Animal/Vehicle Collisions Involving Horses and Livestock: Key Containment and Roadway Exposure Questions
J. Tim Potter, Ph.D., PAS
Animal/vehicle collisions involving horses and livestock often raise important questions about confinement, containment, exposure, and the practical conditions that existed before the incident occurred. In many cases, review of the event requires more than looking at the collision itself. The surrounding conditions and the path by which the animal reached the roadway may be just as important.
Confinement and containment is often a central issue. Questions may include whether fencing was appropriate for the species involved, whether gates and latches were secure, whether confinement and containment areas were suitable, and whether maintenance problems were present. In some cases, a single clear failure may be involved. In others, several smaller conditions may combine to increase the likelihood of escape or roadway exposure.
Roadway exposure is another important consideration. Visibility, terrain, traffic patterns, access points, pasture layout, and the relationship between normal animal movement and the roadway environment may all matter. A property may appear adequate at first glance, yet still present practical exposure concerns depending on how animals are housed, moved, fed, watered, or managed on a day-to-day basis.
These matters are highly fact specific. Horses and livestock differ in behavior, handling, fencing needs, and management requirements. What may be adequate for one species, breed, class of animal, or setting may be inappropriate in another. That is why the type of animal, the facility conditions, and the actual management practices all matter when evaluating how an animal reached the roadway.
Review of these incidents may include fencing and confinement conditions, gate placement, maintenance, animal behavior, prior escape history, pasture or lot layout, and other practical factors affecting containment and roadway exposure. In some situations, the condition of the facility is central. In others, the routine management of the animals may be just as important.
Careful review of animal/vehicle collision cases can help identify practical questions about confinement, containment and roadway exposure when compared to equine and livestock industry best practices. Clear attention to confinement, containment, maintenance, visibility, and day-to-day animal management can play an important role in reducing the likelihood of these incidents.