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Drivers face severe penalties if they fail to report a road accident involving one of eight animals - and cats are not on the list. As spring gets under way and the number of animals on the road increases, new research from dash cam company Nextbase has found that nearly half of UK drivers don't know which animals they are legally required to report to the police if hit on the road. Under the Road Traffic Act, drivers are legally required to report collisions with some animals and failure to do so can result in a £5,000 fine, penalty points, and even prison time.

However, when asked to identify which animals must legally be reported if hit, the results exposed widespread confusion. 37% had no idea you need to tell the police if you hit a horse. 42% had no idea you need to report an injured dog. 56% would not report hitting a sheep and 75% wouldn't report a pig.

13% of drivers say they didn’t realise they were required to report hitting any animal at all. When asked what they would do if an animal suddenly ran into the road at 40mph, a quarter said they would swerve to avoid the animal, a reaction that dramatically increases the risk of a serious accident.

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The danger doesn’t only come from animals outside the car. As spring brings warmer weather, it also brings wasps out in full force. When asked what they would do if a wasp flew into their vehicle on a motorway, just 35% said they would slow down and pull over safely, the correct response, leaving almost two-thirds of drivers in a vulnerable position.

Nearly one in three said they would simply ignore it and keep driving, while a further 18% said they would try to remove it from the car without stopping.

Bryn Brooker, Head of Road Safety at Nextbase, said: "Spring and summer bring a genuine surge in animal encounters on UK roads, from deer and foxes seeking water in the heat, to young birds learning to fly, to insect swarms that can appear from nowhere. This research tells us that most drivers care deeply about animals, but simply don't know what the law requires them to do.

"The most dangerous instinct is to swerve. Whether it's a horse running into the road, or a wasp in the car, sudden steering corrections at speed are far more likely to cause a serious accident than the animal itself. The correct response in almost every situation is the same: stay calm, brake firmly in a straight line, and pull over when it's safe to do so.”

There are eight animals you are required to report to police if you hit them on the road - dogs, horses, cattle, pigs, goats, sheep, donkeys, mules

Nextbase’s advice for safe animal encounters on the road