The New traffic Laws are now effective! Beware!

The Comandments of the Road Code

I have saved this change in the law till last because I think it is the most contentious. It is the law that states that in a collision between a motorist and a wild animal, unless there has been authorised activity to corral or hunt animals in a specific area in the very recent past, the fault shall be deemed that of the motorist.

I have always believed that a collision with a wild animal is the only real accident that occurs. If the animal is the responsibility of some person, a collision means that the animal has escaped the control of its master. A wild animal has no controller, and has even escaped the animal control fence that runs along the side of most highways.

The State can place warning signs in areas where animal activity has ben noted so that motorists can be aware, but if it happens it will be sudden and most likely unavoidable. Personally, I have been very lucky in that all my encounters with animals have resulted in narrow avoidence. Keep in mind that conventional wisdom advises that we not swerve to avoid colliding with an animal as that places in danger those people in other cars, as well as your own passengers and yourself.

This is a law that potentially makes a culprit of a motorist when said motorist can have no real control to avoid running into an animal that takes it into its head to bolt out into the roadway. In my opinion this is completely unfair to the motorist.

There is no point in my saying that we should take care.

Copyright (c) 2014  Eugene Carmichael