Americans can be considered to be a “future-oriented” culture, with a short-term orientation, giving less importance to conserving nature.
Adler, N. (1986). International dimensions of organizational behavior. Boston: Kent.
In Saudi Arabia, collisions with camels were found to be prominent.
Ansari, S. & Ashraf, A., (1998). Camel collisions as a major cause of low cervical spinal cord injury. Spinal Cord 36, 415-417.
Road mortality incidents are increasing as roads are constructed through migration corridors…
Berger, J. (2009). State of the Wild: 2008-2009; A Global Portrait of Wildlife, Wildlands and Oceans, Wildlife Conservation Society, Washington, D.C.: Overland Press.
Stats derived from the Colorado State Patrol indicate that accident reports where a patrolman is notified are exclusive of the smaller species — from chipmunks to birds to raptors to coyotes.
Colorado State Patrol, 2010
The number of wildlife-vehicle collisions more than doubled from 1998 to 2004…Approximately 29,000 human injuries, over 200 fatalities and over $1 billion in property damage annually result from animal-vehicle collisions…
In Colorado, current estimates suggest that tens of millions of vertebrates are killed on roadways each year…
Crooks, K., Haas, C., Baruch-Mordo, S., Middledorf, K., Magle, S., Shenk, T., Wilson, K., & Theobald, D. (2008). Roads and connectivity in Colorado: Animal-vehicle collisions, wildlife mitigation structures, and lynx-road interactions. (Report No. CDOT-2008-4 Final Report). Colorado Department of Transportation Research Branch.
In Durango, wildlife-vehicle collisions are the most common type of car accident….Animal-vehicle collisions claim the lives of more than 200 people each year, annually…The number of wildlife-vehicle collisions more than doubled from 1998 to 2004.
Defenders of Wildlife, www.defenders.org
On wider, high-speed highways, birds and small mammals are especially susceptible; large and mid-size mammals are especially vulnerable on two land, high speed roads.
Forman, R.T.T. & Alexander, L.E. (1998). Roads and their major ecological effects. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 29, 207-31.
Forman, R.T.T., Sperling, S., Bissonette, J.A., Clevenger, A.P., Cutshall, C.D., Dale, V.H., Fahrig, L., France, R., Goldman, C.R., Heanue, K., Jones, J.A., Swanson, R.J., Turrentine, T., & Winter, T.C. (2003). Road Ecology: Science and Solutions. Washington, D.C.: Island Press.
Citizens…favor environmental protection, especially when it positively affects their quality of life.
Lybecker, D., Lamb, B.L. & Ponds, P.D. (2002). Public attitudes and knowledge of the Black-tailed Prairie Dog: A common and controversial species. BioScience 52(7), 607-612.
According to certain studies using the “New Ecological Paradigm,” it was found that people who are optimistic favor a global future when they feel (1) they have an internal locus of control; and (2) they have considered future consequences.
O’Brien, McElwee and Brittain (2009). Optimism for the World’s Future versus the Personal Future: Application to Environmental Attitudes. Current Psychology 28(2), 133-145.
Road mortality has replaced hunting as the leading cause of vertebrate deaths in our country… …a high proportion of crashes in which people are hospitalized ‘involve drivers swerving to avoid hitting an animal, resulting in the vehicle leaving the road, hitting a tree, pole, guardrail, and/or rolling over’
***
In Europe and Canada, moose and deer were found to be a “considerable problem on the road.”
In Australia’s outback, animal-vehicle collisions are responsible for over 5% of all serious casualties…General lack of awareness was shown to be a contributing factor.
Rowden, P., Steinhardt, D., & Sheehan, M. (2008). Road crashes involving animals in Australia. Accident Analysis and Prevention (40), 1865-1871
Wildlife road mortality is arguably one of the most significant causes of decline in wildlife populations in the United States, contributing to approximately one million animal deaths daily.
Defenders of Wildlife, 2010.
The daily death toll for animals in the United States lost to roadways is actually the ANNUAL death toll count in the U.K.
***
In all cases, road width, density and speed of traffic affects an individual’s chances of crossing a road successfully.
Underhill, J.E. and Angold, P.G. (2000). Effects of roads on wildlife in an intensively modified landscape. Environmental Review 8, 21-39.
In British Columbia, vehicles frequently claim the lives of moose, causing extensive property damage, injuries and fatalities…
www.wildlifeaccidents.ca/default.aspx
Humans have an innate ability to connect with nature.
Wilson, E.O., (1996). In search of nature. Washington, D.C.: Island Press.
