Road Traffic Mortality in Wildlife

Road networks kill billions of wild animals annually and represent one of the largest direct anthropogenic causes of wildlife mortality, with significant individual welfare and population consequences.

Key Facts

An estimated 29 million vertebrates are killed on UK roads annually
Badgers, hedgehogs, deer, and barn owls are among the most severely affected species
Roads also create barrier effects that fragment populations and prevent gene flow
Wildlife underpasses and culverts effectively redirect animal movement to safe crossing points
Vehicle speed reduction on rural roads during dawn and dusk reduces collision rates significantly

Welfare Considerations

Road traffic kills cause sudden death in many cases, but injured animals that survive initial impact face additional suffering from fractures, internal injuries, and inability to access food and water before death or rescue. Hedgehogs, with their defensive curling behaviour, are particularly vulnerable to repeated vehicle passes after initial injury. The barrier effect of roads on animal populations creates chronic stress as animals attempt to navigate between fragmented habitat patches. Individual animals make crossing attempts driven by motivation to reach food, mates, or seasonal ranges, encountering lethal risk that cannot be avoided through behavioural adaptation.

What You Can Do

Drive at reduced speeds on rural roads at dawn and dusk when wildlife is most active
Report injured wildlife to local rehabilitation centres promptly
Advocate for wildlife underpasses at road crossing hotspots identified by monitoring
Support national campaigns for road mortality data collection and analysis
Donate to organisations working on wildlife road mortality reduction