Why are there reindeer on or close to the road?
- Roads cross the reindeer’s customary grazing lands, from mountainous areas all the way to the coast. In many places roads are built across the reindeers’ migratory routes.
- Changing grazing conditions, climate change and predators also cause changes to reindeer migration and can cause the reindeer to show up in unusual areas – sometimes closer to roads where they would normally not be sighted.
- Road salt and sand attract both reindeer and other animals to the roads where they lick the salt. Reindeer, like other animals, do not have traffic sense.
- Deep snow might also cause reindeer to wander onto roads or snow mobile tracks where it is easier for them to move.
- Disturbances such as dogs running off the leash and snow mobiles also affect the reindeers’ grazing conditions.
Please be attentive, cautious and lower your speed when you sight a warning sign for reindeer in the area, garbage bags hung along the roadside or reindeer tracks. Apart from reindeer you might also encounter reindeer herding women, men and dogs close to the road. In some circumstances and in certain places it can be very difficult to avoid reindeer moving onto roads where there is traffic. Please adjust your speed, particularly in winter! Icy roads mean longer braking distances and driving in darkness makes it very difficult to discover animals and people on the road in time.
If there is an accident…
- Warn others on the road, turn on your warning lights and use a warning triangle.
- Make sure to carefully mark the site of the accident. If the animal runs off, please mark the side of the road on which the animal disappeared – this will assist in finding the injured animal. Please make sure to give a thorough description of the location – if you can, use GPS information.
If you hit a reindeer or other wild animal, you should ALWAYS report
this to the police112
