What to do when you hit an animal on the road?

In the Philippines, stray cats and dogs are common sightings, whether in the city or in the provinces. Not all animals are fortunate enough to have a family or a home to stay in. While other furry and feline friends were not held captive by animal shelters, some of them appear on local roads which can be dangerous to motorists. 

Aside from hurting the animal, hitting them could also cause some damages to your vehicle. Given that in mind, here are the things you should do if ever you’ve hit a dog, cat, or any other animal on the road.

Not everyone can see a cat or dog on the road especially if you’re driving a higher vehicle like an SUV or pickup truck. So if ever you hear a banging sound, the first thing you’ll have to do is to remain calm and compose yourself. While doing that, pull over by safely guiding your car to the side of the road, make sure to turn on your hazards for the sake of other motorists.

After pulling over and by chance you did hit an animal, do not come near it especially if it’s still alive and struggling. Admittedly, seeing an animal suffer from pain is just heartbreaking, so in order to resolve the situation, just call a veterinarian or an animal shelter and they’ll take care of the injured animal. As much as you pity them, it’s still best to keep a safe distance from the animal and contact the right people instead, as there is a slight chance that it could bit you or hurt you in any other way.

Hitting larger animals is capable of causing physical damages to your car’s body. Smaller animals, on the other hand, could also damage your car depending on the severity of the collision, there’s even a possibility for them to get stuck on any of the underbody components of your car. 

Whether you have spotted physical damages or not, it’s best to take your car to a  trusted repair shop in order to have it checked. This is to ensure that your car is in good condition even after the accident. 

Taking photos of the scene is a must, especially if there are other factors that contributed to the accident. Aside from the scenario, capture the damages on your vehicle as well. The following photos should be essential in claiming your insurance for your car’s repair cost.

Before calling your insurance provider, make sure to consult your insurance policy first and check if the damage from the accident will be covered. If however, you’re not sure of this, you can still call them to ask if your coverage includes accidents like this. Remember, it will highly depend on your car insurance package on whether the following repairs will be covered. You will most likely need comprehensive coverage for your policy to cover collisions with animals. 

In order to avoid hitting any precious animals on the road, make sure to be extra vigilant and aware especially during nighttime. More importantly, it also pays to practice defensive driving in order to lower your chances of any probable accidents on the road.