Painted turtles and other freshwater turtles face significant mortality from road strikes, particularly during nesting season when females travel from wetlands to upland nest sites.
Turtles struck by vehicles that survive with injuries experience significant suffering - shattered shells expose internal organs and cause infection, and injured turtles may linger for days before dying. The population-level impact of road mortality is particularly severe for long-lived turtles because adult females represent decades of accumulated survival. Turtle tunnels and drift fencing that guide turtles under roads rather than across them represent one of the most cost-effective wildlife infrastructure investments per welfare and conservation outcome.