STOURBRIDGE, UK. October 8th, 2026 – Feline campaign group CatsMatter will once again mark World Animal Road Accident Awareness Day on 10 October, having founded what has since become an international day of education, prevention and remembrance.
The day is used by animal welfare organisations worldwide to highlight seasonal road risks to animals, encourage safer driving, and remember the countless millions of pets and wild animals struck by vehicles every year.
Many UK households have experienced the trauma of a cat being hit by a vehicle. A 2022 Early Day Motion in Parliament cited Petplan data estimating that approximately 230,000 cats are struck by cars in the UK each year. Many are not killed outright but suffer injuries that may leave them dependent on timely veterinary intervention to survive.
On 26 October, Parliament will debate e-petition 750612 after a CatsMatter campaign secured 189,192 signatures, making it the largest cat welfare petition in parliamentary history. The debate will consider whether legislation should be amended to require collisions involving cats to be reported, alongside Horses, Cattle, Asses and mules, Sheep, Pigs, Goats and Dogs.
A recent House of Commons Library Briefing continues to reference the Government’s longstanding position that the animals listed under Section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 were originally included because they were regarded as working animals rather than domestic pets.
However, research identified by CatsMatter suggests this distinction may no longer be as clear as commonly assumed.
A 2018 University of Bristol study found that 65% of sampled farms kept farm cats, with a median of two cats per farm. Even assuming a considerably lower prevalence of 30% across England, recent DEFRA farm statistics would indicate a population of approximately 59,940 working farm cats in England, kept primarily for rodent control.
By comparison, using DEFRA sheep farm data and reasonable assumptions regarding farm working dogs, CatsMatter estimates there may be approximately 65,109 working sheepdogs across England. While additional categories such as police, military and assistance dogs exist, these are relatively small in number compared with farm working dogs.
CatsMatter believes this evidence raises legitimate questions about whether working cat populations have been sufficiently considered when assessing the historic rationale for including dogs but excluding cats from Section 170, given that the numbers of working cats and dogs are comparable.
CatsMatter has also challenged a second historic argument previously advanced by the Department for Transport: that drivers may often be unaware they have struck a cat. A 2023 Hungarian study examining animal-vehicle collisions reported uncertainty in only 2.3% of pet collision cases, suggesting that in the overwhelming majority of cases drivers were aware that a collision had occurred.
The evidence was submitted to the Department for Transport by CatsMatter on 1 September 2026. In correspondence dated 14 September, the Department advised that the points raised were being considered in detail ahead of the parliamentary debate.
CatsMatter welcomes efforts to improve the identification of cats involved in road traffic collisions and supports work aimed at improving reunification rates between pets and their owners. The Government has commissioned research into the operational challenges that prevent some cats from being reunited with their owners following road traffic collisions.
However, CatsMatter believes a key question remains unanswered.
While research has been commissioned into post-collision identification and local authority practice, CatsMatter has no visibility of any equivalent Government assessment examining whether making collisions with cats reportable could improve outcomes for cats or their owners.
The forthcoming debate should therefore consider whether the evidence now available supports legislative change. Specifically, Parliament should consider whether making collisions with cats reportable would increase the number of injured cats receiving treatment, increase the number of cats reunited with their owners, or both.
Gibson argues that no single organisation currently maps this complex ecosystem or provides consistent public-facing guidance, leading to confusion, delays and, in many cases, poorer outcomes for both animals and their owners. He believes that improving coordination, information and signposting could significantly reduce avoidable suffering whilst complementing, rather than replacing, existing organisations and emergency services. The aim is not to create a new emergency service, but instead to create a gateway service that makes it easier for members of the public to access the right help, from the right organisation, at the right time.
To support engagement with relevant stakeholders, Gibson has incorporated Animal Emergency Service Ltd (AES), a mission-locked public-benefit organisation. The AES aim is to improve coordination, information and signposting across the animal emergency ecosystem whilst remaining independent, governance-led and focused exclusively on public benefit.
AES is due to launch publicly with a crowdfunding campaign on 30 October, once the outcome of the parliamentary debate is known. There is no anticipated need for Government funding.
