Mr Lee Dillon

Mr Lee Dillon

Liberal Democrat — Newbury

Speaking in the House of Commons on 14 January 2026

Debate

Horse and Rider Road Safety

Contribution

Thank you for that guidance, Mr Dowd. I will move on. I want to talk about some excellent examples of best practice that are already in place. In Leicestershire and Rutland, the rural policing team, alongside Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service, have been delivering the “Virtual Insanity Experience” through the Hazard Express van. That involves a mounted volunteer riding on a bike, and if drivers pass dangerously, they are invited to experience that situation through VR headsets. The scheme is focused on education, not punishment, and it could be rolled out nationally for people coming across horses so that motorists understand the experience of a horse rider when a vehicle passes too quickly or closely. I urge the Minister to look at the wider adoption of that scheme. Before Christmas, the Minister raised the Government’s desire to re-publicise the 2022 highway code changes. Despite £2.4 million being spent on advertising, a YouGov poll in January 2023 found that 25% of adults were unaware of those changes. Mary from south Derbyshire told me: “The Highway Code revisions made in January 2022 have not really enhanced our safety when using the roads.”

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