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The RTA Code

Every year, tens of thousands of badgers are killed in RTAs (Road Traffic Accidents) on the roads of Britain and other European countries. You may think that there is little that you can do to reduce this carnage. However, there are a host of practical actions that you can take.

These actions are summarised in the RTA Code:

• Report any dead or injured badgers that you see.
• Take care when driving at night.
• Avoid unnecessary car journeys.

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Report any dead or injured badgers that you see

Please report any dead badgers that you see to the local Badger Group or biological records centre. In Britain, many Badger Groups monitor where, when and in what numbers badgers are being killed on the roads so that they can take action accordingly. Please say which road the badger was on, which side of the road, and if possible how far (and in what direction) it is from the nearest specified road junction, farm, village or other landmark (use your car's mileometer to clock the distance as you travel). [More info.]

If you come across an injured badger on the road, prompt action is essential if its life is to be saved. [More info.]

You can help Badger Groups and other animal rescue organisations to deal with injured badgers more effectively by making a donation towards their costs. Badger rescue cages cost over £100 each and graspers, which are used to capture injured badgers without the risk of being bitten, cost over £50 each. Many Badger Groups maintain mobile phones so that there is nearly always someone available to take emergency calls; these obviously cost money to run. Other expenses which may be incurred include the cost of training sessions; the purchase of books on wildlife care and treatment; and vet bills.

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Take care when driving at night

Care should always be taken when driving at night, especially on country roads. Please take particular care when driving through those areas where you know that RTAs are frequent - reduce your speed and keep your eyes open! Remember, colliding with a badger is not just bad news for the badger, it can also result in damage to your car or injury to yourself. Swerving to avoid a badger could also result in an accident - one such accident caused a human fatality in Sussex in March 2000. If you drive at a sensible speed, you will have more time to react should a badger (or another animal, a human, or some other hazard) suddenly appear.

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Avoid unnecessary car journeys

Ultimately, the only way to reduce the number of badgers - and other wild animals - killed by RTAs is to reduce the amount of traffic on our roads. (In addition to a large numbers of badgers, motor vehicles are also believed to kill 100,000 hedgehogs, between 10 million and 60 million birds, and 20-40% of the UK's breeding population of frogs and toads every year.) Reducing traffic would also result in huge benefits to the environment, particularly by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants. So please think before you drive:

• Do you really need to make the journey?
• In the case of shorter journeys, can you walk or cycle?
• In the case of longer journeys, can you use public transport or share a car rather than drive?

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More ideas for action

Join Badger Groups, wildlife organisations, countryside groups and environmental bodies in opposing proposals for unnecessary new roads. New highways add to the length of roads on which badgers are killed, generate more traffic and more casualties on other roads, destroy badger setts and feeding grounds along their routes, and destroy badger setts and feeding grounds elsewhere through the quarrying of the aggregates needed for their construction. In Britain, they are also causing severe damage to many of our top wildlife sites (SSSIs).

In Britain, if you are a member of the AA or the RAC, consider switching to the Environmental Transport Association. Like the other organisations, the ETA offers a full breakdown and recovery service. Unlike the other organisations however, the ETA does not support the building of more roads - instead, it campaigns for better, integrated public transport.

In Britain, when new roads are being planned Badger Groups often carry out survey work to locate any badger setts, feeding grounds, or badger paths which might be affected. They can then assess what mitigation measures are needed. It helps if they already know where the setts are - so please report any badger setts that you know about to the local Badger Group. [More info.]

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Picture credits

The Eurasian badger photo used at the head of this Article is © Steve Jackson. Credits for the photos used in the right-hand margin of this page for site navigation can be found on the Credits page.

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