Mirrors Stop Animals

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30555, 25 September 1964, Page 13

Mirrors Stop Animals

THROUGHOUT the world motorists face the risk of wild animals dashing out on the road in front of the car, especially at night. The result is usually the death of the animal, a wrecked car and sometimes severe injuries to driver and passengers. In recent years approximately 1200 wild animals have been killed a year in Sweden in this way, and with the increase of traffic it was certain that this accident figure would rise unless safety measures were taken.

In an attempt to reduce accidents the Swedish authorities placed 5000 mirrors of highly-polished stainless steel along the roads wild animals were known to cross. The light from oncoming cars was reflected into the forests and this scared off the animals so effectively that it has been decided to place mirrors along all major roads where this type of danger exists. The same problem faces the Indiana Conservation Department in the United States, and this organisation erected 320 mirrors at a deer-crossing point, near Winamac, where 15 deer had been killed over a period before the test. Since then not one animal has been involved in an accident at this crossing, while at a point a

few miles north, where no mirrors were placed, animal deaths have remained at the usual high rate. The mirrors are about five inches square and are placed at intervals of about 25 yards. The resistance to corrosion of the metal makes the mirrors easy to maintain, and they rarely need any cleaning as occasional rainfall will wash away any dust that has collected on the surfaces.