How do you prevent a wildlife accident? Salzwedel district mayor and the police give tips.
Salzwedel l Now the dark winter time applies again. “That is the time when the mating season of fallow and red deer begins,” says district hunter master Hans-Ulrich Brückner. The ADAC also warns that animals are active at dusk and cross streets in search of food. “The many different grasses and herbs in the road ditches attract the animals,” explains Brückner. That is why accidents outside built-up areas are the number one cause of accidents.
The statement is supported by the police figures. Chief Inspector Peter Klahs from the Altmarkkreis Salzwedel police station counted more than 1100 accidents with wildlife in the Altmarkkreis this year until Friday, October 23, of which there were only almost three dozen crashes in town. “And we are only at the beginning of the dark season,” he warns. According to the ADAC, there were more than 15,000 game accidents in the whole of Saxony-Anhalt in 2019, 1,000 more than in the previous year.
Thinking about protective measures
Because of this alarming number of wildlife accidents, the police are considering convening a wildlife accident commission because they cannot attach protective devices to all endangered areas on their own. These include, for example, scent fences and blue reflectors on delineator posts. The latter deflect the light of the headlights into the forest and are intended to deter the game.
District hunter Brückner thinks a lot of the measures, but urges caution: “The animals get used to the protective devices over time.” Therefore, the location should be changed more often and the colors should be exchanged.
Keep an eye on the edge of the road
A collision can also be dangerous for humans – in the worst case it can even be fatal. That always depends on your own speed. Therefore it was already said in the driving school: drive with foresight. The ADAC said: “To prevent the risk of accidents involving wildlife, you should always keep an eye on the edges of the lane.” That way, it could be responded to if wild animals suddenly jump out. Often at the point where a wild animal crosses the road, there are still other animals to be prepared for. The game would not always flee by the shortest route, but sometimes in front of the car, according to the ADAC.
So it’s better to take your foot off the gas and drive more slowly. “If you have spotted an animal on the street in the distance, stop the camera straight away, slow down and honk to chase the animal away,” explains district hunter Brückner. But no matter how carefully and with foresight you drive, an accident can always occur: the best thing you can do to prevent an accident is to adhere to the guidelines of the traffic signs.
Inform the police about the accident
“If a collision is unavoidable, you brake and hold the steering wheel firmly,” explains Brückner. Jerky evasions only lead to the driver losing control of his vehicle and, in the worst case, ending up in a tree. If you take these points to heart, “the consequences of the accident for the vehicle occupants remain the least,” says Police Superintendent Klahs.
He also emphasizes the importance of informing the police after an accident, even if the animal has fled. “To do this, she needs the exact position and the game involved,” explains Brückner. “The dead animal should best be pulled to the edge strip so that there are no secondary accidents,” writes the ADAC in an information sheet about the risk of accidents involving wildlife. To be on the safe side, only wear gloves to avoid the risk of illness. If, on the other hand, the game is injured, one should never approach or touch it. The risk of being injured is too great. The police would then contact a hunter who would track down the injured animal and release it from its suffering.
Furthermore, the ADAC warns that game drives that have been hit must not be taken, otherwise there is a risk of a poaching complaint. Only the hunting tenant is allowed to do that. For the insurance, the police or the hunter issue a game certificate, with which the insurance has to pay for the damage, Brückner concluded.
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