Why should you be careful of large livestock when driving to pastoral areas?

This article was reviewed by Chen Xiaokai, Associate Professor and Deputy Director of the National Engineering Laboratory for Electric Vehicles, Beijing Institute of Technology

Key Points

Cars are comparable in size to large livestock and animals, and the force of a collision between them is similar to that of a rear-end collision.

For animals , the routes for returning home and migration are fixed, and they will not take detours just because of the roads that run through them.

Fasten your seat belt, avoid driving while tired, and strictly control your speed. Driving in a standardized manner is also a sign of respecting life.

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Midsummer is here, and it is a good season to travel to the grassland by car. We often see signs and slogans on the roadside reminding people to be careful of passing livestock. This is not only to avoid economic losses caused by hitting or injuring livestock, but also to protect the safety of drivers and passengers. Because the nature of accidents such as car collisions with large animals is not what we imagine.

Back in August 2021, a fatal car accident in Alxa caused a popular actress in "Rural Love Story" to leave us forever. The cause of the accident was that it was dark and the car was fast, and the driver did not react in time, causing the SUV she was riding to hit two camels on the road, causing serious damage to the vehicle and serious casualties to the passengers and camels.

Some of my friends may still be unwilling to accept this fact: that is an SUV made of steel. No matter how big a camel is, it is just flesh and blood. How could they hurt each other to such a serious extent?

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01

Why is hitting livestock so dangerous?

We know that the greater the mass of an object, the greater its inertia, the more difficult it is to change its state of motion, and the more serious the consequences of a collision. What is the physique of common large livestock?

The most common camels in Alxa are Bactrian camels, and the weight of an adult camel can reach more than 0.5 tons. Other large livestock, such as horses, can also weigh up to 0.4 tons. Although cattle are not as tall as camels or horses, they are relatively sturdy, and it is common for adult cattle to weigh more than 0.5 tons. Generally, a car weighs 1.5 tons, and an SUV usually does not exceed 2 tons. If you really hit these large livestock, it can be said to be a car-to-car collision level in terms of weight. If the speed is relatively fast, it is even more dangerous.

Author's own

In addition, the consequences of hitting a tall and long-legged animal are often more serious. Animals such as camels and moose can be up to 2 meters tall or even taller, while a general SUV is usually about 1.7 meters tall, and a car is usually 1.4-1.5 meters tall. Once a collision occurs, the car will first hit the animal's legs, so the car's speed will not be reduced much, and the animal's body will then hit the front windshield and the cab at full speed... It's a bit like a small car rear-ending a large truck.

In this case, the front energy-absorbing structure of the car, which is carefully designed to prevent conventional collisions, cannot absorb the collision energy well. In special circumstances, the airbag may not even pop out, which will cause great damage to the vehicle and passengers.

Car hits reindeer accident (Source: https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/388617/Moose-hits-head-on-into-car)

02

What brings animals to the roads?

Situations like people driving animals to graze, or animals escaping from fences due to poor management may cause animals to go onto the road. However, these are man-made situations and we will not discuss them in detail. Let's focus on the impact of the "road" itself on animals.

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Highways are indeed very convenient for humans, but for some wild animals, a highway that runs through their habitat is like a knife that splits their original habitat in half. Originally, it was relatively safe for animals to run from their home A to B to find food and then go home, but because a highway runs between A and B, this section of the road becomes full of dangers.

In other cases, the road just cuts off the animal migration route, or blocks the way to the animal breeding ground, and the animals will be very "stubborn" to choose the familiar route based on their instinct, which will cause a lot of tragedies. In addition, in order to prevent the road surface from icing in winter, some sections of the road will spread salt on the road to melt the snow, which will attract animals to come and lick it, and also increase the risk of traffic accidents.

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According to some studies on animals that have unfortunately died under the wheels, many species will be killed. In addition to large animals, the long list also includes lizards, frogs, snakes, hedgehogs, rabbits, cats, dogs and even birds and bats. Although the so-called cats jump, dogs dodge, rabbits roll, eagles flip - animals are often quick to react and agile, but in front of a speeding car, they are still caught off guard.

03

Avoid tragedy

What should we do?

From a management perspective, asking herders to pay attention to safety and take good care of the herds, fencing the roads, designing an overpass or tunnel for animals that need to "cross the road", painting the horns of moose with reflective paint, etc. are all effective methods. I won't go into details here. Let's focus on what we should do as drivers.

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First of all, we must make clear the most important principle: animals are lovely, but human life is more valuable. If you are driving at a high speed, if a small animal suddenly appears in front of the car, do not turn the steering wheel suddenly to avoid losing control of the car and causing danger. When driving at high speed, do not brake suddenly, but use the method of braking slightly to reduce the speed a little before stepping on the brakes to avoid rollover accidents that are easy to happen.

Although it may sound cruel, the lives of all the people in the car, plus the safety of other drivers and passengers who may be affected, are more precious than the lives of any animals. In addition, wearing seat belts throughout the journey can protect the lives of drivers and passengers with a high probability, and fatigue driving must be avoided.

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Also, when driving by yourself, you must do your homework in advance. Because many places with beautiful scenery are pastoral areas, and such places often have straight roads and few cars, it is easy to step on the accelerator without realizing it. Therefore, you must understand the road conditions in advance and be mentally prepared for livestock to appear on the road. If there are livestock crossing the road, you should stop and let them pass to avoid accidents and disputes.

Finally, as the saying goes, nine out of ten accidents are caused by speeding. For the safety of yourself and others, do not speed.

Author | Ding Zong

Review | Chen Xiaokai, Deputy Director and Associate Professor of the National Engineering Laboratory for Electric Vehicles, Beijing Institute of Technology

Source: Science Refutes Rumors