Animals on the roads!

Collisions between vehicles and wild animals on roads are unfortunately a common occurrence. For animals, these encounters are usually fatal, and accidents involving large ungulates (moose, deer, wild boar, roe deer) can have serious consequences for both vehicles and their occupants.

Animals venture onto roads for various reasons: most often, they are moving to feeding grounds and back to resting areas; some are attracted by the salt mixture spread by road services; many wild birds collect small pebbles on the roads, which are necessary for their digestion; sometimes wild animals come onto the asphalt simply to warm up and dry off from dew (hares, foxes), as the asphalt temperature is usually higher than the air temperature; it is also not uncommon for wild animals to run onto roads when being pursued by predators or hunting dogs.

In most cases, collisions can be avoided. If a wild animal appears in the path of a vehicle or on the roadside, it is necessary to reduce speed as much as possible to a level that allows for an immediate stop.

Typically, a wild animal perceives a moving vehicle as a predator attempting to block its escape routes, and therefore, at the last moment, it darts across the road to "break out of the encirclement." However, animals are unable to accurately assess a vehicle's speed, which can result in a collision at full speed.

An animal caught in headlights at night is blinded. It perceives the darkness outside the beam of light as a wall and begins to panic, seeing nothing but the illuminated section of the road and the headlights. In such a situation, you should stop, turn off your headlights (but leave the parking lights on), and activate your hazard lights. This will give the animal time to adapt to the darkness and leave the road.

Adherence to traffic rules, including speed limits, and particular caution in areas with the