Sharing the road with animals

Sharing the road with animals

Vehicle drivers must stop at the side of the road and turn off their motor if a horse rider signals that their horse is jumpy or agitated. The horse rider can signal to the driver by raising a hand and pointing to the horse. The driver must not move the vehicle until the noise of the motor, or the movement of the vehicle, won’t aggravate the horse.

How to avoid a collision with an animal

If you need to take evasive action to avoid an animal on the road, assess the situation and take appropriate action that avoids or prevents risk to yourself and other road users. You must not unreasonably obstruct the path of other road users or cause a traffic hazard.

You may safely stop or drive on the road shoulder to avoid hitting an animal, and if you have a clear view of approaching traffic you may safely:

.drive to the left of the center of the road to avoid hitting an animal (if there is no center line)

or

.drive to the left of a dividing line, a dividing strip, over a single continuous line, over two parallel continuous lines or over a painted island to avoid hitting an animal.

Any evasive action you take must be considered necessary and reasonable.