July 6, 2023
«Дикие» аварии: как избежать столкновения с дикими животными на дороге
Friends, the other day a girl who was concerned about the problem of animals getting into accidents on the highway contacted our Foundation. We decided to pay attention to this. Roads often cut through the habitat of animals, and in order to get from one part to another, they are forced to run across the road in front of speeding cars.
According to insurance companies and the Ministry of Natural Resources, more than one and a half thousand accidents involving large animals, primarily moose, occur in Russia every year. They account for about 60% of all cases. Also, wild boars, deer and roe deer become victims of accidents. And these are just the accidents that we know about. And how many drivers, having knocked down a small animal or bird and without receiving any damage, just drive on? A fine is imposed for a downed animal: for an elk from 80,000 to 120,000 rubles, for a wild boar — 30,000 rubles, for a fox — only 200 rubles, and drivers try not to advertise what happened.
Similar statistics are also kept in Europe. According to a study published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, approximately 194 million birds and 29 million mammals die on European roads every year.
Academician S. N. Govorushko in his book "Geoecological design and expertise" says that with a traffic density of 2,000 cars per day, only 20% of animals cross the road safely. At an intensity of 6,000 cars per day, the road becomes insurmountable. For comparison, the traffic intensity on the MKAD is 25,000 cars per hour!
This is actually a serious problem, not only for the animals themselves (although for them, of course, first of all, since there is no chance of escaping unharmed after a collision with a speeding car), but also for drivers. The behavior of a frightened animal on the road is almost impossible to predict. Trying to avoid a collision, you can easily lose control. In addition, a collision with large animals in itself can be dangerous for the driver and passengers. First of all, we are talking about moose. The weight of an adult animal is 600-700 kg, and crashing into it at speed is almost as dangerous as driving into a concrete wall. It happens that, in an effort to avoid a collision, drivers begin to maneuver and cut off the moose, which falls on the windshield with the whole mass. 300-kilogram wild boars are no less dangerous.
What can be done to avoid a collision? First of all, follow the road signs and observe the speed limit. According to research data, the speed limit, when exceeding which movement on such a section becomes dangerous, is 60-70 km/h. Also, if you see an animal standing in the middle of the road and do not have time to slow down, try to go around it from behind, since with 90% probability the frightened animal will not waste time on a U-turn and will rush forward.
What can be done at the global level?
To lay roads in places where there is no active migration of animals. Ecologists' data will help in this. Environmental design is becoming an increasingly popular branch of science.
To install nets along the road and organize ecological transitions for animals – eco-parks.
Unfortunately, there are not more than a dozen of them in Russia yet, but work in this direction has begun, and let's hope that our common habitat will eventually become safer for animals. In the meantime, let's take care of each other and be careful on the road.
According to insurance companies and the Ministry of Natural Resources, more than one and a half thousand accidents involving large animals, primarily moose, occur in Russia every year. They account for about 60% of all cases. Also, wild boars, deer and roe deer become victims of accidents. And these are just the accidents that we know about. And how many drivers, having knocked down a small animal or bird and without receiving any damage, just drive on? A fine is imposed for a downed animal: for an elk from 80,000 to 120,000 rubles, for a wild boar — 30,000 rubles, for a fox — only 200 rubles, and drivers try not to advertise what happened.
Similar statistics are also kept in Europe. According to a study published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, approximately 194 million birds and 29 million mammals die on European roads every year.
Academician S. N. Govorushko in his book "Geoecological design and expertise" says that with a traffic density of 2,000 cars per day, only 20% of animals cross the road safely. At an intensity of 6,000 cars per day, the road becomes insurmountable. For comparison, the traffic intensity on the MKAD is 25,000 cars per hour!
This is actually a serious problem, not only for the animals themselves (although for them, of course, first of all, since there is no chance of escaping unharmed after a collision with a speeding car), but also for drivers. The behavior of a frightened animal on the road is almost impossible to predict. Trying to avoid a collision, you can easily lose control. In addition, a collision with large animals in itself can be dangerous for the driver and passengers. First of all, we are talking about moose. The weight of an adult animal is 600-700 kg, and crashing into it at speed is almost as dangerous as driving into a concrete wall. It happens that, in an effort to avoid a collision, drivers begin to maneuver and cut off the moose, which falls on the windshield with the whole mass. 300-kilogram wild boars are no less dangerous.
What can be done to avoid a collision? First of all, follow the road signs and observe the speed limit. According to research data, the speed limit, when exceeding which movement on such a section becomes dangerous, is 60-70 km/h. Also, if you see an animal standing in the middle of the road and do not have time to slow down, try to go around it from behind, since with 90% probability the frightened animal will not waste time on a U-turn and will rush forward.
What can be done at the global level?
To lay roads in places where there is no active migration of animals. Ecologists' data will help in this. Environmental design is becoming an increasingly popular branch of science.
To install nets along the road and organize ecological transitions for animals – eco-parks.
Unfortunately, there are not more than a dozen of them in Russia yet, but work in this direction has begun, and let's hope that our common habitat will eventually become safer for animals. In the meantime, let's take care of each other and be careful on the road.
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