The Highway Code is, in its own words, for all road users: pedestrians, cyclists, horse riders and drivers.
But for one man in a silvery blue Jaguar in Essex earlier this week, it was his way or the highway as he kicked off in a shocking road rage row.
A video shot in Epping Forest on Monday showed the balding man stepping out of his car after allegedly overtaking a group of horse riders at speed on a narrow country lane.
He then mocked one of the horse riders for making the universal ‘slow down’ gesture – an outstretched arm moving up and down – as he drove past.
‘Okay? I don’t care. I know what to do,’ he raged at one of the riders, who stood next to his car in a high-visibility jacket, her horse patiently standing beside her.
‘I’m fed up with yous lot going like that,’ he continued, waving his arm up and down mockingly.
The furious driver added: ‘Now b***** off.’ His female passenger, who remains in the car, appears to shout something as he climbs back into the car.
‘I live up here,’ he bellows from inside the car, as the female horse rider tries to explain that the law requires that he overtake at no more than 10mph.
Do you know the driver? Email: jon.brady@dailymail.co.uk
An angry Jaguar driver remonstrated with a horse rider after she asked him to slow down on a country road
The driver could be seen gesturing and telling the horse rider to ‘p*** off’ after she explained that he should overtake at no more than 10mph
The driver’s tirade took place in front of three other horse riders, among them a young girl
‘We didn’t go past 10mph,’ the female car passenger retorts. The overtake was not captured on video.
The man continues to lose his temper as the confrontation continues, yelling: ‘Go away! Go a-way! Go away out of my face!’
He then adds, ‘P*** off. Go on, p*** off,’ as he closes the door and sets off up Lippitts Hill.
The video was shared online by one of the horse riders, who said the driver had been ‘so aggressive towards me, my mum and my little sisters’.
She added: ‘All I done (sic) was a hand signal to slow the traffic as the back of the ride should.
‘He then sped past us and stopped abruptly in front of the ride, got out of his car and began shouting and showing aggressive behaviour. Riders please be careful.’
The incident took place on Lippits Road in Epping Forest, two miles north of Chingford. Essex County Council documents show the road is a restricted road with a speed limit of 30mph.
Horse riders are entitled to use all public roads under common law, with the exception of motorways.
Rule 214 of the Highway Code tells motorists to ‘drive slowly’ when overtaking animals, giving them plenty of room and avoiding scaring them by not sounding the horn or revving the engine.
The Code states: ‘When you see a horse on a road, you should slow down to a maximum of 10 mph. Be patient, do not sound your horn or rev your engine. When safe to do so, pass wide and slow, allowing at least 2 metres of space.’
Despite the clear rules the video has, inevitably, sparked debate online.
Last year, road rage driver Fiona Parselle seemingly attempted to spook horses by revving her engine and beeping her horn after being asked to slow down
Rider Els Mason (pictured) said she feared any one of the horses could have been spooked by the car and thrown their rider onto the road
‘Let’s not forget our roads were created for horses long before cars were invented,’ one user added.
‘I don’t agree with horses on the road, but u just pass slowly and get on with Ur day no point crying about it,’ said another.
But another said: ‘I ride horses and I’ve never had the need to ride on public roads! It’s damn right silly and dangerous.’
An Essex Police spokesman told the Daily Mail it had not received a report of the incident.
However, road rage against horse riders is nothing new in Britain. Last December, the driver of a mint-green Ford Fiesta appeared to attempt to spook horses after being asked to slow down.
The female driver revved the engine of the luminous motor and sounded the horn twice – both absolute no-nos under the Highway Code.
She then gave the middle finger after coming back the other way along High Street in Broadwindsor, Dorset.
Fiona Parselle, 56, has since admitted inconsiderate driving. Weymouth Magistrates Court heard she told the horse riders she was ‘fed up with people like them’ and that riders ‘think they own the road’, reported Bridport News.
She was fined £388, reduced from £582 for her guilty plea, and told to pay a £155 victim surcharge and £85 in court costs.
As well as this, Parselle received five penalty points on her licence.
Horse rider Els Mason said at the time: ‘I have dealt with stuff like this before but nowhere near as scary and as dangerous as this.’
