say current legislation is ambiguous, stating that motorists must “slow down or stop” and give a rider “plenty of room”.

“When you’re travelling at 100km/h on a rural road, what does slow down mean? Eighty? Sixty? Motorists need clarity,” according to NZ Horse Network’s Viv Dostine.

A petition already signed by 4,300 people asks that NZ legislation at least match Australian legislation by having a 20km/h speed limit for passing horses, just as is the case for passing a school bus.

Saturday’s biggest ride will be held just a few hundred metres from where champion Kaimanawa Curious George was hit and killed.