In Autumn, the Number of Collisions with Wild Animals Increases

With the onset of autumn and the dark season, the risk of road traffic accidents on Latvian roads significantly increases, associated with the sudden appearance of wild animals on the roadway. Data from the insurance joint-stock company “BTA Baltic Insurance Company” (BTA) indicates that in autumn, approximately 10% of all CASCO claims are directly related to such incidents. Insurers and safe driving experts urge drivers to be especially careful and remind them how to act to avoid severe consequences.

As BTA's Director of the Insurance Claims Department Ivo Danče points out in an interview with the Skonto media group, in autumn - September, October, and November - the number of claims for collisions with wild animals increases by an average of 20% compared to other periods of the year. This September alone, BTA received 17% more claims than at the same time last year. Over the past three years, BTA has paid nearly 1.9 million euros in CASCO compensations for vehicles damaged by animals.

“Accidents with wild animals occur basically throughout the year, but in the autumn months, the claims we receive are on average 20% more compared to other months. In September alone, we have received about 100 claims from our clients involved in road traffic accidents with wild animals,” reveals a BTA representative.

Approximately two-thirds of all registered collisions occur with large animals — moose, deer, and roe deer. Such accidents most often cause the most severe damage. Less frequently, claims record collisions with wild boars, foxes, badgers, raccoons, or hares. The insurer reminds that mandatory OCTA insurance does not cover such losses for car owners, so the only option is a CASCO policy.

“People are becoming more educated and taking care of their property, so they are more inclined to purchase insurance to mitigate these risks when something happens. The amounts involved in such collisions with large wild animals are actually in the tens of thousands. And since OCTA does not cover these losses, CASCO is inevitable to protect oneself,” notes a BTA representative, adding that a CASCO policy is most often available for cars up to about 15 years old.