Dead Slow: Ten Years On

It has been ten years since the British Horse Society (BHS) launched their Dead Slow campaign. While pivotal progress has been made, the latest figures show why that work matters more than ever:

• Since 2016, 19,528 road incidents involving horses has been recorded. 

• In that time, 556 horses have been killed and 964 injured, alongside nearly 1,000 people.

• In 2025, there were 59 horse fatalities recorded, a 180% increase on 2016.

  
  

Over the last decade, the BHS has championed a simple but critical message: when passing horses, drivers should slow down to 10mph and leave at least two metres of space. 

Through their persistence, the Highway Code was updated on 29 January 2022 and incorporated the campaigns vital behavioural messages. Despite this, the data shows that most incidents still occur because vehicles pass too quickly or too closely. 

Greater understanding and care by all road users will not only ensure that the roads are safe for horses - who are instinctive flight animals - but for everyone. Throughout my Horse and Rider Road Safety campaign, riders from all over the country have described heartbreaking accounts of the consequences of encountering fast-moving vehicles.  

While it is awful we have received so many stories, every single report that the BHS receives strengthens the argument that greater education, awareness, and consideration of equestrian safety is needed. As the Government considers a number of options in this area, I will continue to raise the lived experience of the equestrian community here in the UK. 

With a growing body of evidence behind us, the BHS have been there every step of the way. From the Road Safety Awareness Ride in Lambourn with Project EDWARD, to my Westminster Hall debate in January this year, and now as I submit my paper petition on Horse and Rider Road Safety next week in Parliament, I will keep working closely with them to ensure these tragedies become a thing of the past. 

The 10-year anniversary marks the positive progress made so far, but we must keep pushing with cross-party members in Westminster and organisations across the country so that over the next ten we reduce the number of horses and riders killed on UK roads to zero. 

Please support the BHS with their ongoing campaign: spread the word to other drivers and download the BHS ‘Horse I’ app to record any incidents or near misses you see. 

Learn more: Dead Slow | The British Horse Society