𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Andy Burnham must change one driving law the minute he walks into Downing Street. Almost 190,000 people will never forgive him if he doesn’t. Everyone who has ever had a pet knows one thing, they are a proper member of the family. So why are some animals treated differently in the eyes of motoring legislation? Cats aren’t protected and that’s a rule that needs to be amended now.

Under the UK Road Traffic Act 1988, it is a legal requirement to pull over if your vehicle hits a dog and report the incident. The same can’t be said for cats. It means it is totally legal in the UK to mow down a cat and drive off, leaving the pets scared, alone and in pain as their lives slip to a conclusion. The thought alone is enough to make you shudder.

Previous data shows that as many as 230,000 cats are hit by cars every year, that’s an average of 630 every day. Accidents happen and cars are going to hit cats no matter how sad it is. But it’s how people deal with it next that’s truly shocking.

How many drivers stop? Less than you think. Research from Cats Protection found that less than 25% of drivers brought their car to a stop after hitting a cat. It’s terrible. A new Parliamentary petition from Cats Matter has called for new legislation to require drivers to stop, check and report road collisions involving cats.

British people seem to agree, with an eye-watering 189,000 signing on the dotted line to back the move. However, the plan was firmly rejected by officials, stressing that the Government has “no current plans” to introduce new rules.

The Department for Transport explained: “Because cats are much smaller than other specified animals, and often most active at dawn or dusk, in many cases drivers may not be aware they’ve hit them – particularly with larger vehicles. Because of that, it would be difficult to prosecute drivers if the law was changed.”

That doesn’t feel good enough. It’s inevitable that some cats will still die frightened and alone even if a new rule was introduced. It won’t be 100% effective.

But changing the legislation will ensure that stopping after a collision becomes the new normal for the next generation.

It’s also possible that the rule alone could prompt motorists to drive more slowly in built-up housing estates so they can react quicker if a cat does jump out.