In Sør-Odal, which has just under 8,000 inhabitants, the fall game group of three people is busy. In addition to other assignments, last year they responded to 136 reports of hit deer, and 35 reports of hit moose. Put another way: On average, they went out for hit-and-run missions every other day. Kjell Terje Hagen in the municipal fall game group is not surprised: – There are a lot of deer in the municipality. In addition, the E16 runs through our district with a lot of traffic. Especially against Sweden, where we have many collisions, says Hagen. A LOT OF WORK: Kjell Terje Hagen and the others in the fall game group in Sør-Odal had a busy 2022 with many assignments. Photo: Private 35 animals every day Figures from the deer game register show that over 13,000 moose and roe deer were reported to have been hit by either cars or trains in 2022. This gives an average of over 35 animals hit every single day. So many moose have not been hit since 2019. The number of deer hit in 2022 was the second highest in six years. Henrik Wildenschild is the national expert contact for wild game and animal collisions in the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, and can tell you that a great deal of research has been done on wild game collisions both at home and abroad. He says there are several measures that do not help in the fight to reduce collisions. – Unfortunately, neither we in Norway nor in other countries have been able to crack the nut of finding something that really has a big effect, says Henrik Wildenschild. It may now be appropriate to lower the speed limits on certain accident-prone stretches during parts of the year. A LITTLE HELPS: Although there is a lot of research into reducing the number of traffic accidents involving game, there is currently little that has an effect, says Henrik Wildenschild in the Norwegian Road Administration. Photo: Arild Moe / news Many measures do not help Danger signs and attempts with flashing lights have little effect, Wildenschild believes. – We were hoping for that, but we don’t see any particular decrease in speed, he says. Scaring the animals hasn’t reduced the number of wildlife collisions either. – Many attempts have been made to scare animals away with smell, light or sound. But it turns out to have a bad effect over time, says Wildenschild. Clearing side terrain along the roads can help, but this is where the research breaks down. If it is not maintained, tempting food dishes for both moose and deer will grow. In contrast, the use of game fences and separate game underpasses are effective in reducing the number of collisions. The problem is that this is very expensive. GIVES ADVICE: Jan Harry Svendsen in NAF believes that motorists must become better at following signs and adjusting their speed. Photo: Arne Fosland / news Jan Harry Svendsen, who is an adviser at NAF, is concerned about the development in the number of wildlife collisions. He says motorists have a responsibility to prevent accidents from happening. – It is obvious that many people do not reduce their speed sufficiently when they drive on roads where there is a great danger of wild game, says Svendsen. Will lower speed limits In the National Road Safety Action Plan for the period 2022 to 2025, one of the measures to be implemented is to create some test stretches in the country with a lower speed limit to see if it can help. – Then we will reduce the speed from, for example, 80 to 60 kilometers per hour in periods of high risk of wild game. That gives you better time to spot animals and you get a shorter braking distance, says Wildenschild. The experiment with test stretches must be carried out in 2025 at the latest. It has not yet been decided where in the country the experiments will be carried out. – It depends on how much money we get. The more test stretches we get, the faster we can get enough data to see the effect, says Wildenschild. INCREASING: More and more moose and deer are being hit by cars or trains in Norway. Photo: news Most in Viken and Innlandet Viken is the county where the most deer were hit by trains or cars last year, with 3,145 cases. Inland comes after with 1,892 cases and Trøndelag then with 1,841 cases. Most moose collisions were reported from the interior with 720 cases. After this, Nordland had 716 cases and Trøndelag 643. In Sør-Odal, Kjell Terje Hagen and the other two on the municipal fall game team will continue to go out after reports of wild game collisions. The job is demanding, but also rewarding, says Hagen, but nothing would have been better than if the number of accidents had decreased: – We’d rather not have a job! We who do this are fond of animals, and would prefer that they not be run over, says Hagen.
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More deer and moose are hit in traffic and now it may be appropriate to lower the speed limits – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
