1043 accidents involving wildlife have occurred in the district in the past twelve months.
Hunters and police are therefore very worried.
The hunting protection association explains why there are always clashes between motorists and animals.
PI Dachau gives tips on what to do in the event of a crash.
District -
Last May, a car hit a deer in the Bergkirchen municipality.
The animal was thrown through the air, smashed through the windshield of an oncoming delivery truck and crashed into the passenger seat, which thankfully was empty.
The drivers of both vehicles suffered a shock, but fortunately were otherwise uninjured.
This spectacular wildlife accident is one of no less than 1043 that were on record at the Dachau police station between the end of August 2020 and the end of August 2021.
Six people suffered minor injuries after a collision with an animal, and one person suffered serious injuries.
The police and the hunters are very worried
Due to the large number of clashes, the Dachau police and the local hunters in the district are very worried about the drivers and the game.
"Wildlife accidents play a major role in the traffic statistics of the Dachau police.
The district of Dachau is characterized by rural areas, the traffic density is high.
There are always accidents with wildlife, an average of 20 accidents with wildlife ", says police chief inspector Andreas Knorr, traffic expert at PI Dachau.
The Jagdschutz- und Jägerverein Dachau (JJVD) adds that the risk of accidents involving wildlife is high right now.
The JJVD explains the problem from the point of view of wild animals: The animals experience a harvest shock
The JJVD explains the problem from the point of view of wild animals - and starts with the farmers. According to the JJVD, they have increasingly modern machines that would harvest the fields faster and faster. It is a shock for wild animals if they suddenly find themselves without food or cover. Harvesting changes the habitat for the hare, deer and pheasant abruptly and drastically. Within a few hours there were only stubble left in the fields, where there was previously abundance of grazing. “Suddenly deprived of their food base, wild animals experience an emergency, the so-called harvest shock. The table has been cleared, although it would be important right now to eat as many fat reserves as possible for the cold season, ”explains JJVD chairman Dr. Ernst-Ulrich Wittmann. Then it becomes dangerous - for animals and drivers.
Animals have to look for new feeding places and have to travel long distances
If the fields are empty, the animals have no choice but to look for new feeding places.
To do this, they accept long distances, which inevitably lead them over roads.
"Drivers should be particularly careful and always expect an animal to suddenly run into the road," warns Wittmann.
Most accidents happen between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. and between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.
The situation when animals run onto the road in search of food and then meet vehicles is described by the traffic expert Erich Schöbel and the ADAC on their website. “In daylight it takes 0.4 to 0.85 seconds for our brain to convert the images of an event. In the dark it is 1.0 to 1.25 seconds, ”says Schöbel. The traffic club calculates that a car driver can just stop at a distance of 60 meters from the animal if he is traveling at 80 km / h (braking distance 55.1 meters). At 100 km / h, on the other hand, it crashes (braking distance 79.2 meters). According to the ADAC, the impact speed is still 61.1 km / h. According to the police, most of the accidents occurred between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. and between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.
According to statistics from the PI Dachau, deer, red deer and fallow deer were affected by a large margin in the 1,043 game accidents in the past twelve months (895).
The rest is divided into hares / rabbits (60), badgers (23), fox (21), predatory and flying game (18), wild boar (14) and other game (12).
Tips to protect the animals
In order to protect the animals, the JJVD has tips ready: hedges and catch crop cultivation suitable for wild animals would help, according to the hunting guards.
An additional herb strip is an optimal addition.
After all, fields could be saved, in which fast-growing catch crops such as lupins, mustard or clover or specially developed seed mixtures would be sown immediately after the harvest.
Correct behavior in accidents with wildlife
Andreas Knorr, traffic expert at the Dachau police station, gives the following tips when it comes to accidents involving wildlife:
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The wildlife accident usually occurs outside of town, and the lighting conditions are often poor.
It is important for other road users that the scene of the accident is recognized.
The scene of the accident must be secured immediately.
Turn on the hazard lights.
Set up your warning triangle.
Put on your safety vest.
Get an overview.
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If people are injured, call 112 and give first aid.
If no one is injured, call the police on 110 and report the accident.
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Avoid touching the injured animal.
The animal could fight back and injure you.
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To keep the risk low, always drive vigilantly and ready to brake.
Some sections of the route are marked with signs indicating “Wildwechsel”.
However, the danger always lurks at forest areas and field edges, even if there is no sign posted!
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When an animal approaches, turn off the high beam and honk to scare away the game.
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If a collision is unavoidable, the following applies: do not swerve, hold the steering wheel, brake hard, come to a stop on the road and switch on the hazard warning lights.