Scientific American reports that one to two million animals are killed by motorists every year in the United States - the equivalent of one collision every 26 seconds. That doesn't include all the raccoons, skunks and other smaller animals that usually go unreported when hit.
These accidents have far-ranging consequences. They threaten endangered species like wolves, tortoises, crocodiles and panthers. They also threaten another potentially endangered species: humans. The Federal Highway Administration says that 90 per cent of deer collisions and nearly 100 per cent of collisions with elk and moose result in vehicle damage, human injuries and deaths at a cost - according to the Insurance Information Institute - of nearly US$3.6 billion (NZ$4.9b) a year.
Many technologies that try to reduce roadkill accidents are in use today - from electromagnetic detectors under roads in Colorado to "toad tunnels," "bat bridges," "scent fences" and radio sensors. Carmakers like Volvo have installed their own wildlife detection systems on some of their vehicles. But most of these solutions are focused on much larger animals and many fall far short of truly addressing the problem.
However, a Brazilian start-up might be on to something.
In Brazil, like here, roadkill accidents are a big problem. For example, the Brazilian state of São Paulo alone has recorded more than 23,000 accidents between drivers and animals in the eight-year period between 2005 and 2013, and that's just what we know about. Fortunately, a Brazilian start-up called ViaFauna has developed a technology that the founders believe could eliminate roadkill accidents by more than 90 per cent.
