The number of wildlife collisions has increased significantly in recent years. The claimed amount of damage has also increased on average. This is evident from figures from the Dutch Association of Insurers.
Despite facilities such as fences, cattle grids and ecoducts, there are still many wildlife collisions on an annual basis. In 2020, no fewer than 8,603 reports were received, reports the Dutch Association of Insurers, based on figures from its Data Analytics Center. That is considerably more than before, as there were 5,750 reports in 2014. The Association also states that the average claim amount is increasing. In 2017, an average of € 1,632 was claimed in a wildlife collision, in 2020 that was € 1,921.
Nevertheless, according to the organization, there is not necessarily an unexpected development. According to the Dutch Association of Insurers, the increase in the number of collisions is simply due to the fact that the road has become busier. Distraction from a telephone, for example, may be a bigger problem than before. According to the Dutch Association of Insurers, the increase in the average amount of damage is due to the growing complexity of damage repair for newer cars and the fact that parts are becoming more expensive.
Lockdowns may also have played a role in 2020. Although there was less traffic as a result, there was more busyness in nature reserves and this presumably resulted in more migration of animals. Most of the game strikes took place in the ‘traditional’ months, March and April last year, despite the fact that there was a lockdown most of the time.
Gelderland is a hotspot
The chance of a wildlife collision is by far the greatest in Gelderland. In that province, no fewer than 1,300 wildlife collisions took place last year. After all, there is a lot of expansive nature and many large wild animals such as wild boars, red deer and, recently, wolves. Earlier this year, a wolf was hit in Ede on the N224, a notorious road when it comes to wildlife collisions anyway. The smallest chance of a wildlife collision is in Flevoland. There it went wrong 290 times.