Share our roads responsibly

Now that brighter weather is with us, we hope more people will be out enjoying the delights of the Essex countryside.

This means more people using the roads in our cities, towns and rural areas. Some of them will be more vulnerable than others, such as pedestrians, horses and their riders, cyclists and motorcyclists.

They all need extra space when you are passing them in a vehicle, particularly horses and their riders, many of whom do not have access to off-road riding or must use the road network to access public bridleways.

Rural roads are often narrow and winding so if you see anyone waiting to turn or signalling you to slow down, please be patient. There may be a potential hazard ahead that they can see and you cannot.

Only pass when it is safe to do so and remember to pass horses slowly at a maximum of 10mph until you are clear, ensuring a two-metre distance between your vehicle and the horse. Any sudden noise may spook a horse and cause it to throw off the rider.

Thank you for sharing our roads responsibly.

Extra Eyes

If you record any anti-social driving or dangerous driving on your dash-cam, please report to us online or you can provide the Safer Essex Road Partnership’s Extra Eyes with information about dangerous, illegal or poor driving, or about drivers taking unnecessary risks on our roads.

This includes speeding, careless driving, going through red lights, contravening traffic signs and using mobile phones whilst driving.

You can submit dash-cam footage at any time to Extra Eyes but please adhere to the following so that we have the best chance to progress your complaint:

• You and any other witness must be willing to attend court to give evidence
• Footage must be unedited, clear and in focus
• Vehicles must be identifiable
• Submissions must be made within 48 hours of the event

Please note:
Footage must show instances of driving behaviour which amounts to careless driving or leaving a vehicle in a dangerous position.

Where the alleged driving amounts to an offence and there is no footage, an independent witness, not within your vehicle, is required.

We do not encourage you to proactively seek out examples of poor driving; it should be captured on dash-cam as part of your normal journey.