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Written by: Huang Weilun
2021-02-15 11:14
The last update date: 2021-02-15 11:14
The government recently announced that it will amend the Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill 2021 to broaden the definition of "animal" under the amended legislation. Drivers must stop and call the police if they hit a cat or dog in the future. Violations can be sentenced to 1 year in prison.
The Executive Chairman of the Non-Profit Veterinary Services Association, Mak Chi-ho, stated on a radio program this morning (15th) that although the regulations have improved on the surface, the provisions lack the awareness of protecting animals; and other animals such as wild boars and monkeys have not been included in the regulations. , Making the regulations "three dissimilities."
He believes that the government has not considered properly and should conduct publicity and education before the amendment, and suggested that the definition of animals should be expanded. Once the animals are injured by accidental driving, they will violate the law to increase awareness of animal protection.
Mak Chi-ho said that although the regulations seem to have made progress, the provisions lack the awareness of protecting animals.
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This morning, the Hong Kong and Taiwan program "Millenniums" stated that the relevant regulations originally defined animals as horses, mules and other poultry and animals, which were only tools for making money. It is believed that the inclusion of cats and dogs in the regulations is an improvement on the surface, but it actually makes the regulations. It has become the "three dissimilarities" and still lacks the awareness of protecting animals.
This is because the regulations only require the drivers involved to report to the police to clear the scene to ensure smooth roads; and after knocking down wild boars, monkeys and other animals, the drivers still do not need to deal with them, and the animal safety cannot be guaranteed.
Mak Zhihao said that the relevant amendments were proposed 5 or 6 years ago, but the government did not conduct publicity and education, and the society lacked extensive discussions. Sudden amendments to the legislation may not be a good thing. He also believed that it should be added in places where there are more wild animals. Set up traffic signs to remind.
He confessed that he was worried that the amendments would have counterproductive effects. If drivers know that some roads are full of stray cats and dogs, in order to avoid trouble, they are more inclined to notify relevant departments to catch relevant animals.
Regarding driver organizations who are worried about the amendment or aggravating the traffic congestion, Mak Chi-ho agrees to make the traffic more congested, but believes that since the vehicle itself has a minor collision, it must stop, and it should stop when it hits an animal and call the police. Frame it."
He said that if cats and dogs are slightly injured, if they are only slightly injured, they will still have a chance to survive as long as they stop immediately.
However, he also added that not all circumstances are necessarily the responsibility of the driver. The police must define what is meant by careless driving.
Under the new amendment, drivers must stop when they knock down a cat or dog, so that dogs and cats injured in traffic accidents can be treated in time. Offenders can be fined up to 15,000 yuan and imprisoned for 12 months.
The ordinance will be gazetted on February 19 and will be submitted to the Legislative Council for deliberation on February 24. Mak suggested that the definition of animals should be expanded. As long as you accidentally drive and hit an animal, you may violate the law and raise awareness of animal protection. The road is used by animals."
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Animal rights, wildlife protection, animals, stray cats and dogs
