DRIVERS are being warned to take extra care on moorland roads during the coming bank holiday weekend, following the death of two ponies recently. A yearling foal and an adult mare have both died in the last few weeks on the B3212 Princetown to Yelverton road, after they were hit by cars. Maureen Rolls, of the South West Equine Protection Society, this week appealed to drivers to take extra care when travelling on unfenced moorland roads ? particularly the busy Princetown to Yelverton and Princetown to Tavistock routes. Mrs Rolls said: ?I always travel just below the 40mph speed limit, and I can guarantee it?s very rare that anybody stays behind me ? everybody is travelling far too fast.? Mrs Rolls said accidents tended to occur in three different types of situations around this time of the year. She said: ?You get the tourist ponies ? they are the ones that wander down and stay around the cars in the car parks ? they tend to step out into the road in front of oncoming traffic. ?And at the moment the stallions are rounding up the mares, who are coming back into season. The stallions are very protective and they can round them up and run them across the road. ?And also, you get the young foals who fall asleep, their mothers wander away grazing, then the foal wakes up and panics and runs across the road to its mother ? and this happens with sheep as well.? Mrs Rolls said if drivers stayed within the speed limit, they should be able to stop in time to avoid an accident. She also advised people to use their hazard lights to warn oncoming drivers of animals in the roads, rather than flashing their headlights. ?Flashing can mean anything ? hazards are very effective,? said Mrs Rolls. Mike Nendick, spokesman for Dartmoor National Park Authority, said keeping speeds to below the statutory 40mph within the park boundary was vitally important all year round, but the message would be reinforced during the coming holiday season. Mr Nendick said: ?We have big yellow mobile signs and the rangers will be putting these around in prominent places to warn people about animals in the road and to deter them from feeding ponies. The rangers will be round and about, particularly during the bank holiday weekends. ?We would ask people to drive sensibly, according to the road conditions, and to bear in mind there is a speed limit, which is enforceable by the police.? Mr Nendick said drivers should be aware that animals, particularly young lambs and foals, could act unpredictably near the open stretches of moorland roads ? he also warned walkers to keep dogs under control and to be aware that the ground nesting season was still in full swing. Mr Nendick said despite the problems caused by animals on open roads, Dartmoor National Park Authority would not move from its policy not to fence off the moor ? a move which would ?drastically? alter the open appearance of the area and encourage riders and walkers onto roads.