Methods to Prevent or Mitigate Accidents with Large Animals

Abstract

Although accidents with animals represent a small portion in the official statistics, these accidents have an economic effect. The regulatory costs in Germany added up to an average of 370–464 million Euros annually in the years between 2000 and 2005. The insurance companies registered between 210,000 and 235,000 deer accidents on average every year. The largest part of the data collected by the insurance companies is accidents with damage to property. But accidents with large animals are a danger to vehicle occupants. German statistics for accidents with animals for this period show between 18 and 28 fatally injured persons and between 580 and 750 severely injured and 2,100–2,600 light casualties every year. Accidents that are caused by evasive maneuvers causing running-off track and finally colliding with the infrastructure or causing a cross-over collision have not been taken into account. The aim of this investigation is to evaluate typical accident scenarios and accident simulation with large animals. In particular, the effects on the vehicle occupants are investigated by multi-body simulation methods. The occupant load for accidents with animals is determined and influencing factors on the load are derived. Based on these investigations, avoidability scenarios are developed and methods are introduced that are relevant to the vehicle (active and passive safety) and also to the infrastructure and the driver. The objective is to develop effective counteractions in order to avoid accidents with animals or at least mitigate the accident aftermath.

Appendix

Name	Scientific name	Distribution	Length of head and torso	Shoulder height	Weight
Cow	Bos primigenius taurus	World wide	1.6–3.0	1.2–1.5	500–1,200		Scott Bauer (US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service).
Horse	Equus ferus caballus	World wide	2.0–3.0	1.0–1.6	175–450		Vulkano
Wild boar	Sus scrofa	World wide	1.3–1.8	0.8–1.0	70–200		Richard Bartz, Munich Makro Freak
Stag			0.7–2.9	0.3–1.9	7–800
(white-tailed deer)	Odocoileus virginianus	North America		1.0–1.1	100–150		Scott Bauer, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture.
Red deer	Cervus elaphus	Europe	1.80–2.10		100–168		Heinz Seehagel
Wapiti	Cervus canadensis	North America, Eastern Asia		0.75–1.50	230–450		Jim Leupold and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Elk	Alces alces	Eurasia, North America	3.00	2.3	800
Fallow deer	Dama dama	Central Southern Europe Middle East	1.30–1.75	0.8–1.05	65–110		Wisnia6522
Deer	Capreolus capreolus	Central Europe	1.00–1.40	0.6–0.9	15–30
Reindeer	Rangifer tarandus	Eurasia, North America	1.20–2.20	0.9–1.40	60–300		Alexandre Buisse
Camels	Camelidae				300–700
Dromedary (Arabic camel)	Camelus dromedarius	Asia, Africa	2.3–3.4	1.80–2.30	300–700		Daderot
Bactrian camel	Camelus (ferus) bactrianus	Asia	2.5–3.0	1.80–2.30	450–900		BS Thurner Hof
New-world camels	Lama
Guanako	Lama guanicoe	South America	1.2–1.7	0.9–1.2	80–120		PowersPhotos
Lama	Lama glama	South America		1.1–1.3	120–150		Anakin
Alpaka	Lama pacos	South America		0.9-1.1	55–70		Russelgz
Vicunga	Vicunga
Vicuña	Vicugna vicugna	South America	1.4–1.6	0.9–1.0	55–65		Dodo, L. Haefner