Collision with an unleashed dog, am I liable for any costs?

truthseeker said:

Id a friend who during her driving test hit a cat who landed on the bonnet, she kept driving and pulled in when safe to do so, cat shook itself and ran off unharmed, instructor stopped test there and then and passed her saying that if she'd stopped for the cat she would have failed immediately.

So you dont stop for dogs OR cats - the rationale being that you could cause an accident by stopping suddenly or swerving to avoid a dog or cat and end up harming a human being - and the life of a human being is deemed as more important than a cat or dog.

Click to expand...

I've searched through the Rules of the Road and this is what I could find in relation to animals, not very clear, and certainly not specific to dogs or cats:

Page 87:
As a driver, you must always be aware of your speed and judge the appropriate
speed for your vehicle, taking into account:
driving conditions,
other users of the road,
current weather conditions,
all possible hazards, and
speed limits.
Driving conditions relate to the volume of traffic around you and the quality of
the road.
Other users of the road include motor-cyclists, cyclists, pedestrians, school
children, animals and all others you as a driver should anticipate will or may be
on the road.
Possible hazards include anything you can see that can, and will, give rise to an
emergency, such as oncoming traffic if you are turning onto a major road. They
also include anything you cannot yet see and anything you can reasonably
expect to happen, such as a pedestrian walking onto the road in front of you, a
child running onto the road between parked cars, and or animals on the
roadway. It includes your own physical and mental state while driving (for
example whether you are stressed or tired) and the condition of your vehicle.

Page 174:
Animal traffic
Always slow down and be prepared to stop when approaching or overtaking
animals. If a person in charge of animals gives a signal to slow down or stop,
you must obey it. Avoid using your horn if animals are in front of you, as it
might frighten them.

I can't figure out how someone could be failed in a test for taking (or not taking) an action that isn't clear in the Rules of the Road.

Interested to know as my son is doing the test soon.

TT - thank you for that research which fits with my own understanding of the pros and cons of driving and animals, both wild and domestic. If what some of the posters above write is correct then a motorist who bulldozes through a flock of sheep killing a couple on a Donegal lane is 'entitled' to do so, or hurtle through the Scottish or French countryside mowing down geese, collies (which have a way of coming out onto the road to have a good bark at every passing vehicle!!) and wildlife.

The person behind the wheel is responsible for hazard-perception and avoiding collisions. In addition there is the absolute rule of driving at a speed appropriate to the road and environmental conditions (not.... NOT! at the 'maximum for the area' especially if it is a built-up urban area with parked vehicles) there are also rules about driving and animals in most situations.

Drivers must be particularly alert to horse-riders and vehicles transporting horses or livestock especially when overtaking and pass wide and slow. Drivers must be particularly alert adjacent to farmland. Drivers must be particularly alert to wildlife - especially large animals such as deer - and I have always understood that you must report injuring or killing a deer or stag to the police.

This thread surfaces even more arguments to support the introduction of stringent and compulsory driving tests!!!!

You mean the fact that many posters who are presumably drivers don't seem to know the rules themselves?

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