Two-wheeler riders dogged by strays but hit by underreporting of crashes

Panaji: Most minor accidents precipitated by stray dogs go unreported as people do not want to pursue the case. The dogs often cause accidents when they fight each other, chase vehicles, or suddenly cross roads. Sometimes, the consequent crashes kill dogs and inflict major injuries such as fracture and brain haemorrhage on humans.
Specific data about such accidents is not compiled by the state government authorities, including the traffic cell of Goa police. However, a senior officer said that such instances do occur but remain unreported. A senior police officer estimated that about 100 accidents per year occur due to stray dogs.
“A stray dog chasing another jumped from a wall on me when I was going home on my scooter. This resulted in three fractures and wounds needing an extended stay at GMC,” said Savio Figueiredo, a resident of Aldona. “The time has come to tackle the root causes of the problem such as garbage and irresponsible owners. But a humane way has to be found in collaboration with all sections of society.”
The case of a 39-year-old Bicholim resident, Jitendra Gauthankar, underscores the risk two-wheeler riders face. He said he was riding his two-wheeler away from a bakery when a dog suddenly chased him and bit his leg. “I lost control of my two-wheeler but fortunately nothing happened to me physically, except the dog bite,” Gauthankar said.
Sarita Kunkoliankar, 57, a resident of Mapusa, highlighted the menace. “When I travel in Mapusa at night, dogs chase my two-wheeler,” she said.
Cars are not immune to the dog hazard. A senior citizen from Mulgao, Uday Naik, said that when he was on his way to Mapusa, a stray dog hit his vehicle, damaging its front. “I had to shell out a significant sum of money to repair the vehicle,” he said.
The traffic cell of Goa police continues its awareness drive across the state to help people avert accidents in situations involving stray dogs.
The deputy superintendent of police, traffic, Siddhant Shirodkar, said that riders and drivers should be careful while driving through narrow village roads. He also said that riders and drivers should not dodge the dogs to avoid an accident because the manoeuvre itself can result in a crash.
Shirodkar said riders and drivers should brake immediately when they see stray dogs. He said if a vehicle hits a stray dog, the vehicle can be damaged, and life — both human and canine — can be endangered. He advised people to use bright headlights to spot dangers in time.
Conceding that the mass sterilisation of dogs has been a failure in Goa and street dogs’ population is rising, the state government has released guidelines for caring for strays. It has also framed rules for feeding “community dogs” only at designated places.
The guidelines and rules were notified to avoid human-dog conflicts as the percentage of street dogs in relation to the human population in Goa has risen from 3% in 2014 to 9% today (nearly four times the global average, despite a 60% increase in human population).