In January and February this year, 136 reindeer collisions were reported in Härjedalen, with the majority occurring in January. This escalation highlights persistent dangers on accident-prone roads like Riksväg 84 and Länsväg Z 514, where Handölsdalens sameby has many reindeer grazing in the forests during winters. Handölsdalens sameby has long requested a speed reduction along Riksväg 84 between Hedeviken and Sveg during periods when reindeer are most present along the roads. These two roads are accident-prone for reindeer collisions. The Sámi parliament reports that more than 10,000 reindeer were killed by motorists in northern Sweden in the last five years, with the worst affected area being the road between Skröven and Moskojärvi, south-east of Kiruna.
In response, Trafikverket has for the first time this year put up temporary signs with a lowered recommended speed on a designated part of the stretch. The agency has also cleared snow banks beyond standard requirements this year to improve visibility and help reindeer move off the road. Police wildlife coordinator Jon Lovén believes that lowering the speed where it is currently 100 km/h could improve the situation. However, there are no plans to permanently lower the speed limit, as for a permanent speed reduction, the traffic environment must change so that it is justified.
From a police perspective, drivers need to respect and consider current signage. Police can be more visible on the relevant road stretch, but it is a prioritization issue based on other tasks. Outside built-up areas, Länsstyrelsen decides on temporary local speed reductions. It takes a long time to get temporary speed reductions approved, often several months due to bureaucracy. In contrast, it is significantly easier for police and Trafikverket to make quick interventions, referring to traffic regulations.
Samebyarna are responsible for locating reindeer that are hit, which takes a lot of time and is not easy. Many reindeer that are hit are never found again. Reindeer collisions are a psychological burden and an economic loss for the sameby. Payment is received for reindeer that are found, but it is not equal to the value of the reindeer.
Recent incidents have further spotlighted the issue. A large reindeer migration will occur on road 837 through Sörvik and Görvik on Thursday, March 19, from 11:00, making it impassable during the move. The migration is forced by difficult ice conditions with slippery ice, requiring Jijnjevaerie sameby to move reindeer on land, and will take one to two hours, moving from north to south. Over the weekend, there was debate and much attention around 300 reindeer that ended up in the middle of skiers in the Hovden Tour ski race.
During such movements, trafikanter and residents can help by showing respect, stopping vehicles, not trying to drive through the herd, leashing dogs, and keeping them indoors or in vehicles. The Norwegian Wild Reindeer Centre has created its own wild reindeer etiquette rules to help when mountain people and wild reindeer travel in the same areas. There is research backing that reindeer become stressed due to dynamic human activity when they detect us in an area.
Collisions also prompt police investigations. On Saturday evening, March 28, a vehicle drove into a reindeer herd on fv. 60 over Utvikfjellet, with the herd consisting of 50 animals, which is considered a small reindeer herd. Two of the females died instantly and were found the same evening along the road, and over the next two days, two more dead females were found, and one with a broken hind leg was euthanized. A driver reported to the police that he had driven into two animals on Utvikfjellet on Saturday evening, and police superintendent in Gloppen, Nils Ove Roset, says they will have a conversation with the driver and any witnesses to better understand what may have happened. Losing 5 out of 50 animals is a large blow to the herd, with challenges due to limited genetic variation in a small flock, increasing the risk of inbreeding.
Traffic impacts from reindeer presence can be significant. Traffic on road 596 between Lulsundet and Sinksundet in both directions is affected by a reindeer on the road. The event has little impact on traffic but limited accessibility, with a warning issued at 07:14 on Wednesday and expected to affect traffic until 08:32. Traffic is no longer affected by the event as of an update at 08:33, and traffic is flowing normally as of an update at 10:01. The event has a large impact on traffic, with one lane blocked, and an alarm received at 19:25 on Saturday. Fv. 888 Bekkarfjord - Hopseidet may be closed at short notice due to reindeer moving, potentially for up to 12 hours, with a warning from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration valid until March 30.
Mitigation strategies extend beyond closures. Wildlife-vehicle collision mitigation strategies include standard signs, large nonstandard signs, seasonal signs, animal detection systems, and improving driver attentiveness with in-vehicle warning systems. They also include increasing visibility to drivers through roadway lighting, vegetation removal, wider striping, reflective collars for animals, and reduced height of snow banks. Wildlife-vehicle collision mitigation strategies include reducing traffic volumes on roadways through reduction in traffic volume on the network and temporary road closures.
Driver education plays a role in prevention. Public information and driver education efforts are thought to work best when conducted in concert with other wildlife-vehicle collision reduction techniques. To avoid hitting an animal with a car, drivers should slow down, follow speed limits, watch for wildlife at dawn, dusk, and after darkness, and be cautious on two-lane roads bordered by woods or fields. Most animal/vehicle collisions occur on two-lane roads bordered by woods or fields, or where streams cross under roads. Drivers should scan the road for wildlife, avoid throwing trash out car windows, use high beams, lower dashboard lights, and try to drive straight instead of swerving around wildlife.
The effectiveness of these measures is debated. Devices like Streiter Lite® reflectors have been reported to reduce deer/vehicle collisions by 60 to 100%. However, recommended measures such as scent fences, optical and acoustic reflectors, cutting back hedges and bushes, and warning signs do not reduce accidents involving wild animals effectively and lastingly.
Structural solutions offer longer-term fixes. Fencing is one of the most successful techniques for alleviating deer/vehicle collisions. Other measures include mounting motion-activated flashing lights on deer-crossing signs and constructing green bridges or wildlife crossing underpasses.
The broader context includes international comparisons. Each year, there are roughly 1.5 million vehicle collisions just with deer on U.S. roadways. The most common wildlife-vehicle collisions in the United States involve deer. In Germany, there are over 276,000 collisions with deer and other larger wild animals on roads every year. In 2024, 8 people died in accidents involving wild animals in Germany, and around 2,800 drivers a year are injured. Accidents involving wild animals peak in May, October, and November, but care must be taken throughout the year. They occur most often between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. and between 5 p.m. and midnight, with the period between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. also dangerous due to low traffic volumes. In 80 percent of all accidents involving wild animals in Germany, the car collides with a deer, and in 10 percent of cases, it collides with a wild boar. On a national basis in Norway, only one case of wild reindeer collision was registered in 2024–2025. This is the first time the reindeer herd on Utvikfjellet has been hit as far as known, and the herd has walked along the road for several years.
Underlying factors exacerbate the problem. Reindeer are attracted to salt laid out to de-ice roads, and roads have become increasingly busy due to industrial activity such as mining. Enforcing speed limits in areas with deer can reduce collisions. In Sweden, drivers are obligated to promptly mark the site and notify local police if involved in a collision with certain animal species including bear, wolf, moose, deer, wild boar, and others.