Road Safety and Avoiding Animals on the Road
Road Safety Week is the UK's biggest road safety event. Every year, thousands of schools, organisations and communities get involved to shout out for our right to make roads safe.
The theme of Road Safety Week 2021, running from 15-21 November, is road safety hero's, celebrating the heroic work of road safety professionals, and explaining how we can all play a part in making journeys safer for everyone - animals included.
No one will admit to being a bad driver, but we’ve all, at one point or another, tried multitasking while driving behind the wheel on the road, especially on long road trips where we might go to change the music, reach for a drink or search for something else we need during the drive. Performing some basic safety checks, and arranging items we might need to grab swiftly, will drastically reduce the time we spend looking away from the road, if even for a second - which is all it takes! Our focus when driving should be 100% committed to the road ahead and what's happening around the car. If vigilance wanes through tiredness, hunger or perhaps anxiety about trying to locate an object when driving, stop and take a rest or sleep, grab something to eat or drink, or simply pull over to safely locate the item you need, change music or take a phone call.
Before setting off on your journey, always perform basic safety checks, such as adjusting mirrors and seatbelts, as well as checking tire pressure, oil and water. Place items you may need in their holders where you know where they are and can reach them while not diverting your eyes off the road ahead, such as GPS devices and drinks. Turn mobile phones on silent so they do not distract you when driving. Being an alert and vigilant driver throughout your journey could be the difference between life and death for yourself, other drivers or pedestrians, or animals.
Sometimes you could be driving as safe as possible, obeying all traffic rules and speed limits, but others do not. It doesn’t hurt to assume everyone else on the road is an idiot, and constantly being prepared for sudden stops, tailgating, swerving, turns with no indicator, and every other imaginable bad driving behaviour. There’s a big chance you’ll eventually be right and it will pay to be prepared. You also need to be fully focused while driving, but most drivers tend to focus on the car in front only. In order to take in, process, and respond to everything happening on the road, you have to constantly scan the road beyond the car ahead. Doing this will enable you to understand when cars ahead are breaking, or are due to beak due to an obstruction of some kind. Keeping a safe distance from the car in front will potentially allow you to also see things ahead which could pose a danger, such as animals.
Think Animals When Behind the Wheel
Road users have to be attentive to more than the risks posed by other road users and, now more than ever, they need to be on alert for animals on the road as urban areas continue to push outward and displace animals from their natural habitats. As traffic continues to increase every year, collisions between cars and animals would seem like an almost inevitable consequence, but there are steps we can all take to minimise the risk, for both ourselves and animals.
Take special care near animal crossing warning signs. The signs are there for a reason.
Minimize your distractions from passengers, food, and accessories. If your full attention is on the road, you'll be more likely to spot approaching animals with your peripheral vision.
Get in the habit of scanning the roadside as you drive.
Vigilance is the first and best defence, especially when driving on unfamiliar rural roads.
If you see one animal, expect that there are others nearby and proceed with caution.
If you thought you saw movement under a parked car or near the roadside in your peripheral vision, you probably did. Same with eye shine when driving at night.
Always obey the speed limit and wear safety belts
Check for oncoming vehicles and, if possible, drive more central away from parked cars. This should only be done on straight roads, never on corners where you may risk a head on collision.
Slowing down a little gives you and the animal more time to react – be especially cautious at night when animals easily misjudge the speed and distance of cars due to the headlights.
Know and feel comfortable in your car. Be familiar with things such as your instrument panel so you know instantly what to press in emergency situations to alert other drivers, and understand your lights different settings so you can adjust them for better visibility when the situation changes due to weather. Being comfortable with your cars ability with steering, breaking and manoeuvring, along with with your general car controls, means you can react faster and feel less panicked in the situation.
Be especially watchful in areas near woods and water
If you see a large animal near the road and think you have time to avoid hitting it, reduce your speed, tap your brakes and use your hazard lights to warn other drivers you are coming to a sharp break/stop.
Don't try to predict animal movement, slow down immediately if you spot an animal near the roadside.
Always consider if the land along the road could host large animals and if you think it could, anticipate that they might run out into the road. It's much easier to anticipate animal encounters and be ready to react calmly than to deal with the heart breaking, and potentially deadly consequences.
Pet Owners, Farmers and Landowners Can Help Limit the Risks Too
The behaviour of animals might be unpredictable, but pet owners, farmers and landowners can also take the following steps to ensure their animals remain as safe as possible.
Respect the importance of fences and warning signs next to the road.
Regularly inspect enclosures/fences.
If you are in control of the movement of cattle or sheep across or alongside roads – be attentive to the required regulations pertaining to warning flags etc
When you lead a horse next to the road always keep yourself between it and the traffic.
Make sure other road users can see you by day and night. Fit fluorescent/reflective leg bands to your horse and wear a fluorescent/reflective jacket.
Keep animals such as dogs on a short lead when walking on the pavement, road or a cycle path, and keep between the pet and the traffic.
Microchip! Microchips are an animals only voice when outside your home. Cats and dogs are disposed of by vets/councils or re-homed because an owner could not be easily identified. Also, vets may refuse to treat a cat or dog beyond basic pain relief, should an owner not be traced.
