To help or not to help: Animals in hit-and-run accidents

More readers have written in with their views on animals involved in hit-and-run accidents. Here are some of them

New Paper 19 Jun 08;

I REFER to Mr Adrian Choo Wai Ying's letter, 'Animals in road accidents: Where do we draw the line?' (The New Paper, 16 Jun).

Let me give my views from the perspective of pet owners.

To some people, the accident victim may be just a stupid animal. But to others, pets are part of the family.

So it is not difficult to understand why the same law applies if you are involved in an accident where an animal is injured, and you do not stop your vehicle to help the victim.

However, I believe the police will look at the situation on a case-by-case basis when such accidents take place.

By having the law, I believe the authorities are telling drivers to be careful on the roads, whether or not a person or an animal's life is at stake. Imagine the poor injured animal abandoned on the road and the next car running over it again.

Shanon Tam

DOES HE HAVE PETS?

I WOULD like to ask Mr Adrian Choo Wai Ying if he has pets.

Many people treat their pets as an important part of their lives.

To you, it may seen frivolous but to someone else, their dog or cat may be like a son or a brother.

As a driver myself, I do not see how difficult it is to stop at a busy road by just going to the left side and turning on the hazard lights.

It is people with such a bo chap (can't be bothered) attitude like Mr Choo that hit-and-run accidents, whether involving humans or animals, take place.

Govindan Danial Sofian

TAKE INJURED ANIMAL TO VET

WHILE I understand that a line has to be drawn on what type of animal you should stop to help, I feel it is selfish and irresponsible of Mr Adrian Choo Wai Ying to say that people shouldn't be helping animals at all, especially if they are the ones who knock the animals down.

The least drivers should do is take the injured animal to a veterinary clinic or hospital if they don't know how to get in touch with the SPCA, though it is best to wait for an ambulance in case the animal has broken bones and internal injuries.

Pet Movers has an ambulance service (6581 3688) on weekdays from 9am to 7pm, and weekends from 9am to 8pm. The Mount Pleasant Animal also has a 24-hour emergency number (6250 8333).

I also urge the authorities to set up an emergency number for animal ambulances and medical assistance like the 995 for humans.

In the US, most fire engines are equipped with oxygen masks for cats and dogs because they too are susceptible to injuries caused by fires and deserve to be helped.

As a taxpayer, I'm more than happy to have my money spent on saving lives, regardless of the victims' race, religion or species.

I applaud the authorities for having laws in place to punish such drivers and I hope steps are taken to ensure the laws are upheld.

Nuraishah Athly

IT'S ABOUT RESPONSIBILITY

I FIND Mr Adrian Choo Wai Ying's ramblings as ridiculous as the examples he gave, like 'the hermit crab who crawled under (your) car tyre' and 'the stray pigeon who flies into (your) path'.

It does not matter if the law sounds as ridiculous as what you make it out to be, but it's more about the morals and sense of responsibility.

I have read news reports about irresponsible drivers who have left victims behind with the assumption that help will arrive in time.

Muhammad Faliqh Abdul Rahman

DON'T LET ANIMAL SUFFER

ANIMALS involved in traffic accidents can suffer from a variety of injuries, including internal injuries.

Sometimes, there may be very little we can do for the animal.

However, what is disheartening is that we walk away from a suffering animal.

Be kind, and if it's not possible to stop and assess the situation, call the SPCA or a veterinary clinic.

Maymunah Mohd

24-HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE

I REFER to Mr Adrian Choo Wai Ying's letter.

In response to his suggestion that SPCA start an animal ambulance service for all creatures great and small, we do have a 24-hour (round the clock, seven days a week) emergency service for sick and injured animals.

Mr Choo also expressed his concern asking if human lives should be exchanged for one dying animal's life in relation to stopping and rendering assistance to an injured animal on the road.

The SPCA does not expect any person to risk their lives in such cases, but we would hope that any person who has run over an animal would stop and do what is possible or reasonable to help the victim, like call the SPCA (6287 5355) and remain with the animal until our staff arrive.

Deirdre Moss, Executive Officer, SPCA

If your hit-and-run victim is human: YOU GET FINED OR JAILED
If your hit-and-run victim is an animal: YOU COULD FACE SAME PENALTY
The New Paper 14 Jun 08;

IF you hit someone on the road and flee from the scene of the accident, you will get into trouble with the law.

But what if you knock down an animal?

Well, don't think you can just drive off.

Be it a person or an animal, the same law applies.

Under the Road Traffic Act, if you are involved in an accident where a person or an animal is injured, you have to stop your vehicle and help the victims.

If not, you can face a fine up to $3,000 or be jailed up to a year.

For a subsequent conviction, you can be fined up to $5,000 or jailed up to two years.

Lawyer Luke Lee told The New Paper: 'Animals are protected under the same law as humans.'

And those who injure an animal in a hit-and-run case face the same penalties if the law is violated, he added.

Ms Deirdre Moss, executive officer of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), said: 'Most people, unfortunately, do not think that such cases are important just because (the victim) is an animal.'

Student Andrew Teo's dog was one such victim.

On 4 Jun, the 23-year-old took his 2-year-old miniature schnauzer, Vodka, for their usual evening walk.

At 9.45pm, they were about to cross Choa Chu Kang Crescent when a white van sped towards them.

Mr Teo said he was standing on the pavement while Vodka, who was on a leash, was already on the road.

On seeing the van, Mr Teo tried to pull the dog back, but Vodka slipped out of his collar and dashed across the road.

It was hit by the van and blood oozed from its right ear and nostrils.

Mr Teo saw the van had stopped a few metres away and two men came out. Mr Teo said that when they saw him, they quickly got back into the van and allegedly drove off.

But he managed to take down its licence plate number.

Three passers-by, two of whom are Mr Teo's neighbours, helped him move Vodka onto the pavement.

He said: 'By that time, I knew Vodka was dead. His body was intact, but you could feel that his skull had been crushed.'

Mr Teo took the dog to its vet to get a death certificate and then went to a police station to make a report.

A police spokesman confirmed Mr Teo's report and said they are investigating the accident, which happened between Block 662 and Block 691A at Choa Chu Kang Crescent.

The road has no pedestrian crossings or traffic lights, but Mr Teo and other residents said that it has low traffic even during the day.

The vet's medical report declared Vodka dead on arrival. It suffered severe trauma to the head and chest.

Mr Teo is upset that the van occupants did not stop to help and feels they must take responsibility and be punished accordingly.

AWARENESS NEEDED

Motorist William Neo, 28, was unaware that the penalty for hit-and-run cases is the same for both humans and animals.

The project coordinator feels that motorists need to be better educated on road rules.

He said: 'Most people would probably think hitting an animal is much less serious than hitting a person.

'Informing motorists of the consequences would make them think twice about driving off after hitting an animal.'

The SPCA said that when pets are injured in road accidents, the owners should alert the SPCA and try to move the animals to the side of the road.

But those with little experience in handling animals should not try to pick them up. They should wait for SPCA staff members to arrive, while alerting motorists to slow down and drive cautiously - the traffic police will generally assist in this area.

Teo Hui Min, newsroom intern