The number of road traffic accidents involving elk has gradually declined in Finland since the beginning of this decade, but there are still on average about five such collisions every day.
Last year, there were about 1,666 elk-related crashes on Finnish roads, a significant decrease on the figure of over 2,000 in 2017.
However, while the numbers are falling, some areas remain accident black spots. The areas around the eastern cities of Kouvola and Mikkeli, for example, saw 164 and 156 elk-related crashes last year, respectively.
According to the Fintraffic Road Traffic Centre, autumn is the most dangerous time of the year for elk accidents.
Colliding with an elk is the worst possible wild-animal-related accident that a motorist can have on Finland's roads. Elk generally weigh hundreds of kilos and their long, spindly legs combined with heavy frame mean collisions often lead to the animals landing directly onto the car's windshield and crushing the passengers.
Although the terms 'elk' and 'moose' are often used interchangeably to refer to the same animal, elk is the European name for the Alces alces species.
Accident black spots
One of the most notorious stretches of road for elk collisions is Highway 13 between Mikkeli and Jyväskylä, which has seen 24 serious incidents between 2020 and 2024.
Jani Hotanen, operations manager of the Mikkeli Game Management Association, told Yle that accidents tend to be concentrated in certain areas because elk follow the same migration routes.
"They have been the same from year to year, decade to decade, and even century to century. Often, these are grooves formed after the Ice Age, along which there is plenty of food," Hotanen said.
Another hotspot for elk collisions is about 10-20 kilometres south of Mikkeli, where stretches of Highway 5 have seen 23 collisions so far this decade.
According to Hotanen, the movement of elk in this area is largely determined by the location of bodies of water, and this can also give motorists a clue about where to expect that elk might cross the road.
He advised drivers to watch out for openings in fields or gaps in a fence, especially if driving past a lake.
Safer cars and less elk
Tomi Niemi, a planner at the Finnish Road Safety Council, told Yle that there are three main reasons why Finland has seen a drop in the number of elk-related car accidents.
The first is that the country's elk population has decreased from over 100,000 individuals at the end of the 2010s to just over 80,000 this year.
In addition, the sharp drop in collisions in 2020 can be at least in part attributable to the Covid pandemic, when there was significantly less traffic on Finland's roads as travel restrictions were in place.
Niemi also believes that improvements in car safety technology is a key factor.
"Automatic emergency braking assistants, improved lighting, and other safety technologies can help avoid accidents," he noted.
