Speed limits on Passing a Horse

Request Number: FOI/16179

Category: Roads Policing and Safety Cameras – Traffic Offences

Subject: Speed limits on Passing a Horse

Request and Answer: 
Question 1
I would like to know if the 10mph speed limit for a car passing a horse is law or advisory?

Question 2
Also, are there any regulations on passing a horse box, horse van on any road including a motorway?

Answer
It is our opinion this is not a valid FOI request by virtue of being a general question, and not a request for information held. Section 84 of FOIA relates to recorded information held by a public authority and that it does not extend to providing explanations unless the answers are already held in a recorded form.

"Information is defined in section 84 of the Act as 'information recorded in any form'. The Act therefore only extends to requests for recorded information. It does not require public authorities (in this case the PSNI) to answer questions generally; only if they already hold the answers in recorded form. The Act does not extend to requests for information about policies or their implementation, or the merits or demerits of any proposal or action - unless, of course, the answer to any such request is already held in recorded form." (Day vs ICO & DWP – EA/2006/0069 Final Decision)

Can we also refer you to the ICO guidance at How to access information from a public body | ICO

Accordingly, we have determined that the Police Service of Northern Ireland does not hold the information to which you seek access.

However, under Advice and Assistance, PSNI can signpost you to publicly available sources where the relevant information can be found.

The Highway Code (Northern Ireland) - Contains guidance on how road users should interact with animals on the road, including horses. This can be found on the NIdirect website: www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/highway-code

Horse Safety on the Road - Provides advice for both riders and motorists. This can also be found on the NIdirect website: www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/horse-safety-road

Legislation.gov.uk - The official government website for UK legislation, including Northern Ireland road traffic laws, can be found at www.legislation.gov.uk

You may find the relevant information within these sources.