The accident near Évora on Christmas Day, which caused four deaths and four serious injuries, was the most serious car accident caused by animals in Portugal, but there have been many more less appalling acidents throughout the country in recent years.
The Public Relations Officer of the GNR in Évora, Rogério Copeto, has been compiling a list of accidents caused by animals in the past year in the Évora area.
In the year to October 2013, there were 1,700 road accidents, of which about 50 involved horses. "The dog is the animal that causes more accidents," but usually the car suffers damage and the driver is OK, while a collision with a horse "is more severe due to the size of the animal.”
In the Évora area, near Reguengos de Monsaraz, the GNR recorded a mid-December accident caused by a group of about 20 horses that were wandering around loose due to "owner negligence" which resulted in an accident involving a car.
Last week the GNR identified 20 horses with no accompanying documentation and lacking the obligatory microchip during an inspection in Reguengos de Monsaraz which resulted in fines for owners ranging between €250 and €3,740 for each animal.
The horses involved in the Christmas Day accident were identified as originating from outside the country and investigations continue to identify the owner or owners who have not come forward.
"Often it is not possible to identify the horse owner, especially when the animals have no identifying marks or chip," added the GNR in Viana do Castelo.
Already this year in the Algarve the GNR has recorded two horses involved in accidents, one of them being hit by a train that between Faro and Olhão, and the other hit by a truck in the same area.
Another case occurred last week and the GNR had to remove 10 horses from the EN 125 between Faro and Olhão.
Faro GNR commented that several families "use the field next to the road and railway line to allow the animals to graze, but despite being tethered the horses got free and could get onto the road or railway track and may well cause accidents.”
