11/26/10 Demand to the Company Liburnija for Imposing Sanctions Upon a Bus Driver

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Liburnija d.o.o.
Ante Starcevica 1
23000 Zadar

November 26, 2010

Dear Sir or Madam:

We are writing this letter in regard to the accident on November 22, 2010 when one of your bus drivers ran over three dogs in place Diklo near Zadar.

Following the media articles relating to the accident, we have received numerous reactions from revolted and horrified citizens who are expecting sanctions to be imposed upon the bus driver as well as his resignation. We consider such request justified and necessary because, according to witnesses' accounts, instead of reducing speed and halting upon noticing the dogs, the bus driver accelerated and hit vehemently three dogs no less, afflicting them great suffering and finally death. The sight of dogs' bloody corpses with their body organs scattered across road also testifies for the above-mentioned. Apart from violating regulations concerning torturing and killing animals, the driver also violated a number of traffic regulations hence endangering lives and safety of the bus passengers as well as other participants in traffic.

Therefore we have filed criminal and minor charges against the bus driver. A legal person guilty of violating provisions of the Animal Protection Act (Article 4, paragraph 1, and Article 6) is liable to a fine from 30,000 to 100,000 kuna while a responsible person of a legal person and a natural person are liable to a fine from 5,000 to 15,000 kuna. Fines are also prescribed for violating provisions of the Criminal Code as well as the Road Traffic Safety Act (3,000 to 7,000 kuna). If the driver is sanctioned, the prescribed fines will not remedy the afflicted damage nor will they bring those three dogs back to life. But they are of the utmost importance as a message which says that such behavior is ethically unacceptable and liable to legal punishment. Even though in the minds of some people animals' lives are less worthy than human lives, incidental or deliberate violence against animals provokes very negative reactions from conscious citizens who are aware that certain conducts are not acceptable any longer in civilized societies of the 21st century.

The conduct of your bus driver brings professionalism of your company into question while your attitude of protecting the driver, as brought before media, creates mistrust of citizens and undermines the company's reputation. Around the world it is a common rule in such situations to automatically dismiss a professional driver if found responsible for a traffic accident or endangering people with his irresponsible and unprofessional conduct. The driver's behavior should not be justified by any means. On the contrary, citizens are rightly wondering what would have happened if there were children running out to the road, emphasizing the fact that the company's driver is irresponsible and dangerous and his similar conduct could be expected in the future.

Because of all the circumstances described above, we appeal to you to proceed in accordance with actual civilized and ethic values, and instead of covering up and diminishing the responsibility of your employee, to undertake particular steps in order to prevent such shameful and tragic occurrences from happening again. Also, in order to protect passengers' safety as well as your own reputation, we expect a public statement from you expressing clear and condemning attitude towards your employee's behavior.

Feel free to contact us if you require any further information.

Yours sincerely,

Luka Oman
Animal Friends

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