Wildlife

Wild Hedgehog Road Safety Advanced

Advanced road safety solutions for hedgehogs include infrastructure design, driver education, and habitat management near road corridors.

Key Facts

Over 100,000 hedgehogs are killed on UK roads annually based on carcass surveys
Hedgehogs freeze when threatened, making them particularly vulnerable to vehicle strike
Road mortality hotspots are predictable from habitat and population mapping
Underpasses designed for hedgehogs with approaches of 20 by 20 cm achieve high passage rates
Speed reduction and improved lighting near known hedgehog crossing areas reduces strike rates

Welfare Considerations

Hedgehogs killed on roads die suddenly from traumatic injuries. Those fatally injured but not immediately killed suffer before death. Road mortality at the scale of 100,000 per year represents a massive ongoing welfare crisis.

What You Can Do

Drive slowly through rural lanes near hedgehog habitat especially at night
Support local authority programs installing hedgehog underpasses at road mortality hotspots
Donate to mapping programs identifying and prioritizing hedgehog road mortality hotspots for mitigation