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Citation |
Scofield RM, Scofield S, Briggs E. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 2019; 82: e102770. |
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Affiliation |
Health and Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Gypsy Lane, Oxford, UK. |
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Copyright |
(Copyright © 2019, Elsevier Publishing) |
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DOI |
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PMID |
31732115 |
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Abstract |
Limited research exists regarding proximity of vehicles to "vulnerable road users" and effects of "conspicuity equipment". Previous studies stated over 60% of horse/rider combinations experience near-miss traffic collisions in any one year, whereas use of fluorescent/reflective (FR) equipment did not decrease occurrences. Similarly, research into vehicle proximity to bicycles reported no significance in cyclists wearing FR. This study undertook a similar field experiment using a horse/rider combination wearing different conspicuity equipment to test proximity distance. Two horses with similar height, age, base coat color, and temperament were ridden using four conspicuity measures 60 times each (n = 240) along a straight 0.8 km lane. Measures were chosen by random crossover with two selected for each separate trip. These were an FR "tabard", a novel black/white pattern (BW), flashing lights on a helmet (L), and control of mid-blue (C). A novel proximity meter was used on the saddle pommel and distance/approach either front or rear were logged into a voice recorder. Analysis reported a significant difference between all measures and proximities observed (P =.000). Mann-Whitney tests concluded significant differences in proximity in C versus L and BW (P =.000; P =.000), respectively. FR versus C showed no significant difference in proximity (P =.005). L versus BW reported no significant difference in proximity (W = 3640.0, P =.958). Language: en |
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Keywords |
Conspicuity; Equine; Rider; Road safety; Visibility |