As December fast approaches, many South Africans are preparing to zig-zag across the country in search of their holiday destinations. For some, this might be a quick, 2-hour trip and for others it involves several hours on the road where they’ll get some truly beautiful scenery, particularly when they hit more remote terrains. 1 risk that we all face, regardless of how long we’re on the road for, is hitting an animal.
For anyone (not just the animal lovers out there) hitting an animal with your car is just an awful thing to go through. The thing is, it happens often. Both domestic and wild animals are regularly hit by cars. So, if this is something that you’re worried about then stick around. We’re going to unpack what you should do if you accidentally hit an animal with your car.
Here are the things you can do if you hit an animal while you’re on your travels.
Stop the car as soon as it’s safe
Hitting an animal is traumatic for both the animal and the people involved. If you hit an animal, take a deep breath and take stock of what’s happening around you so that you check where it’s safe for you to slow down and pull over. There might be other drivers on the road or you might be in a dark or unsafe area.
Before you climb out of the car, please make sure that you, your passengers, and any other motorists will be safe. You also want to be cautious of road rage incidents, because if you’ve hit someone’s pet or livestock, they might be extremely angry and upset.
Call the NSPCA (National Council of SPCAs)
This step applies if the animal which you’ve hit is alive. Don’t be scared and don’t give into the feeling of wanting to run away. Take a deep breath and remember that the animal is probably terrified and in pain.
Get your phone out and Google the number for the regional NSPCA. They might not be able to help you directly, but they can give you a list of emergency vets in the area who should be able to assist.
Call the nearest vet to come to the scene.
Don’t touch the animal
Whatever you do, don’t attempt to treat the animal yourself, unless you’re a qualified vet. The animal might be injured and scared, and could lash out and hurt you. If the animal is in the road, then use your warning triangles to direct traffic around the animal to avoid further collisions.
Wait for the vet to arrive and chat to him or her about what will happen, what the costs could be, and what you could be responsible for. The simple fact is that if you don’t have the funds to pay for an elaborate leg operation for someone else’s dog or goat, you need to talk to the vet before and let him or her decide on treatment with all that info.
These are the sorts of things that you need to chat about with the vet in order to avoid some pretty awkward moments post-treatment.
What to do if the animal is dead
In terms of the law, you aren’t required to report hitting an animal to the police, unless you want to claim for damage caused during the accident. If you do want to claim for damage to your car, then you need to report the incident to the nearest police station.
However, if you aren’t going to put in a claim then think about this… If the animal did belong to someone, you can be assured that they’d appreciate being able to find out what happened. So, take the time to do it regardless of the insurance factor. It’s the right thing to do.
You’ve come across an already dead animal on the road
Very large animals, like buck or cows, or even smaller animals, like dogs or goats, can cause collisions if their remains are lying in the road. Not just collisions, but also incidents that could prove fatal to other drivers and passengers.
We recommend that you stop when it’s safe to do so and see if you can find any identifying features. If you can’t spot anything that helps you find the owner or if the carcass is obstructing traffic then what you can do is call the local municipality to remove the remains.
Call your insurer
This step only really applies if you’ve hit an animal and damaged your car. Once you’ve stopped your car safely and made your calls to the relevant vet or municipality (depending on whether the animal is alive or dead) you can then report the incident to the police.
And then you can call your insurer to report the incident and let them guide you through the next part of your claim. You might need to interrupt your road-trip to get your car inspected, but whatever the next step is, your insurer will help you out.
If you don’t have car insurance, then why not get a commitment-free quote for super cheap cover before you head out on your holiday travels? Just click here to get a super cheap, commitment-free quote today.
We hope that these steps will help you handle a truly terrible incident. Of course, we also hope that you don’t need to use this advice… So, please always take precautions at animal crossings and slow to a stop when cows or wildlife are on national roads.
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How can we prevent crashes into Animals On The Road? https://t.co/pemfxyM3Ga #ArriveAlive #Animals @SANRAL_za @DoTransport @SANParks @TheEWT pic.twitter.com/Jp65ShWu5A
— Arrive Alive (@_ArriveAlive) October 27, 2019