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Many riders venture off into the wilds, assuming that if there is an accident, then their mobile phone will get them out of trouble. The reality however is very different, and often a phone signal will not work.
An alternative more robust solution is the ‘Personal Locator Beacon’ – unfortunately as the law currently stands they are illegal for use on land in the UK. fter experiencing an accident, Jenni Miller set about researching the technology and through here website Equine Ramblers is lobbying all riders to sign up to her petition. Below is a more detailed account about Personal Locator Beacons and how you can get involved with the campaign.
Support for legislation that will allow the use of a PLB or personal locator beacon to be legally used in the UK to get emergency assistance is growing. The latest voice to add its efforts to the lobby is the Equine Ramblers UK, a group of long distance horse riders who are acutely aware of the dangers that their members could face if riding in a remote part of the UK where there is no mobile phone signal and no sign of human life nearby.
The PLB transmits on a unique radio frequency that is detected via a worldwide satellite system and beamed to central search and rescue authorities who in turn decipher the signal which contains important information about the owner.
Currently in the UK the only infrastructure in place to handle distress signals is operated by the MCA - the Maritime Coastguard Agency, which holds a database of registered users, in co-operation with RAF Kinloss which would alert the nearest Search and Rescue operation to go to a ship or yacht in distress. The system simply is not set up for land based incidents, which are currently all under the jurisdiction of the Police.
The PLB is a small handheld unit, similar to a mobile phone and should be kept in the pocket of the person it is registered to. That means if there is an accident - the person is injured on a mountain, trapped in an upturned boat, or any other manner of personal emergency, they can activate the PLB and help would arrive. Because of the nature of the satellite system, COSPAS SARSAT which is an American/Russian installation, the signal can be picked up anywhere in the world, if there’s a government-approved organisation in place to handle it, so it’s all the more frustrating that UK infrastructure doesn’t support it.
He further adds “Of course we want to see PLBs legislated for here in the UK. We have our own representation constantly in place to the MCA and the Coastguard, which are the only two government bodies currently involved in the Search and Rescue system, and whose influence could be brought to bear across the authority sectors.”
Jeremy feels strongly that adventures on land are being discriminated against. “If you crash your light aircraft into the sea and activate your PLB you’ll get rescued because you are in the sea and therefore under the jurisdiction of the MCA, but if you break your arm and you are hanging off a rope in a remote Scottish mountain range, there’s no back up.”
Sign Petition
Access Equine Ramblers website
Date Created: 15/10/2007
Last Updated: 15/10/2007
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