The wild animals most frequently involved in road traffic accidents in Latvia are roe deer, while accidents involving red deer and elk, although rarer, tend to have far more serious consequences for both the car and its driver and passengers. In the financially largest collision with an elk, the compensation paid for the wrecked car exceeded 83 thousand euros, according to data from the insurance company BALTA. Moreover, the overall number of accidents involving forest animals has risen this year, and experts are warning that the animal migration period is approaching.
While in January and February last year a total of 238 claims relating to collisions between a car and a forest animal were submitted to the insurer, this year 265 such accidents have already occurred in the same period.
"The number of collisions with forest animals on Latvia's roads has increased because of difficult driving conditions caused by snow and ice. Icy roads are gritted with salt, and this attracts forest animals," says Uģis Ieviņš, product manager of BALTA KASKO.
Last year the costliest collision for the insurance company BALTA involved an elk. At the beginning of December a forest animal was involved in an accident with a Porsche Panamera, which was completely wrecked in the collision. Its owner was paid more than 83 thousand euros in compensation.
Collisions most often involve roe deer, followed by accidents with red deer and elk, notes Inta Lange, a representative of the Latvian National Museum of Natural History. "Although collisions between cars and Latvia's largest animal – the elk – happen comparatively rarely, the consequences are often very serious," adds I. Lange.
The largest animal migration is still ahead
The largest migration of forest animals is still to come, as in spring almost every animal living in Latvia becomes more active – from the large deer family species to pine martens, otters, birds and even toads. "Seasonal movement among deer family animals is linked to feeding. In spring these animals become particularly active because they change where they stay – in winter they have one kind of food, but when shoots and sprouts appear in nature, the animals move elsewhere to feed," says I. Lange. The most active period is April and May, when the animals "divide up the summer pastures", but drivers should be especially careful from March onwards.
Drivers should take particular care in the morning and evening hours, when it is twilight.
It should also be borne in mind that red deer and elk most often cross roads near forests and scrubland, whereas roe deer also tend to cross meadows and more open areas. "In winter these animals move about in herds more often, but in spring they usually migrate alone or in small groups of two," notes I. Lange. Young animals, however, are rarely encountered on the roads, because when they are born the animals most often stay in dense forest or other remote areas and do not cross roads.
Foxes, raccoon dogs, badgers, otters, mink, martens, hedgehogs and even lynx – whose population in Latvia has grown in recent years – can also appear on the roads. However, these animals feature less often in collision statistics. "For example, in spring hedgehogs wake up and are still sluggish after hibernation, and moreover their instinct when in danger is to curl up into a ball rather than flee. On the road that unfortunately quite often ends with the little animal being run over," says the representative of the Latvian National Museum of Natural History.
As the weather becomes more spring-like, large birds also tend to gather near the roads, white storks in particular. It should be noted that a stork takes off slowly and low, and it can end up "in the driver's path", causing a collision.
It is possible to insure against collisions with forest animals alone
Whereas until now a KASKO policy could be bought insuring the car against all risks, it is now also possible to insure your car against collisions with forest animals alone. "Starta KASKO offers the option of insuring a car against specific, individually selected types of damage – a collision with an animal, hail or windscreen damage, as well as the total loss of the car," explains U. Ieviņš. This gives drivers the option of choosing even just one of the potential risks.