Legislate to require drivers to report collisions with cats
189,192 people signed this petition to the UK Parliament after it opened on 17 December 2025; it closed on 17 June 2026. The Government responded on 3 February 2026. A debate is scheduled for 26 October 2026.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Legislate to require drivers to report collisions with cats
It is legal in the UK to hit a cat when driving and not need to stop or report collisions, leaving them scared, alone, and in pain. Cats are important, loved, valued family members for many and we believe the law should reflect this.
We want the Government to legislate to require drivers to stop, check and report any road collisions with cats if they’re injured on the road, and holds drivers accountable if they fail to stop and report a collision involving a cat on the basis they left a cat to unnecessarily suffer. We believe asking drivers to be made responsible for seeking help for an injured cat is a perfectly reasonable & simple ask.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 3 February 2026; the petitions site lists the Department for Transport as responsible. Its summary:
The Government has no current plans to require drivers to report collisions with cats. However, the Road Safety Strategy will improve road safety for all road users, including cats and other animals.
The opening 338 words of the 525-word response:
Improving road safety is one of the Department’s highest priorities.
On 7 January 2026, we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all. The Strategy sets an ambitious target to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on British roads by 65% by 2035. This target will focus the efforts of road safety partners across Britain, with measures to improve road design, protect vulnerable road users, and review motoring offences. All of this will be supported and monitored by a new Road Safety Board chaired by the Minister for Local Transport.
Road safety is a shared responsibility, and this strategy reflects that. It considers action needed by government, local authorities, industry, emergency services and communities to tackle the causes of collisions and save lives. By investing in infrastructure, education, and enforcement, we are taking decisive steps to make our roads safer for everyone, which will in turn reduce the risk to all animals.
This is a compassionate country and although there is no obligation to report all animal deaths on roads, drivers should, if possible, make enquiries to ascertain the owner of domestic animals, such as cats, and advise them of the situation.
Under section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, a driver is required to stop and report an accident involving specified animals including horses, cattle, ass, mules, sheep, pigs, goats or dogs, but not cats or wild animals. This requirement arises from their status as working animals rather than as domestic pets. To introduce such a measure within the provision of section 170, would require primary legislation. (Note that certain legislation still uses the word ‘accident’, although the preferred terms are collision or crash.)
Because cats are much smaller than other specified animals, and often most active at dawn or dusk, in many cases drivers may not be aware they’ve hit them – particularly with larger vehicles. Because of that, it would be difficult to prosecute drivers if the law was changed.
Read the full response on the petitions site.
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies. Measured against each constituency's electorate at the 2024 general election, the most came from Aberafan Maesteg, with 7.1 signatures per 1,000 electors (513 in all).
188,254 of the signatures were from the UK and 938 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures | Electorate, July 2024 | Per 1,000 electors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aberafan Maesteg | 513 | 72,580 | 7.1 |
| Colchester | 517 | 78,662 | 6.6 |
| Bridgend | 454 | 73,168 | 6.2 |
| Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney | 428 | 70,153 | 6.1 |
| Brighton Pavilion | 455 | 74,786 | 6.1 |
| Crewe and Nantwich | 474 | 78,423 | 6.0 |
| Hove and Portslade | 442 | 74,063 | 6.0 |
| Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare | 448 | 74,460 | 6.0 |
| Gedling | 451 | 77,006 | 5.9 |
| Stevenage | 418 | 70,976 | 5.9 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| South East | 28,040 |
| North West | 20,625 |
| East of England | 18,896 |
| London | 18,414 |
| South West | 17,200 |
| West Midlands | 16,610 |
| Scotland | 16,427 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 14,583 |
| East Midlands | 14,582 |
| Wales | 11,664 |
| North East | 7,280 |
| Northern Ireland | 2,839 |
Debate in Parliament
The Petitions Committee has scheduled a debate for 26 October 2026.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/750612.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
7f6b9ccc9eb3bb14… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.