30% more collisions with wild animals in the dark autumn months than in summer
As it is getting dark sooner in the evenings, the number of collisions of cars and wild animals on the roads traditionally increases. Last year, the quantity of such accidents recorded in the last three months was 30% higher than in summer and nearly by a third more than in spring. October is the second most dangerous in this respect after December, according to the data of BTA Baltic Insurance Company AAS (BTA).
All three dark months at the end of the year are clear leaders in the black list of statistics where the insurer records car and wild animal collisions. The safest ones are April and August. There are 44% fewer accidents than in December.
Of all seasons, the safest is spring. In March, April and May, cars and wild animals clash 32% less often than at the end of the year. Just a bit more accidents recorded were in the lightest period of the year – in summer, which can be explained by the fact that a large part of population spend their holidays outside cities in the warmer months, staying in nature longer and returning home at night when it is dark and animal activity has begun. More cars on the roads lead to proportionately more accidents than, say, in spring.
“Insurers' statistics account cases when avoiding collision with the wild animal has failed and the car needs repair. Although, there are still thousands of dangerous situations in which both the driver's reaction and quick response as well as car safety systems of recent generations, such as automatic braking system, have helped to avoid an accident. Actually, cases when the animal jumps right in front of the vehicle or hits the side of it are very rare. More often than not, the animal can be spotted in advance on the side of the road or on the road itself, so bright headlights, a clean windscreen and high-quality tires are what makes the difference to have the shortest possible distance to come to a halt. No doubt, the driver itself must be alert and not only to keep the eye on the road, but also control what is going on at its sides. Timely reduction of the driving speed increases the odds of avoiding serious personal injuries and serious damage to the car body,” Kārlis Liepiņš, the Director of BTA Insurance Claims Handling Department, advises drivers to exercise extra caution during the dark months of the year.
About BTA
BTA Baltic Insurance Company is one of the leading insurance companies in the Baltics, offering the broadest range of non-life insurance services in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. BTA employs more than 1,000 employees in the Baltics. The shareholder of BTA is Vienna Insurance Group AG with close to 200 years of experience in the insurance business. With about 50 companies in 30 countries and more than 25,000 employees, Vienna Insurance Group is a clear market leader in its Central and Eastern European markets, and takes care of more than 22 million customers. Vienna Insurance Group is the best-rated company of ATX, the leading index of Vienna Stock Exchange (since 1994) with a rating of A+ with stable outlook from Standard & Poor’s. Vienna Insurance Group works in close partnership with Erste Group – the largest retail bank in CEE.
Additional information:
Elīna Zvejniece
Marketing and Public Relations Department Director
BTA Baltic Insurance Company AAS
e-mail: elina.zvejniece@bta.lv
