Pass wide and Slow campaign

joellie

joellie

Well-Known Member
Apr 24, 2011
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I don't know if anyone has seen the Pass Wide and Slow campaign on fb. They have made a video and the clip of Marley and me with the fast motorist that i posted on here a while back has been used on their video, we are at 1 min 4 sec :) The campaign has recently been sponsored by Equisafety .
 
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I don't want to watch it as I find seeing all the clips too daunting and I am trying to get more confident hacking! But I'm glad your clip may go towards helping the roads be that much safer.

Far too many people overtake me too close and fast, it's very scary.
 
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I'm not on fb.

I felt the other day that I should have filmed cars passing me going up a blind summit type hill. The sun was out so they wouldn't have been able to see if anything was coming, I couldn't!

The road has been altered from a 60mph to a 40mph, I would say 90% of what I meet does slow and or pass wide.
You get the odd one where you think ####!
 
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This topic really angers me!!!. Purely because I always wear some sort of hi viz and give signals etc and you will get the people that don't slow down. Or on a busy road ( 40mph) I had hi viz and was at the edge sox was eyeing up some road marking and I told cars to slow down and then one up my bum to stop which is didn't and overtook, so I told the next car behind me to stop. I then asked other drivers on the other side of the road to stop and I cant remember if they did or not but it took sox to spook and us end up in the middle of the road. Me fuming and then telling the drivers with choice words to actually stop. It shouldn't take my horse to spook like that for them to listen! .. But then I have been driving along and you get riders who don't say thanks when I pass wide and slow so I see why people don't. Or children with parents not wearing hi viz... don't get me started lol.
 
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I totally support any campaign to raise awareness about horses on roads, sad to say I was bored by 2/3 of the way through the video so I can't imagine non horsey folks making it very far if they watch it at all :(

I always make a big effort to be seen and to chat to people in my local area so I can hopefully impress on them how dangerous roads are for us (and tell them my 1/2 ton horse can go 6ft sideways in half a second and would likely kill passengers in the car when it went through the windscreen) and how much we appriciate people slowing down for us, within the little housing estate that I live on and ride through everyone is very good now and I always thank them. I've ridden on some extreamly busy and fast roads, too many people think giving you 6ft and slowing from 60+ down to 50mph is compliant with the hwc, which I guess it is, it just isn't enough.
 
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I agree with Jessey it's too long. They needed to bullet point it, with riders in between. After five minutes I was bored.

I think there needs to be clarification on what wide and slow is. It's all relative, if I am doing 60, slowing down to 50, I have slowed from what I was.
Cyclists and horse riders are considered vulnerable road users, but a car driver who isn't horsey may just pass as they would a cyclist or a dog walker.
Looking at it from both sides some roads are unsuited to horses, there are plenty around here I wouldnt dream of being on in fairness.
I see riders without hi viz on a regular basis and some don't trot on to a pull in because they haven’t checked you are there. Cars imo are just too quiet, but I regularly check her arse!
 
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Special place in hell for some of those drivers!:mad:

There have been a few accidents in this area but the worse of it by far is
In Amish country in Pa where the Amish are on busy Highways all the time.
They travel day and nigth on busy very busy roads with lots of tractor trailers.
My Husband has a tractor trailer and travels thru there almost every week
He says he is amazed at the idiots in cars and other tractor trailers that
wont slow down and get within inches of the buggies as they pass.

He slows down way way down and says if people behind him are upset
TOO BAD!!!

On a lesser road out there there was a Young Amish person and wagon
and the horse was not wanting to pass the tractor trailer- he had
stopped and turned the truck off.
He waited out the time it took.
Graham said he was shocked at how appreciative the young man was
at him being patient.


It could go a little quicker to keep peoples attention.
 
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We met an electric car in the summer, scared the bejessus out of us as it just sailed up behind almost silent :eek:

I saw some good hiviz tabbards a riding club are producing, have a pic on the back showing suitable distance and speed to pass, +1.5m and 15mph, I thought they were quite good
 
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No Jessey, because the driver needs to be too close to read it.
Going past a horse even at 30mph you can't really read what it says anyway.

I don't expect cars to slow to 15mph, I think this is where it needs clarification. What is slow? I hack all the time and just a car taking its foot off the gas to go by is fine with me, it's actually slowed hasn't it.
I always thank every driver.

I also feel riders "should" pass the riding and road safety test before going out on the roads. I did at school before taking my bike on the road.

Eta is this campaign just on Facebook? What about those who don't use it?
 
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I get that cars going faster would miss it but pedestrians, parked or patient cars etc would see it and remind them for next time they are going faster.

I don't expect every car to do 15 for sure, I ride 60 mph roads on occasion, and if its a good wide Road with visability letting off the gas is enough but I find on roads with blind bends and in towns when things are potential spooks in every direction and you are dealing with traffic, parked cars, kids squealing because there is a horse etc I appreciate them slowing down more, but its difficult to expect non riding drivers to understand when that is necessary so I do agree drivers should have to heed a riders request to slow/stop etc. I've had loads who wave back when you signal them to slow :rolleyes: with obviously no clue what the signal means.
 
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@newforest the girl who started the campaign is called Debbie Smith, she didn't think it would get as big as it has, she has got a meeting arranged with the transport minister. I only know of it through face book but here is a link to the petition she is running
https://www.change.org/p/goverment-...utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink

Thanks everyone else for your thoughts on it, I can understand thinking the video is maybe a bit boring but maybe that is to us as we are horse riders and we see this all the time, other people may get a new perspective as to what horse riders face..It seems to be getting a lot of awareness out their and that is the most important thing. She has also made a couple more videos and one is trying to make riders more aware of how they should behave on the roads and the benefits of wearing hi-viz and pulling in at a safe place to let traffic past and being courteous to drivers etc .

I for one always wear my hi viz vest when i'm out hacking and in the winter months Marley always has his hi-viz exercise sheet on. I also have my gopro camera on. Most drivers are considerate where i am and I always wave and thank them, I also pull in when i can and if i can see up ahead its clear i will signal to traffic behind me that its safe to pass. I don't expect traffic to stop or to slow down to walking pace, my horse is very good with traffic, he has had to be as we mostly hack on the roads as i have nowhere else to go but i would say we do still get the eejit who has no consideration and will take risks overtaking us on bends etc and that is every hack i go on I am still getting these idiots..so any publicity to get peoples attention and educate them both horse riders and drivers etc is good..
 
Oh thanks @newforest i never knew that about waving them on, i thought i was just being helpful:oops:

I have to connect the gopro to my computer to view the videos and photos
 
I don't know how many have signed to date.

Thinking about today's ride I met a vehicle on my narrow lanes. He moved over and I flicked my leg over the front of the saddle.
On seeing that the next car thought oh this is how you pass a horse then.
Now I don't know who is "in the wrong" here, them for expecting me to squeeze by or me because I know she will, we always do, always have done.

As an aside I came across this police documentary from 2014. Unrelated to horses, goodness knows how that popped up as recommended! (But one is kinda fit :rolleyes:)


I draw your attention to 4.20 and 18.10
The policeman who closed the road said and I quote "People are very much me focused, I need to get to where I need to get to as quickly as I can"

Two drivers ignored the police Road Closed sign and check out the cyclists who ignored the advice about carrying on, and do anyway.
Now if people don't listen to the police, what chance have we got asking a car to slow!
If a cop asks me to stop, I bloody well stop, I don't discuss it with them.:eek:
 
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