The petition of residents of the United Kingdom,
Declares that horses and riders face significant risks on UK roads due to inadequate enforcement of passing distances and limited driver education.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to introduce legislation to make the minimum passing speeds and distances for horses in the Highway Code a legal requirement, to require equestrian safety to feature in all driving theory tests, and to introduce standards for the teaching of equestrian safety in driver education.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Mr Lee Dillon, Official Report, 25 March 2026; Vol. 783, c. 365.]
[P003174]
Observations from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Lilian Greenwood):
The Government share the concerns about the safety of both riders and their horses on public roads.
The highway code was updated in 2022 to improve the safety of all road users, particularly the most vulnerable. Key changes included the introduction of a hierarchy of road users, which ensures that those who do the greatest harm have the greatest responsibility to reduce the danger or threat that they pose to others, along with the strengthening of guidance on safe passing distances and speeds when overtaking horse riders.
The Department already recognises that horse riders are vulnerable road users with safety needs. Accordingly, the highway code covers horse riders and the need for drivers to exercise special care in relation to them. The 2022 changes added text in the “rules about animals” section of the highway code on training and made further amendments throughout to reflect the need to be aware and considerate of horse riders. Updates to rule 215 on road users requiring extra care added some important new information on maximum speed limits and space when overtaking riders.
All road users are required to comply with road traffic law, in the interests of their own safety and that of other road users. Although failure to comply with the advisory rules of the highway code will not, in itself, cause a person to be prosecuted, contraventions of these rules may be used as evidence in court to establish liability for a road traffic offence. Enforcement of the law is a matter for the police who will decide on the evidence of each individual case whether an offence has been committed and the appropriate action to take.
In the road safety strategy, published in January, we made clear that a major shift in road user expectations came with the 2022 highway code update and we continue to promote the updates to the highway code in 2022 via the THINK! and Department for Transport social media channels, as well as through partner organisations. However, despite an investment of £2.4 million in paid advertising raising road users’ awareness of the changes to the highway code, it is clear from research by external road safety stakeholders that more work is needed to embed these changes and we are considering options in this area.
With regard to the inclusion of equestrian safety in driving theory tests, the Department has recognised the need to promote the recognition of hazards by drivers when sharing the road with horse riders and horse-drawn vehicles. These are well represented within the hazard perception part of the test, a CGI video test which requires candidates to identify developing hazards on the road in good time. Both the multiple choice and hazard perception parts of the theory test are continually being updated and added to, with one of the focuses being on vulnerable road users such as horse riders.
We will continue to engage with the British Horse Society regarding action to keep riders and their horses safe on the roads.