Donal Hickey: Huge numbers of animals killed on roads every day

It's World Animal Road Accident Awareness Day on Thursday, October 10 — people are urged to be extra careful in areas that are known animal crossings and also to consider what they would do if they hit an animal while driving

World Animal Road Accident Awareness Day is on Thursday, October 10

Travel a few kilometres of any road and you’re likely to see a dead animal. Little wonder as motorised traffic is growing all the time and the number of cars on our roads has almost doubled since 1990 to 2.9 million.

Although there are no national statistics, levels of animal roadkill are undoubtedly huge. An Automobile Association (AA) survey of 9,500 motorists, seven years ago, found 13% had been involved in at least one collision with an animal, or bird.