Pleas for motorists to pay greater heed to horse-drawn carriages won powerful backing yesterday.

The Driving Horse and Pony Club of Bermuda supported the call of Mr. David Masters and his wife, Debbie -- victims of an horrific horse-and-buggy accident.

And the club will now be writing to the Public Transportation Board, urging bus drivers to take extra care on the roads.

Club secretary Ms Annie Sousa pleaded with motorists: "We understand that people have got places to go, but have some thought for the people who prefer to get to those places at a slower, more leisurely pace.

"They have just as much right to be on the road as you do. Let's not have a dead horse or a dead driver so you could get to your appointment on time.'' Ms Sousa's comments came in a letter to The Royal Gazette after she read about the May 24 buggy accident.

Forty-nine-year-old Mrs. Debbie Masters and her 58-year-old husband Mr. David Masters of Devon Heights, Devonshire, needed hospital treatment following the near-collision with a bus in Harrington Sound Road, Smith's Parish.

Mrs. Masters claimed the accident occurred after the bus, coming in the opposite direction, overtook a jogger. The six-foot wide buggy ploughed into a roadside wall, and flipped over, dumping the couple in the road.

It was one of three horse-and-carriage incidents, which occurred within 24 hours.

In another incident, visitors were said to have been thrown into Front Street after the animal bolted. And in a third accident, a car and a horse-and-carriage reportedly collided in Warwick.

In her letter, Ms Sousa said the horse and pony club "wholeheartedly'' supported the couple's appeal for motorists to be more cautious when approaching and overtaking horsedrawn traffic.

To motorists, including bus drivers and cyclists, she said: "If you could just give a thought to the kind of damage a 1,200-pound horse could do to you or your vehicle if it jumped on to your car you would avoid it like the plague. That's all we ask.'' Ms Sousa put forward a five-point safety guide to motorists: Leave some room when you overtake and make sure there is nothing coming ahead of you; Do not overtake on the inside if you are on a bike; Do not blow your horn as you pass; Give the horse and buggy a wide berth when overtaking; and Don't crowd a horse and buggy in. If there is traffic in front and behind, leave plenty of room.

Said Ms Sousa: "If there is a horse and buggy in front of you and you are in a hurry, please try and wait until it is safe to pass.''