Impact!
Storyboard Description
Consequences of road kill
Storyboard Text
- The true environmental cost of “road kill”.
- IMPACT!
- Intro scene - car driving down highway
- Intro scene - turtle crossing same highway
- I. Introduction: Call to action
- Ever since I got my license I began to notice the multitude of dead animals along the road. It really bothered me to see beautiful animals senselessly killed.
- I. Introduction: Call to action
- I even spent a few minutes here and there trying to think of a way to prevent it every time I passed a dead animal, but inevitably I just shrugged my shoulders and just assume it is inevitable part of using motor vehicles.
- I. Introduction: Call to action
- It wasn’t until my teenager daughter said to me that something must be done that I began to reflect that I was being a hypocrite by my inaction.
- II. The Invisible Crisis: Magnitude of the problem
- Across the U.S. vehicles hit an estimated one million to two million animals every year, the equivalent of 2,500-5,500/day, according to insurance industry records. In the report prepared for the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies of Science, the Montana institute said the number of wildlife crashes was far greater than federal statistics of 300,000 crashes because many of the accidents are reported only to insurance companies. This is not just a small and relatively rare occurrence that can be ignored, it’s an outright crisis that is occurring right in front of us.
- II. The Invisible Crisis: Impact on wildlife populations
- Americans kill more wildlife through collisions with vehicles than in any other way. In some locations, for particular species, the roadkill rate may exceed natural deaths. You would hope that animals would be safer in our National Parks, but 1,559 animals were killed on the roads in Yellowstone National Park from 1989-2003, a place people go to see wildlife and 51,000 are killed each year in Saguaro National Park.
- II. The Invisible Crisis: Interview about impacts on wildlife
- Darrell Land, leader of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's panther team
- According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHA), death by car represents a serious threat to 21 endangered or threatened animals species. One of the greatest threats to the Florida Panther is traffic. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) panther biologists estimate there are 100-180 adults and yearlings in Florida. From July 1 2014 through June 30 2015 25 panthers were killed by cars!
- The Invisible Crisis: Impact of endangered animal populations
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- The Invisible Crisis: Impact of endangered animal populations.
- Road traffic on average kills 45 Key Deer annually, the subspecies' single largest cause of death for an animal population that is only 1,000. On an average 63 animals are killed a year or 6.3% of the total population.
- III. The Human Perspective: Loss of Human Life
- From 1995-2005 almost 1,500 people have been killed in motor vehicle collisions with animals. Over 200 human fatalities annually. There are 725,000 to 1.5 million wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVCs) in the U.S. every year. WVCs cause 29,000 human injuries annually. Over a billion dollars in property damage annually. While only 2% of deer-car collisions result in human fatalities, 85% of deer-motorcycle collisions result in human fatalities. Car-deer crashes in Michigan occur about every eight minutesx More than 75,000 deer are killed in New York every year by vehicle collisions. 6 percent of accidents in Colorado are with wildlife, and can be as high as 25 percent in some areas. Deer-vehicle crashes occur most frequently from October to Decemberxiii Collisions causing human fatalities rose 67% from 1994 to 2006.
- III. The Human Perspective: Loss of Human Life
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- III. The Human Perspective: Loss of Human Life
- III. The Human Perspective: Interview police officer/EMT that has reported to accidents involving animal
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- III. Human Perspective: Financial Costs
- Facts: Over a billion dollars in property damage annuallyviii In British Columbia, Canada $600,000 is spent by the Ministry of Highway for clean-up of animal related accidents. Average bodily injury costs from all type of auto accidents were $15,443 (ISO, a Verisk Analytics company). An estimated 1.23 million deer-vehicle collisions occurred in the U.S. between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012, costing more than $4 billion in vehicle damage, according to State Farm Insurance
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- III. Human Perspective: Financial Costs
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- IV. Loss of Pets:
- Average moose weight: males 1200-1600 pounds, females 900 pounds . Average moose shoulder height: 6.2 feet
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- IV. Loss of Pets: Interview person that lost pet due to vehicular traffic
- 2 people die as bear flies through SUV in Canada
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- V. Prevention: Introduction
- The issue has gained some attention, especially in areas with endangered wildlife. Efforts to reduce and eliminate roadkill of species like Florida's Key Deer have created joint efforts between conservation biologist and federal and state transportation authority's to work together to find solutions. In fact, a new branch of environmental science has developed called roadside ecology. Roadside ecology examines the impact roads and road construction have had on wildlife.
