Wildlife Road Mortality and Mitigation

Roads kill hundreds of millions of wildlife annually worldwide, making road traffic one of the leading human-caused sources of wildlife mortality and welfare harm.

Key Facts

US roads kill an estimated 1 million vertebrates per day — approximately 365 million per year
Road mortality disproportionately affects wide-ranging species including badgers, hedgehogs, otters, and amphibians
Wildlife crossings including underpasses, overpasses, and culverts can reduce road mortality by over 90%
Seasonal road mortality peaks correlate with amphibian migration, deer rut, and hedgehog dispersal
Road mortality can threaten local population viability of slow-reproducing species

Welfare Considerations

Road traffic kills are rarely instantaneous — many animals are struck and suffer injury before dying, or are left mortally wounded. For long-lived species with low reproduction rates, road mortality can be populationally significant as well as individually harmful. Wildlife crossings are one of the most evidence-based interventions for reducing road mortality. Where crossings are not feasible, temporary road closures during peak migration, speed reductions near wildlife corridors, and driver awareness campaigns all contribute to reducing mortality and suffering.

What You Can Do

Drive carefully at dawn and dusk when wildlife is most active near roads
Report road casualties to local wildlife groups to help map mortality hotspots
Support campaigns for wildlife crossing installations on high-mortality road stretches
Advocate for wildlife-sensitive road design in new road planning
Join local toad patrol groups to help amphibians cross roads during spring migration