Deaths of animals caused by motor vehicles: analysis of impact factors

ased on the author’s field studies in 2000–2020 on different types of roads throughout Ukraine and literature data, the factors influencing in the deaths of animals caused by collision with motor vehicles are selected and analyzed. They are classified and the degree of impact is considered for each of them. Particularly, 24 factors are selected, of which three (“Condition of the road and level of care for it”, “Characteristics of vehicle” and “Zoogeographical area”) are proposed. All the factors are distributed into 3 groups: 1) connected with vehicle, road and driver — totally 12 factors; 2) natural — 4 factors; 3) connected with animals — 8 factors. Ten factors have the biggest impact: structure of the road and the surface type; condition of the road and level of care for it; speed of vehicles; availability of measures to prevent death of animals on the highways; weather conditions; season; relief; biotope; size, colouration and speed of movement of the animals; trophic factor. Though having  uneven impact for different groups of animals, they have considerable impact into other factors. The season prevails all other factors, as it influence into activity of the invertebrates: in the warm season numerous insects die on the roads attracting small predators and scavengers as food. While picking insects, these animals also die under the weels of vehicles, attracting the necrophages, which also die. In addition, the features of animal deaths on the roads in the war area are considered. Furthermore, the expediency of creating structures to prevent the death of animals on highways is substantiated, because only 1–3 % of the total length of roads need such structures. A classification of the roads is proposed by the author, for the standard classification was found to be inappropriate for the analysis. A series of 36 author’s photographs is used, along with 5 plots showing results of the statistical analysis for certain factors.