Road Safety Wales is highlighting the vulnerability of horses and their riders through a campaign which reminds drivers and motorcyclists of their responsibilities when sharing road space with equestrian road users.

From the initiative’s beginning in Carmarthenshire, the new campaign posters, aligned to the latest Highway Code, have now been made available to all 22 Local Authorities in Wales.

Teresa Ciano, Chair of the partnership said, “Road Safety Wales is grateful to Carmarthenshire County Council for instigating a driver awareness campaign which can now be implemented across Wales, with the support of the Welsh Government.

“Our thanks also to the British Horse Society for providing invaluable data via the incident reporting section of their website, bhs.org.uk. This has helped ensure the advice can be located where most needed, at incident hotspot locations as well as on routes frequently used by the equestrian community.”

Carmarthenshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport, Waste and Infrastructure Services Cllr Edward Thomas said: “I am delighted that this campaign, which was launched in Carmarthenshire last summer, is now being extended across Wales.

“It is important that drivers, particularly in more rural areas in Wales, are aware that there are likely to be horses on the road and that they treat them with respect by not driving too fast and giving them plenty of space.”

The Minister for Climate Change with responsibility for Transport, Julie James said: "Motorists often need reminding of the dangers posed to horses and riders, particularly when driving on country roads during the holiday season and I am grateful to Road Safety Wales for introducing this very important campaign."

Road Safety Wales is encouraging the ongoing reporting of incidents and accidents in order to expand the knowledge base of equine-related events. Capturing more accurate data on the frequency and severity of incidents will assist in identify trends and can be used to more effectively highlight and address the risk faced by equestrian road users.

Incidents can also be reported quickly and easily using a phone or tablet device, via the free BHS Horse i app.