A “careless and inconsiderate” driver who caused the death of a horse and seriously injured a rider has been banned – and must take an extended test before returning to the roads.
Christopher John Wixey, 76, of Banbury Street, Kineton, Warwickshire, appeared at Coventry Crown Court on 22 September for sentencing, having pleaded guilty at a hearing on 4 August to causing serious injury by careless/inconsiderate driving.
The charges relate to a collision with a horse and rider at 11.30am on 2 January on Tysoe Road, Kineton.
A Warwickshire police statement said Wixey was driving a blue Seat Toleda and claimed to have been blinded by the low sun. He continued along the road without adjusting his driving for the conditions, and collided with the back of a horse being ridden by its female owner. This caused the horse to suffer “significant damage” to its hind legs and quarters, and the horse was put down by vets at the roadside. The rider “hit the ground with such force” that she sustained physical harm amounting to grievous bodily harm.
Wixey was disqualified from driving for 12 months and must take an extended test of competence before he can drive again. He was also fined £540.
“Christopher Wixey drove in a careless and inconsiderate way and this is reflected in the sentence,” said PC Adam Fletcher.
“As well as the loss of her horse, the rider suffered significant injuries both physical and psychological as a result of this collision and we hope this will offer her some closure”
PC Fletcher added that the force is taking the opportunity to remind motorists that they should always drive according to the conditions.
“This often means slowing down and expecting the unexpected on rural roads where there may be horses, cyclists and pedestrians enjoying the countryside,” he said.
“These road users are vulnerable and all drivers are expected to always take extra care to pass them safely.”
British Horse Society (BHS) director of safety Alan Hiscox, said this is the sort of incident the society “dreads hearing about”, and urged equestrians to continue to report incidents to the BHS Horse i app, or the police’s Operation Snap.
“This is why we are working hard to improve road safety for all equestrians. We already work closely with Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership on a number of road safety initiatives and will continue to do so,” he said, adding that incidents on the road are “under-reported” to the BHS and police.
“To give us a better picture we are asking equestrians to report incidents regardless of severity. This gives the BHS and road safety partners more information to be able to focus our resources where they are really needed, in order to best support equestrians.”
Carol Cotterill of Warwickshire Horse Watch/Warwickshire rural crime team added that this case “highlights how careful drivers need to be on rural roads all the time”.
“The Highway Code was updated in 2022 and is now specific about what drivers and motorcyclists need to do to safely pass horses; slow down to a maximum of 10mph, be patient, do not sound your horn or rev the engine and only when safe to do so, pass the horse wide and slow (two metres minimum if possible) and drive slowly away,” she said.
“Riders have to use rural roads for a number of reasons, so we are asking other road users to always be on the lookout for them and to be ready to slow down and stop if you need to. Never be tempted to ‘squeeze’ past a horse on the road as they are large and by passing them too closely or too fast you are risking your own life as well as the lives of the horse and rider or carriage driver.”
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