Do not take your animal somewhere that will frighten it. If you need to, such as trips to the vets, ensure they are secured correctly.
Neuter/spay your cat. In tact cats are at much greater risk as they are more motivated to stray.
For more on keeping free roaming cats road safe, see here.
Pay Attention to Animal Road Signage - They Are There For a Reason
Mobile phone and interactive maps are now being trailed in some parts of the world. How these work is by mapping roadkill hotspots which can alert drivers using GPS when approaching these areas. UK drivers and pedestrians can get involved in an initiative called Project Splatter, who collect data on the locations of UK wildlife roadkill reported by members of the public. You can help by telling them about roadkill you have seen on roads in the UK here, from large animals and smaller one's such as birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles. This will help conservation efforts and let conservationists know the areas they need to target most. Data collected from such projects will aid the erection of signs in hotspots to reduce the number of deaths on those particular roads. These signs are also intended to warn motorists of areas where there are large concentrations of particular animals, including small animals like squirrels, badgers, ducks, otters and hedgehogs.
What To Do If You Hit An Animal
The Road Traffic Act 1988 states that drivers must report hitting the following animals to the police; dogs, horses, cattle/cows, pigs, goats, sheep, donkeys and mules. Although there is currently no obligation to report all animal deaths on roads, the police do advise that drivers should make enquiries to ascertain the owner of domestic animals, such as cats, to notify them of the situation. Regardless of any laws, the most important thing is that the animal is given the very best chance should it survive the initial hit. We unashamedly urge people to concentrate on potentially saving an animals life before abiding by their duty of law. For example, a dog stands a much better chance of survival if seen by a vet, rather than a police officer with no veterinary skills. Even if the dog flees the scene of a collision, the incident is a recordable offence, and must be reported to police on 101 in all instances. For more information on dog collisions see here.
If you sadly hit or find a domestic cat injured in the street, they will need to see a veterinarian straight away. Drivers will not incur costs for taking in any injured animal to a vets. You can locate and contact your nearest via this link. Veterinarians are only obliged to administer pain relief to relieve suffering, so owners should ensure pets are microchipped and the details kept up to date. Every day in the UK, 630 cats will be hit by cars. 25% of hits will be fatal, meaning 75% have a good chance at survival if the driver seeks help straight away. Please do not drive off! Follow our advise for how to proceed, including if this occurs out of hours. In some cases, the cat may run off, but never assume this means the cat is OK. If the cat is roadside, and still alive, follow our simple steps to giving them potentially life saving roadside first aid, and get them to a veterinarian straight away. Be prepared by keeping one of our roadside first aid kits in your boot at all times. Shop here.
If an animal is deceased, and does not have a collar with their owners details on, you can try knocking on doors in the immediate area. On average it will take someone knocking on 3 houses to either directly find an owner, or obtain knowledge of where it's believed the cat lives. Failing that you can take a deceased animal to the vets for microchip scanning and storage in cold facilities until the owner can be found. Dogs must now be microchipped by law, and the law is changing to bring cats in line with dogs, so there is a very good chance owners will be swiftly located. Drivers are in no way obligated financially for taking an injured or deceased animal to the vets. If 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 emergency 24hr 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 who will collect deceased animals from the roadside. However, not all councils scan and return pets, and the time between reporting and collecting usually means someone else has already moved the cat. This option increases the risk of an owner not receiving closure. In addition to the above, you can also use lost and found sites on social media to try and locate the owner.
Wildlife casualties should be reported to your nearest wildlife rescue who are specifically trained to care for and rehabilitate wildlife, resulting in the animal standing a much better chance of survival as euthanasia rates in wildlife tends to be high at veterinary practices. Like domestic pets, wildlife can also be taken to a veterinary practice at no cost to the driver. Your local council will collect deceased wildlife off roads. If you suspect a deceased wildlife casualty may be pregnant or lactating, or you have seen young nearby, contact your local wildlife centre immediately who can assist in rescuing the vulnerable young. Should you suspect a cat is pregnant or nursing, more details can be found here.
Should you see or hit an animal on one of England's motorways or major A roads, dead or alive, you should call Highways England on 0300 123 5000 They will notify a nearby patrol who will collect deceased animals and scan domestic pets for a microchip. Should the animal be alive and in danger, they will close the motorway and the RSPCA will be called to assist in a rescue operation if necessary. See also Transport Scotland, Dfi Roads Northern Ireland, and Traffic Wales.
Did you know?
The big brother state we now live in can be a positive thing, and we can use those all seeing, unblinking eyes we poses to teach irresponsible drivers that our streets are not race tracks, nor is driving recklessly to be seen as a joke when lives are at stake. You can now upload phone, CCTV or dash cam footage of speeding drivers, as well as other driving offences, to the National Dash Cam Safety Portal (NDSP) HERE. The footage will be sent directly to your local police force.
We have all heard about and seen the road safety ads on TV, from Tufty and the green cross code man, to the king of the road hedgehogs. Well todays road safety hero is, of course, Super Cat. He's here to help children learn how to cross the roads safely, and he has unlimited downloads to colour in and help them learn here.
