Reducing the Number of Animals Killed on UK Roads

About 6 months ago, through no fault of my own, I ran over a rabbit close to my house on a national speed limit bypass. The poor thing bolted out into the middle of the road so fast that swerving would have done more damage than good. I can honestly say I cried the rest of the way home. I'm ashamed to admit I never checked my mirror but it would be safe to say the wee guy didn't survive.

This made me think about what could have happened if I hadn't reacted the way I did or the animal was of a larger species. It is not uncommon to hear of people swerving to miss deer on the road and colliding with nearby trees or lamposts. Even an animal such as a badger or fox could cause significant damage to a car not to mention the animal itself.

It's due to this incident and a long drive along the animal morgue that is the A9 which brought me to this project. For the past 3 years I've been studying Product Design & Innovation at the University of Strathclyde and my final year is largely dominated by an individual project. This project includes a full run of the design process from spotting a problem to prototyping and even on to marketing and implementation.

My brief as it stands is to design a product that will reduce road traffic accidents involving larger animals on UK roads. High-vis vests for foxes and eye glasses for badgers have been suggested but I aim for something a little easier to implement and monitor.

So this blog will document my findings and progress throughout the year. Feedback is encouraged and welcomed at any stage :)