§ 1. Mr. Greenwayasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give details of the method of collecting statistics of people involved in horse and pony riding accidents.
§ The Minister of State, Department of Transport (Mrs. Lynda Chalker)Vehicles in injury accident reports are divided into 15 groups, one of which is "Non-motor vehicles" which includes ridden horses but excludes cycles. There were, in 1983, 341 casualties among the non-motor vehicle user group, most of whom would have been horse riders. However accidents involving horses, especially those involving no other vehicles, are frequently under-reported.
§ Mr. GreenwayIs my hon. Friend satisfied that those statistics reflect the true number of accidents to horses and riders, since they are not specifically included? Has not the time come for fluorescent bands and lights to be compulsory for riders after dusk? Should not riders always wear hard hats with a proper chin strap when riding on roads, if not everywhere else?
§ Mrs. ChalkerAs I said, we suspect that there is under-reporting in the figures. It would be difficult to isolate exactly how many of the 341 casualties were horse riders, but we do ask all riders to report any accidents in which they are involved. I do not favour compulsion in this area, but I recommend every rider to follow the do's and don'ts in "Ride more safely", a publication of the British Horse Society, which advises that riders should always wear fluorescent and reflective belts or tabards and hard hats carrying the British Standards Institution's kite mark or the EEC E mark.