Today, Sunday, the clock was set back one hour to winter time during the night. Commuters are then increasingly on the move again at dusk. During this time, many wild animals are looking for food – a risk. In addition, there are slippery leaves and moisture. In autumn, the risk of accidents is above average – especially between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. Mainly affected: deer and wild boar. These are the results of the German Hunting Association (DJV). For this purpose, scientists have over 21,600 data sets from the animal discovery cadastre (www.tierfund-kataster.de) for the period September 2018 to August 2020.
Tempo 80 instead of 100 can save lives
The DJV recommends reducing speed on high-risk roads. This significantly reduces the braking distance: At 80 km / h the car comes to a stop after around 55 m, at 100 km / h only after around 80 m. If there are animals on the side of the road, switch off the high beam, sound the horn and brake. Watch out for stragglers. Roe deer, wild boars and stags are rarely out and about alone in the winter months. If a collision is unavoidable, hold the steering wheel tight and avoid uncontrolled evasive maneuvers.
Always report a wildlife accident
After a collision, the scene of the accident must first be secured: switch on the hazard warning lights, for your own protection first put on a warning vest and then set up the warning triangle. Then contact the police. Do not touch dead or injured animals, there is a risk of injury. Wildlife diseases can also be transmitted. Even if the animal has fled, the accident should be reported – if only for animal welfare reasons. Then hunters can search for the injured animals with specially trained dogs. Police or hunters issue the wildlife accident certificate on site, which serves as proof of insurance.
More data for more security
The nationwide animal find cadastre has been in place since 2016 in order to identify focal points for accidents involving wildlife and to increase road safety. Anyone can register accidents with wildlife via the app or website. Scientists evaluate the collected data, the results are important for traffic planning. Roads can be made more wildlife-friendly, which leads to more animal welfare and less damage to people and property. There are more data and facts on the Internet: www.jagdverband.de/wildunfall. With the video campaign “Animals don’t know any traffic rules”, DJV and ACV Automobil-Club Verkehr also provide information about accidents involving wildlife: www.wildunfall-vermeiden.de.
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