Reducing roadkill

As new figures reveal millions of animals die on our roads every year, motorists are being urged to drive more carefully

Every year an estimated one million animals, including deer, foxes, badgers, otters and squirrels, are killed on UK roads.

It's not only animal lives which are at stake; it's estimated that deer accidents alone account for over 500 personal injuries, including over 100 serious or fatal injuries.  And costs for repairs to motor vehicles involved in deer collisions are estimated at over £17m.

The Spring season signals the start of a peak period for road accidents involving badgers and Roe Deer – road accidents account for an estimated 100,000 deaths of badgers and deer every year. 

Watch out for wildlife

As we move into Spring, the Post Office is working with The People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) and the Deer Initiative to raise awareness of how to avoid accidents with wild animals, and what to do in the event of a collision.

Richard Pennant-Jones, Post Office Head of Motor Insurance said: "We want to encourage UK drivers to watch out for wildlife and help reduce the number of collisions with animals and birds by being extra vigilant at key times of the year when animals are migrating and most likely to venture onto the nation's roads."

It's not just country roads where drivers need to beware of wild animals crossing - each year an estimated 20,000 urban foxes are killed on roads in UK towns and cities. 

Birds are also at risk with an estimated ten million killed on the roads each year.  Three million are pheasants and for increasingly rare species such as barn owls, a worrying 3,000 juvenile birds are killed by motor vehicles annually.

Jochen Langbein, who oversees The Deer Initiative's National Deer-Vehicle Collision (NDVC) project, welcomes the Post Office's help in raising awareness of wildlife accidents.  He said:  "Aside from the resulting car repair and human injury costs, collisions with vehicles form the single greatest welfare issue for wild deer in the UK; around a third of deer hit by vehicles will survive the initial impact but suffer for prolonged periods at the roadside until a qualified person can attend to humanly dispatch or treat them."

The advice

The Post Office Car Insurance has produced the following tips for motorists on how to avoid animal collisions and what to do if your vehicle is involved in an animal accident:

• Be extra vigilant at night and during dusk and dawn, as this is when deer, badgers, foxes, hedgehogs and owls are the most active
• Many areas have wildlife warning signs – take extra care when you see one, they are there to protect you as well as the wild animals
• Animals react differently when they are caught in car headlights - deer may freeze when caught in full headlights.  If you see an animal ahead, slow down to give it time to move off the road
• If a deer crosses in front of you slow down – they often travel in groups so several more may be about to cross
• Avoid sudden breaking and don't overswerve to avoid animals – this might lead to a worse accident
• If you are unable to avoid an animal and an accident happens, find a safe place to pull over and if it's safe to do so, check to see if the animal can be helped.  If the animal is still alive then phone the RSPCA emergency helpline on 0300 123 4999
• While you're waiting for help to arrive throw a blanket over the animal to try to keep it warm; covering its head can help reduce stress and may help it survive
• Do not attempt to handle an injured deer, fox, badger or bird as it could inflict serious injuries to a human in its distressed state
• If the animal is dead and it's safe to do so, move it away from the road so it doesn't attract other wildlife.