No matter how carefully you drive, summer or winter, an animal can dart out in front of your car with zero warning. What a lot of drivers don’t realize is that Quebec’s Highway Safety Code spells out exactly what you’re supposed to do afterward, and skipping those steps can get expensive.
Under Quebec law, anyone involved in a collision with an animal weighing more than 25 kilograms has to safely stop their vehicle and check whether anyone’s been hurt, according to CAA-Québec. If it’s a pet, like a cat or a dog, and the owner isn’t around, you’re expected to try to track them down.
Not sure how much the animal weighed? Police recommend calling them directly rather than guessing and hoping it doesn’t matter, according to Éducaloi.
Failing to report a collision involving an animal over 25 kg can cost you a fine of $200 to $300, plus nine demerit points on your driving record. And since demerit points pile up, that also means a pricier bill when it comes time to renew your licence the following year.
There’s also a separate list of species that need to be reported no matter what they weigh. If any of these animals are hurt or killed on the road, you’re required to notify a wildlife protection officer.
Here’s the full list of animals requiring mandatory reporting:
Mammals:
- Muskox
- Wolverine
- Caribou
- White-tailed deer
- Cougar
- Coyote
- Wolf
- Canada lynx
- Bobcat
- Virginia opossum
- Moose
- Polar bear
- Black bear
- Grey fox
Birds:
- Wild turkey
- Diurnal and nocturnal birds of prey
CAA-Québec also recommends contacting your insurance company as soon as possible after hitting an animal, especially if your vehicle took any damage.
If the animal is dead or injured in the middle of the road and blocking traffic, call 911. If it’s off to the side instead, it’s better to contact animal control, who can come remove it.
This story was inspired by the article “Collision avec un animal : Cette obligation peut te coûter jusqu’à 300 $ au Québec” which was originally published on Narcity.
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