Car accidents involving animals

Animals used as transport

If you are in an accident with an animal that is being used as transport, for example a horse and carriage, you can work out who is responsible in the same way as if you had an accident with a car. People using animals for transport must follow the same Road Rules that cars and other vehicles do.

If the owner or rider of an animal doesn't give you their contact details at the time of the accident, you can report the accident to the police. It may be difficult to find their details later. 

Other animals

If an animal causes an accident involving a car or other vehicle, the owner of the animal will usually be responsible if the owner did something that was negligent (that is, failed to take reasonable care).

For example, the owner may not have taken steps to stop their dog from wandering on the road such as putting up a fence, or an owner may not have closed a gate that allowed an animal onto the road. 

You need to consider the type of animal and the location of the accident to work out whether the animal's owner failed to take reasonable care. 

For example, it may be negligent for the owner of a herd of cattle to keep them on unfenced land near a busy highway, but it may not be negligent to keep the same herd on unfenced land near a rarely used road.  

If you hit and injure an animal (apart from a bird), you are required by law to do whatever you reasonably can to ease its pain. If it's not a wild animal then the injury must be reported to the police or the animal's owner.