AN 11-year-old girl was nearly thrown from her horse after she was splashed with surface water by a 'careless' driver.
Dorset Police Rural Crime Team are urging motorists to drive 'dead slow' when overtaking riders on horseback, after the incident on Sunday, March 10 2024. The policing team recieved a report of careless driving near the junction of the A350 Blandford Road and Newton Road in Sturminster Marshall.
A 61-year-old man from Poole was identified as the driver and is set to attend a driver awareness course. He overtook two horses, splashing them with surface water around 4pm on the Sunday. This caused the horses to react dramatically and an 11-year-old was nearly thrown from her horse.
Police Constable Kate Schofield, of the Dorset Rural Crime Team, said: “Horse riders are a common sight on Dorset’s roads, and the equestrian community plays a really important role in rural life across our county.
“Anyone who knows about horses will realise they can be easily spooked when a car passes too close, so we would advise motorists to show respect for all road users and we would like to advise them about the importance of leaving the right amount of space when passing a horse rider – just as they should do when they pass other vulnerable road users, such as cyclists, moped riders and those on mobility scooters."
Dorset Rural Crime Team are reminding motorists to maintain a two-metre distance and not exceed 10mph when overtaking horse riders.
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