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 the vehicles and their drivers and passengers.

Animals come onto roads for various reasons: most often, they are moving to and from feeding grounds; some are attracted by salt mixtures spread by road services; many wild birds gather small pebbles on the roads, which are necessary for 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 the 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 trying 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 the speed of a vehicle, 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 the headlights (but leave the parking lights on), and turn on the hazard lights, thereby giving the animal time to adapt to the darkness and leave the road.

Compliance with traffic rules, including the speed limit, and special caution in areas with the "Wild Animals" warning sign, will significantly reduce the risk of accidents associated with the sudden appearance of animals on roads.

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

Deputy Head

Verkhnedvinsk Interdistrict Inspectorate V.A. Goncheronok