Accidents involving wild animals on our roads: How to react correctly!

Accidents involving wild animals on our roads: How to react correctly!

A driver speeds down the country road with a speed limit of 80 km/h. Suddenly an animal appears in front of him, about the size of a medium-sized dog. A typical scenario? Unfortunately yes, and it ends in a terrible accident with wildlife. While many drivers instinctively try to get out of the way, this man made a different decision: He honked his horn, stayed the course, and ended up coming into contact with a fawn that didn't survive the collision. This sad story not only describes a single incident, but also highlights the larger problem of wildlife accidents on our roads, as nordkurier.de reports.

After the collision, the driver turned on the hazard lights, put on a high-visibility vest and reported the accident on the emergency number 110. During the phone call, he noticed how the fawn had died. To avoid further potential danger, he pulled the animal into the grass verge. Important to know: It is forbidden to take the animal with you as the local hunting authority is responsible for disposal. The driver was informed that the police would record the accident in the nearest town and they also took care of removing the carcass. The next morning, the driver informed his car insurance company and took his vehicle to the workshop.

Wildlife accidents in Germany

The statistics in the Ludwigslust-Parchim district are alarming: around 620 accidents involving wildlife were registered in the first quarter of 2025, the number remains constant compared to the previous year. A total of ten people suffered injuries in these incidents. What is particularly worrying is that around ten percent of all deer and roe deer die in traffic. As it progresses, it turns out that traffic is the main cause of death for species such as wild cats (up to 80%), otters (70%), and lynxes and wolves (both 50%). It is becoming clear that we urgently need to address the issue of wildlife accidents.

A look at the background of these wildlife accidents shows that deer are involved in almost half of all cases. The risk of a collision increases noticeably, particularly in the months of April and May, when the animals are often looking for food. Shadowy twilight times, which are appreciated by deer as they target predators, also pose an increased risk for drivers. Data from the Jagdverband show that most collisions occur in the morning between 6 and 8 a.m. and in the evening hours. The time change and the adjustment of rush hour traffic to these twilight periods play a major role in the increase in accidents.

Prevention strategies and statistics

In Baden-Württemberg, people are already working on effective prevention of accidents involving wildlife. The wildlife institute documents extensive data on accident events and has identified over 421 wildlife accident routes. The experts found that the animals that most frequently cause accidents are deer, followed by wild boars and foxes. These surveys are based on a large corpus of data on wildlife accidents. The aim is to develop specific recommendations to prevent such incidents in the future, as shown on fva-bw.de.

The analysis shows that prevention measures based on sound data are essential to both protect animal welfare and ensure the safety of road users. With this in mind, we all need to develop good skills in dealing with our streets and the animals that live there. After all, careful driving not only impacts us, but also the wildlife around us.