Tired of accidents with wild animals, Galicia has had an idea that already proves on its roads: Flasehar Jabalíes

The data is not too updated by the DGT but the last counts leave no doubt: animals are a danger on secondary roads. According to traffic datain 2022, 35,661 accidents were counted with animals involved in them. In them, 505 people suffered wounds of diverse gravity and two people died.

The problem is especially serious in some autonomous communities such as Castilla y León, where wild animals They often cross the road and put themselves at the driving of the vehicles. According to data from the Ministry of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memoryanimals are involved in 61% of accidents produced on roads in this region.

Nor Galicia is left behind. If Castilla y León is the region most affected by this problem and represents 27% of accidents with animals that occur throughout the country, Galicia occupies the second positioncovering 17% of accidents of this type.

To try to minimize this problem, the Xunta de Galicia has launched a system to try to prevent animals from crossing the road. The system has been launched on a Lugo road.

Attention, loose wild boar

In its official statement, the Xunta de Galicia is clear about what animal is one of the main causes: the wild boar. It was expected not to be a kangaroo, as has been seen recently crossing an Oia road.

In recent years, Galicia coexists with a problem of wild wild boars. According to figures collected by The voice of GaliciaThis animal caused a total of 4.6 million euros in material damage in 2024. This figure takes into account the total expenditure that the region had to disburse both compensation and prevention.

In this last game you can frame the system that is already being tested in “the LU -540 road (Viveiro – Cabreiros)between kilometric points 37+340 and 39+520, a stretch close to the intersection with the AG-64 “, explain from the regional government.

The tested system lifts a virtual fence on the road when cars pass through it. That is, when the system detects that a vehicle is active active light alerts with flash and sound alerts oriented to the outside of the road. Thus, it is about deter the animal from crossing the road at that time and redirecting it away from the road.

Using movement sensors, the system is activated by sections and is off if there are no cars in motion. When a vehicle passes, it activates the system as it advances the road. From the Xunta they also point out that the system is autonomous of the general network since it uses solar panels and batteries to stay active both day and night.

This is only one of the interventions that, according to the Xunta, have been carrying out in recent years to reduce road accidents caused by the appearance of wild animals. They point out that they have worked reflective prisms and wolf synthetic urine on other roads to scare away wild species.

In addition, in recent years it has been insisted on the importance of ecoducts or creating a “Green Bridge Network”. These uplinks are designed so that animals can cross large roads without leaving a natural environment. On the A-8 road as it passes through Kobaron and Montaño, close to Bilbao, There are already two approved.

Photo | Nagy Szabi and Max Saeling

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