Over 250,000 animals are killed by cars in the US each year. Experiments show that up to 6% of drivers will deliberately hit fake rubber animals on the road. Traffic accidents also harm vulnerable wildlife populations.
Roadkill is an almost inevitable aspect of modern vehicles and roads. It is estimated that over 250,000 animals are killed by automobiles in the United States each year. Most of these accidents are unintentional and can be dangerous. However, experiments with fake rubber animals placed on the side of the road have found that a small percentage of drivers will attempt to hit them deliberately. Up to 6% of drivers will do so when they see an animal such as a tarantula, but just over 2% will also attempt to hit seemingly harmless animals, such as turtles. About 3% of drivers in one experiment stopped and attempted to rescue the animal. In addition to being a dangerous behaviour, traffic accidents can have a detrimental effect on already vulnerable wildlife populations.
Read more about roadkill:
Animals can be attracted to roads by the salt left over from de-icing in winter.
About 200 people are killed each year in the United States in a collision between an animal and a car.
Populations of aquatic turtles are particularly vulnerable to traffic accidents, as female turtles often attempt to cross a road to find nests.
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