Vaz wants harsher penalties for owners of stray animals

WESTERN BUREAU:

DARYL VAZ says he will be pushing amendments to the Road Traffic Act for harsher punishment against owners of animals that stray on to public roadways.

Vaz, the minister of science, energy, telecommunications and transport, vowed to advocate for the changes at their next meeting with the National Road Safety Council (NRSC), given the number of accidents and deaths that have resulted from animals roaming on to the nation’s roadways.

Six persons died as a result of accidents caused by stray animals since the start of the year and last week. There were three such accidents in western Jamaica.

Yesterday, Vaz said cattle farmers must be held accountable for the deaths and injuries that have resulted from motor vehicle collisions with animals.

“It is something that the National Road Safety Council, which I will meet with next week ... we will have a discussion on it [stray animals], and you will hear more,” said Vaz, while speaking at the opening of Regency Petroleum Service Station in Westmoreland.

The transport portfolio minister believes that persons rearing animals will not make immediate changes to keep their animals off the streets until there is serious legislative action in the form of substantial fines.

“Right now, we are still doing some tweaking to the Road Traffic Act, and I think that this is something that we will have to look at including,” Vaz said. “It is unacceptable for persons going about their lawful business to have to deal with accidents and loss of life because of irresponsible animal owners.”

Animals easily identified

The minister admitted that some of these animals are easily identified and the Government, under current laws, could impound them.

“Some of those animals are straying animals, so that also has a government component because, obviously, it’s our duty and responsibility if that is so to take them off the street and impound them until such time or until they are claimed,” he noted.

Among the six accidents that resulted from animals straying on to public thoroughfares this year, five involved cattle and one involved a dog.

Tajay Ebanks, a 22-year-old police constable, was among those killed after the car he was driving crashed into a cow along the Mango Hall main road in Westmoreland last week. Resulting from that accident, two other occupants of the car were hospitalised in serious condition.

Eleven-year-old Jevaughnie Smith of St Mary lost his life on March 1 also because of cattle straying on to the roadway. He was a pillion on a motorcycle on which the driver lost control after colliding with a cow that ran from its pasture on to the roadway.