Last week, the Transport Administration started displaying wild animal warnings on electronic message signs at night. These warnings will continue to be shown until Midsummer. You should be especially careful in the vicinity of such signs, because wild animals are more likely to cross the road in these areas. You should also stay alert in areas between small patches of forest and close to fields. Wild animals are more active by nature just before dawn and just after dusk.
Villu Lükk, the head of the Environmental Management Department at the Transport Administration, urges drivers to take the warnings and speed limits on the electronic signs seriously. “None of us wants to get into an accident or cause injuries to wild animals,” he said. “That’s why we have to be especially careful as road users and keep an eye open for wild animals approaching the road.”
Wildlife crossings have been created on fenced road sections in many parts of Estonia and are marked accordingly. On the four-lane section of the Kose-Võõbu road, a large-game detection system warns drivers of wild animals. Animals are able to cross the road at three dedicated points on the same level as the road, with special sensors registering their approach. These sensors transmit this information to the electronic signs, which then indicate a reduced speed limit to drivers.
“Luckily, drivers have generally complied with the signs and reduced their speed,” Lükk said. “If they hadn’t, things could have turned out very unfortunately. It’s also important to bear in mind that if one wild animal crosses a road, there might be others following it.”
The national helpline 1247 registers the deaths of around 6000 animals a year. This figure is thought not to include accidents involving smaller animals, since the majority of these likely go unreported. Around 20-30 people are injured in these accidents annually. The problem has worsened in recent years, with more vehicles on Estonia’s roads and the number of ungulates increasing due to warm winters.
