2024-10-25 19:44:00
Mr Kinser, you are responsible for nature and species protection at the German Wildlife Foundation. The time change is Sunday evening. What impact does it have on animals when our lives suddenly take place an hour later?
The change in time may have an impact on animals in terms of road traffic. Now it’s Tuesday, it’s 6pm, I’m returning home, like many others. Due to the time change, it will already be dark by this time next week. This means that the activity phase of larger wild animals suddenly drops during peak hours of the day. It can be observed that traffic accidents increase for a while during both time changes. It is not true that starting from Sunday the number of wildlife incidents will suddenly increase. But the effect is measurable. But then it gets dark earlier and earlier and at a certain point the two phases move apart again.
How long does the phase last when the probability of accidents involving wild animals in the evening hours is particularly high?
In the months of October and November the risk increases significantly, due to the fact that wild animals are now replenishing their energy reserves for the winter and are therefore particularly active. Activity will decrease significantly again over the next few weeks as wildlife enters some sort of energy saving mode for the winter. Then they move little and the risk of accidents with wildlife decreases. So let’s answer the question: with the change of time the high risk phase begins and ends in mid-November.
The significance of the time change is often debated. Would you support doing without the time change? Or would the issue of increased accident risk simply shift?
Eventually the problem simply shifts. Even if we don’t change the clock, twilight would change to rush hour within two to three weeks and we would have more accidents involving wildlife. So from a wildlife perspective, we have no recommendation for the time change. Getting used to it also plays an important role: at a certain point the animals realize that there is more to do on the road.
The time change may also serve as a warning to motorists to pay particular attention to animal crossings. How do drivers more reliably recognize the danger of crossing wildlife?
Common recommendations such as: drive carefully, pay attention to signs and be ready to brake are well known. But what does ready to brake actually mean? Do you always have your foot on the brake? As a rule, you have your right foot on the accelerator pedal. From our perspective, it is much more important to realize what you see before a wildlife incident occurs. Most of the time they are the reflective eyes of animals on the side of the road. Awareness of this makes you more likely to apply the brakes in a timely manner. If you see the dots flashing and wonder for a long time what they are, it may already be too late. However, the signs also warn that accidents involving wildlife often occur in these areas. And you shouldn’t drive at high speed anyway.
If the traffic situation permits, you can see reflective eyes better with high beams, right?
If the road is clear and there is no oncoming traffic, this is certainly useful. If you see reflective eyes, you should brake and lower your eyes to account for traffic behind you. It often happens that animals stop when hit by high beams.
Are there places where drivers should expect wild animals, regardless of warning signs?
In essence it can be said: wherever you drive through a forest or where there is forest on one side of the road and a field on the other, you should pay particular attention to animal crossings. In addition to signs, blue reflectors on guide posts can also indicate the danger of wildlife crossing. These reflectors are intended to spread car headlights into the space near the road and thus dissuade wild animals from running across the road. But it’s controversial whether it actually works. However, blue reflectors warn drivers of the danger of crossing wildlife. In northern Germany, risk locations are often marked with three sticks placed next to each other. This means: There has been one wildlife incident here in the last twelve months. On most highways, however, it is possible to give the green light because almost all are fenced to prevent wildlife.
How should a driver behave if an accident involving wild animals occurs?
First, brake and take all safety measures: turn on the emergency lights, wear a jacket, prepare a warning triangle. You should then check the animal to see whether it is still there or not. After an accident involving wild animals, the driver should also call the police. They know who is authorized to hunt, who can search for injured animals or who takes care of killed animals. You cannot take a dead animal with you. The police also issues the certificate used to report damage caused by game to the insurance company.
What should a driver pay attention to when dealing with a hit animal?
Many people underestimate the fact that the affected animal is usually several meters behind them by the time they stop, depending on how fast they were traveling. If the animal can no longer be found, you still need to call the police, since the collision still occurred. He may have continued running and died 30 or 100 meters away, or he may have hidden, seriously injured. If the animal is found still alive, it is advisable to keep it at a distance of at least 20 meters so as not to expose the animal to further fear of its worst enemy, man. The called hunter will put an end to the animal’s suffering as quickly as possible.
#risk #wildlife #accidents #increases #time #change