I am Lucy and I would like it to be made a legal requirement that if you hit an animal you have to get out of your car, move to the side of the road (if possible) and report it. 

If it’s not suitable to stop, you must report it.

I am petitioning this because tragically my 3 year old cat, Oscar was hit by a car and died in November 2021. Oscar was my best friend and the news broke me and nobody else should have to go through losing a pet due to road traffic. We were lucky enough that the lady who hit him stopped and moved him to a grass verge until someone could come. Oscar was loved by me and all of my family so I'm making this petition to prevent this from happening.

On average in the UK 230,000 cats per year are hit by a car resulting in death which equals to 630 per day. Tens of thousands of cats go missing per year and this is usually because they’ve been hit by a car and have moved to pass away. Cats are so prone to getting run over because they roam away from home so often.

Under the Road Traffic Act 1988, you must report to police any collision with certain types of animal. This includes dogs, horses, cattle, pigs, goats, sheep, donkeys and mules. However, you don't legally have to report accidents involving other animals such as cats, badgers and foxes.

We can't stop cats from getting hit by cars but we can reduce the death rate by stopping (if possible to do so safely) and reporting it straight away, either to your local police or the nearest vets. By doing this, if the cat hasn't died instantly, we can help them by getting them the treatment they require and ensuring owners know what has happened to their beloved pets.

So, we can help prevent this by making reporting it legal. To do so, this petition needs 10,000 signatures before the government will look at it so please send this around your friends and family and make happen to reduce cases like Oscar's happening.