Cases of road collisions between vehicles and wild animals

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

Animals enter roadways for various reasons: most often, they are moving to feeding grounds and back to resting areas; some are attracted by salt mixtures spread by road services; many wild birds collect small stones on 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 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 cut off 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 glaring headlights. In such a situation, you should stop, turn off your headlights (but leave the parking lights on), and activate your hazard lights, thereby giving 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 "Wild Animals" warning sign will significantly reduce the risk of accidents related to the sudden appearance of animals on roadways.

In conclusion, we would like to remind the residents of our district of the hotline number for the Verkhnedvinsk Inter-district Inspectorate for Wildlife Protection, which can be used to obtain additional information or report cases of poaching: 6-17-23