Council trot out horse sense for drivers

Drivers throughout Carmarthenshire are being nagged by the county council to be more courteous to horses.

They have developed a “horse sense for drivers” guide to help rein in errant driver behavior around horses.

County road safety manager Keith Griffiths said: “Carmarthenshire benefits from beautiful countryside and rural villages, which naturally lend themselves to a high volume of equine activity.

“In order to keep both drivers, riders and horses themselves safe on our roads, we are asking drivers to please consider the following advice for all parties.”

County executive board member for transport services Cllr Colin Evans said : ” One recent incident involving horses and a car driver at Ammanford have been drawn to the attention of The Community Safety Partnership.

“The best means of dealing with this issue is by education and reminding drivers of the following behaviour to exercise whenever horses and riders are encountered on our roads.”

Horse sense for drivers

• Slow down when you see a horse, and drive slowly past them

• Give them plenty of room and be ready to stop

• Do not scare animals by sounding your horn or revving your engine

• Look out for horse riders’ signals and be aware that they may not move to the centre of the road before turning right

• Riders of horses and ponies are often children – so please take extra care

• Treat horses as a potential hazard and expect the unexpected.