Road traffic accidents kill an estimated 100,000-200,000 hedgehogs annually in the UK. This welfare crisis is preventable through infrastructure change and driver awareness.
Road traffic accidents represent one of the most significant sources of hedgehog welfare harm in the UK. The hedgehog's natural defense — freezing into a ball — is effective against predators but fatal when facing a vehicle. The moment of impact and the period of severe injury before death represent acute welfare harm affecting hundreds of thousands of individuals annually.
Injured hedgehog road casualties that are not immediately killed face prolonged suffering. Spinal injuries, internal bleeding, and limb trauma cause significant pain in animals left untreated on roadsides. Citizen rescue networks — including the British Hedgehog Preservation Society rescue network — provide vital welfare intervention for injured casualties, but many go unnoticed.
Evidence from other European countries shows that wildlife underpasses and road modifications significantly reduce hedgehog road mortality in targeted locations. Citizen science monitoring — regular road survey counts — identifies mortality hotspots where infrastructure interventions are most warranted. Advocating for hedgehog underpasses in new road designs and retrofits is a welfare-positive infrastructure campaign.