Drivers in Massachusetts Must Report Hitting These Four Animals

Massachusetts residents are known to have some pretty wild reputations, whether it be our rabid sports fans or that sweet accent (which really only a very small percentage of us actually have) nothing quite defines us like our drivers.  

While New York might have the reputation of being the worst driver in the U.S., I’d like to argue a strong case for the fact that Massholes (hey, it’s in the Oxford Dictionary)  take the cake.  

Listen, everyone has a bad day. Maybe they’re running late? And people (myself included) are equally distracted. I get it, but it seems like Massachusetts residents are wild drivers more often than not. 

The problem with aggressive drivers in Massachusetts is that the majority of the state, especially outside the greater Boston area, is pretty rural. Rural areas, or even heavily settled suburban neighborhoods, are packed with domestic pets and wildlife. Aggressive drivers and animals are a dangerous combination.

To be fair, even safe, conscientious drivers can hit an animal accidentally. So it bodes the question, what should you do if you hit an animal while driving in Massachusetts? The answer to that depends on the animal.

Drivers Must Report Hitting These Four Animals in Massachusetts

According to state laws and officials, there are a few circumstances when, if you hit certain animals while driving in Massachusetts, the incident needs to be reported to the correct authorities.

According to Mass General Law c.272, if you strike and injure or kill a dog or cat, you must immediately report the accident to the owner or custodian of the animal, or to a police officer in the town where it occurred.

"The operator of a motor vehicle that strikes and injures or kills a dog or cat shall forthwith report such an accident to the owner or custodian of said dog or cat or to a police officer in the town wherein such accident has occurred. A violation of this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than $100 for a first offense or not more 10 days in a house of corrections and a fine of $500 and the cost of medical expenses, not to exceed $2,500, imprisonment in a house of correction for not more than 6 months or both such fine and cost and imprisonment for a second and subsequent offense. Nothing in this section shall preclude a civil cause of action including, but not limited to medical expenses, by the aggrieved party." 

The second circumstance pertains to deer and moose. The Division of Fisheries and Wildlife in Massachusetts request that all deer and/or moose vehicle collisions should be reported to the Environmental Police at 1-800-632-8075.

It's worth nothing that in the event of a deer vehicle collision, if the driver or passengers of the vehicle involved are Massachusetts residents, they may salvage the deer by bringing it to a MassWildlife Office to be officially tagged.