- Facts continued: The average claim for deer-vehicle collisions between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012 was $3,305, up 4.4 percent from the previous year with costs varying depending on the type of vehicle and severity of the damage. Animal-related damage is typically treated as an "other than collision" claim under your comprehensive coverage. Often people don't purchase this coverage when they have an older car, which could require them to pay the entire cost of repair.
- Voice Over
- Almost everyone know somebody that has had a pet killed by traffic, but surprisingly there aren't a lot statistics available. The best available data is from a high school study called the RoadKill project started as part of a National Science Foundation teacher enhancement grant called EnviroNet which involved 40 schools throughout New England. Merritt Clifton,the editor of the Animal People Newspaper, used the 1993 roadkill statistics and estimated that 26 million cats and 6 million dogs are being killed annually in the U.S. by motor vehicles.
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- V. Prevention: Solutions
- There are several different approaches that are being used to try to reduce the number of animal/car collisions. They can be classified into two categories: 1) Helping drivers avoid collisions 2) Redirecting animals away from traffic.
- V. Prevention: Driver Avoidance
- Driver avoidance techniques simply try to make drivers aware that an animal may or is crossing the road. The simplest and most familiar tool used to help drivers avoid animal collisions has been the road signs. Road signs cue drivers to be vigilant in areas that commonly known to have a high concentration of road crossings. Signs run the gamut from the familiar plain yellow deer crossing signs, enhanced signs with colorful graphics and flags, signs with flashing lights, bill boards and now roadside digital signs.
- V. Prevention: Driver Avoidance
- Because these signs are very passive and drivers are distracted more than ever, digital signs are now being used in ecologically sensitive areas . Some simply display a flashing warning or may give the number of animals killed during a particular time period. The newest addition are roadside animal detection (RAD) systems which are computerized signs with flashing lights that activate when an animal breaks a beam of light.
- V. Prevention: Driver Avoidance
- Another technology to help drivers avoid animal collisions puts electronic detection systems in vehicles. Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Volvo are implementing different technologies into their vehicles to prevent animal and people collisions. The Audi A8's Night Vision Assistant has animal detection that indicates large animals in the vehicle's path. Volvo's animal detection system will detect and automatically brake for animals in daylight and in the dark. BMW and Mercedes-Benz are also at the forefront of sophisticated systems that detect pedestrians and animals. The BMW X5 features a night vision system is a $2,600 option.
- V. Prevention: Driver Avoidance
- Short comings of driver avoidance systems
- V. Prevention: Redirecting Animals
- Another solution to the problem is to redirect animals away from traffic and provide safe passage. Many roads have been constructed along early footpaths which more often then not were from animal migration routes. Other road projects just try to create the most direct route even if it means crossing ecologically significant area, like the NY State Thruway that passes through Montezuma National Wildlife Sanctuary!
- V. Prevention: Redirecting Animals
- Enhancing existing highway structures, e.g. culverts, etc...
- V. Prevention: Redirecting Animals
- Directing animals via habitat improvement
- V. Prevention: Redirecting Animals
- Low impact highway systems and wildlife crossings
- V. Prevention: Redirecting Animals
- Low impact highway systems and wildlife crossings
- V. Prevention: Redirecting Animals
- Short comings of redirection strategies
- V. Prevention: Redirecting Animals
- Short comings of redirection strategies
- VI. End Scene - Not today
- VI. End Scene - Not today
- One million non-human vertebrates may be killed on America’s roadways, but not if I can help it. Join me and take action!
- VII. What you can do
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