Roadkill is finally acknowledged as a serious environmental and human safety issue.
- Individuals and state-sponsored research groups are increasingly using GPS technology and the Internet to pinpoint where critters are being mowed down on America’s roads.
- The California Roadkill Mapping System has created the first website that involves volunteers combing the roads to collect roadkill information.
- Researchers hope to use the information for two primary purposes: to accurately assess the impact of cars on wildlife and to highlight “hot spots” that would benefit from additional signage or other preventative strategies.
Facts & Figures
- The Humane Society estimates that 1 million animals are killed on roads each day; the Federal Highway Administration says that 1-2 million large animals are killed every year.
- Roughly 200 people die each year as a result of hitting animals while driving.
- There are 4 million miles of public road in the U.S., and about 258 million vehicles using those roads.
Best Quote
“For some people the only contact they have with wild animals is when they run them over,” said Fraser M. Shilling, the lead researcher on the project. “This is the first time people have been able to record roadkill online and I think it will change our understanding of what our road system is really doing to wildlife.” – Fraser M. Shilling, Lead Researcher, California Roadkill Observation System (a research project by the University of California, Davis)