Roads: Accidents

(asked on 6th June 2022) - View Source

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to make it mandatory for drivers to report a collision with a cat.


Answered by
Trudy Harrison Portrait
Trudy Harrison
This question was answered on 9th June 2022

The Government has made no assessment of the potential merits of introducing a legal requirement for drivers to stop and report collisions with cats. A focus for this Government is to make roads safer for all users, which will in turn reduce the risk to all animals.

Under section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, a driver is required to stop and report an accident involving specified animals including horses, cattle, asses, mules, sheep, pigs, goats or dogs, but not cats or wild animals. This requirement arises from their status as working animals rather than as domestic pets. To introduce such a measure within the provision of section 170, would require primary legislation.

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