Between 2006 and 2012 they occurred in Spain 74,600 vehicle collisions with wild animals, representing 8.9% of all traffic accidents recorded in that period. This represented a cost of 105 million euros a year, as revealed by a pioneering study by researchers at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM).
The figure includes costs related to victims, as spending ambulance, hospitalization, loss or productive housing adaptations. Also material costs, vehicle damage, pavements, police and fire costs, and costs of social value calculated for each dead animal.
“There are other items, such as loss of genetic diversity or the affection of loved ones, when there are human victims, it is not possible we calculated, “says Antonio Saenz de Santa Maria, a researcher at the Department of Zoology and Physical Anthropology at the UCM and lead author of the study, published in European Journal of Wildlife Research.
These costs are independent of compensation insurers. On average, the per capita expenditure is 15.91 euros, a figure that rises in the northern provinces of Spain, where most such accidents occur. In Soria the cost per person is 438.32 euros per year; Burgos, to 203.43 euros; and Zamora, to 177.71 euros.
From data provided by the autonomous communities-of which they had knowledge through the Civil Guard, the Catalan police and the study Ertzaintza- ungulates staged reveals that 85% of accidents, among which wild boars and roe deer, 79% of these cases. They are followed, with 5%, medium and large carnivores such as fox, badger and the wolf and, more exceptionally, the brown bear and lynx.
The ungulates staged 85% of accidents, among which wild boars and roe deer
“We demonstrated that animals cause more social costs are game animals, not being locked in fenced hunting estates but in open hunting grounds,” said the researcher. According to the authors, these accidents would cost collateral hunting industry.
Increased risk in the north
The risk of an accident of this type increases in the northern provinces . In Soria, the total annual losses, 51% corresponds to abuses of animals, and in Burgos the figure is 41%, followed by Palencia, with 36% of cases and Zamora, with 35%.
“Travel for narrow roads of these mountainous regions, forested, uninhabited, at dusk or at dawn, increase the risk of accident by between 30% and 50% from flat provinces populated and clear” compare Saenz de Santa Maria.
Although small animals such as hares, rabbits and birds only represent 10% of reported accidents, the extent of the damage they cause is as important as that caused by large species.
“The severity of the accident does not depend on the body size of the specimen hit,” says the expert. For example, swerve before a rabbit in the road that ended with three serious injuries would cost 700,000 euros as the economic cost of the DGT.
“The severity of the accident does not depend on the size of the specimen hit, “he said Saenz de Santa Maria
As a result of these incidents, between 2006 and 2012 there were 2911 human victims, most of them, 2612, slightly injured. Were 261 serious injuries and 38 people died, representing 0.22% of all traffic fatalities in that period.
Given the data from this study, experts proposed definition areas of greatest risk to reduce the number of violations. In his view, the perimeter fence is not a good solution for the environmental problems caused, but it would identify critical points, and implementing measures as warnings to the driver or a reduction of speed.
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