10th October is annual World Animal Road Accident Awareness Day, created to draw attention to the increasing numbers of animals who lose their lives or are injured by vehicles, all over the world.
Cheltenham Animal Shelter often sees the devastating impacts of traffic collisions with pets, especially cats, and we hope that through awareness and consideration, more pet and owners will be spared this awful experience.
Every day, countless animals fall victim to road accidents. World Animal Road Accident Awareness Day was created in hope of reducing the number of animals affected. It must be said however that accidents will still happen, even to the most animal-loving drivers.
Although there has always been animal injuries caused on the roads, the numbers have increased over recently years due to the growing number of roads, motorways and the general increase in the amount of vehicles being used.
The facts
The Cats Matter organization are committed to this worthwhile cause and is the main force behind Animal Road Accident Awareness Day, driven from new studies which have shown that 630 cats are injured in car accidents every single day across the UK.
Around 35% of these will lose their life due to the severity of injuries they have sustained. Some of these cats may have a possibility of survival but only if the animal receives assistance.
Further annual road fatalities are expected to kill 100,000 foxes, 50,000 badgers, 50,000 deer, 30 million birds, and hedgehogs, which formerly headed the fatality list with 29% of them killed by automobiles and are now critically endangered.
Most accidents happen in the autumn months as mating and hunting season is most popular during these times. Deer are also more active at this time due to this and as such, they might be more likely to run across roads. When it comes to your larger animals such as deer, they also very rarely travel alone meaning that if you have seen one dart across the road, there is a high chance of others being just behind them about to do the same.
Along with autumn being unfortunately popular for animal traffic accidents, most animals are seen in sunset and midnight hours due to them being nocturnal or crepuscular (active at dusk and dawn).
Authorities estimate the accurate death rate to be about 70 million animals based on a statistical study of those that may have gone undetected. Highways England claims that 2,143 dead animals were discovered on about 4,300 miles of roadway — less than 1% of the U.K.’s entire road network.
What to do if you are involved in a road accident with an animal
The Road Traffic Act 1988 in the United Kingdom specifies that drivers must stop and notify the police if they strike any of the following animals: dogs, horses, cattle/cows, pigs, goats, sheep, donkeys, or mules.
Although there is currently no requirement to record all animal deaths on roadways, police suggest drivers contact the owner of any domestic animals who may have been harmed, such as cats, to alert them of the situation.
Sadly, it is thought that 30% of cats hit are classed as ‘hit and runs’, where the driver of the vehicle does not stop to assist them after being hit.
At the scene of any road traffic accident involving an animal, you’re advised to:
- Stay safe: set up a hazard area and move yourself and the animal (if possible) out of the path of oncoming vehicles.
- Only approach the animal if it’s safe to do so. Be aware that an injured animal – particularly a wild one – may feel very frightened and defensive, and possibly respond aggressively to you.
- If it’s a domestic animal that’s not aggressive, keep it warm and calm, but don’t offer it food or water. This could interfere with any medical treatment.
- Take photos of the situation, including the location, weather and visibility conditions, condition of the animal, any injuries you’ve sustained and any damage to your vehicle.
- Take the contact details of any witnesses who will be able to provide the police (and possibly insurers) with more information on exactly what happened before, during and after the accident.
- Report to the appropriate authorities or where possible take the injured pet to a veterinary practise.
Drivers are not obligated financially when taking an injured or deceased animal to the vets. If the accident occurs out of hours, there are 24-hour vets operating UK wide – use this tool to find your nearest practice and this tool, typing in ”emergency vet” and your location, for your closest 24hr emergency practice.
You can also get in touch with your local scanning angel who can help by offering a free roadside microchip scanning service, if volunteers are available in your area.
Another option is to contact your local council.
How can we prevent more accidents?
There are also things that we can do to help reduce traffic and pet incidents:
- Drive Safely: Observe speed limits, especially in areas known for animal crossings. Stay alert and be prepared to brake if an animal suddenly appears on the road.
- Support Conservation Efforts: Donate to or volunteer with organisations dedicated to wildlife conservation and road safety initiatives.
- Spread the Word: Raise awareness in your community about the importance of being mindful of animals on the road. Encourage others to join the cause.
- Report Incidents: If you come across an injured animal on the road, contact local veterinary centres, wildlife rescue services or authorities for help. This could help save an animal’s life.
- Being prepared: Although the thought of our pet being involved in a traffic accident is daunting, ensuring we are prepared just in case is crucial. We can be prepared with ensuring our pets are microchipped (this is now the law with our pet cats and dogs) and wearing a safe collar with tag. These precautions will mean that you can be contacted as quickly as possible if your pet were ever to get lost, injured or involved in an accident.
Ensure your pets are safe
Making sure our dog’s, horses and other pets are dressed in gear which can helps vehicles can see them is important. High visibility dog coats, collars and harnesses can be purchased from most pet stores. Flashing collars are also available to purchase which will alert drivers in the dark.
Avoiding roads without pavements when walking and only crossing the roads at designated crossings can reduce the chances of our beloved pets being hit while out exercising. When carrying cats and other smaller animals to a car, make sure they are secured in carry cases to avoid them escaping onto the road.
Insuring your pets will give you peace of mind that shoud they be unfortunate enough to be involved a traffic accident, vet bills will be covered. Finding the right pet insurance for means that you will have financial support in the event of an accident, sickness or injury.
What are Cheltenham Animal Shelter doing to help?
Along with raising awareness on this matter, we always make sure that when rehoming one of our resident animals, we look for possible road dangers that could be of harm to the pet when rehomed. This means careful consideration of whether an outdoor cat can be rehomed if the adopter lives near a very busy road or if there is not an adequate garden gate stopping a dog running into traffic when in the garden.
We will also ensure when speaking to new adopters, that we encourage them to keep their dogs on lead when walking near roads or to keep their cat indoors if necessary if they are unlikely to avoid traffic when roaming (blindness, disabilities etc).
Our pets will always go to their new home microchipped to their new owner’s details, along with dogs having an identification tag on their collar.
Together we can reduce the number of animal fatalities caused by vehicles
