Naantali warning system records no deer crashes
Tuesday 18th August 2026 on 19:45 in
Finland
A smart wildlife warning system in Naantali has prevented deer-related crashes during its first month of operation, Yle reports. The system warns drivers with flashing lights when an animal approaches the road.
The system was installed on Luonnonmaa, an island in Naantali, at a gap in a wildlife fence along Rymättyläntie. The opening allows animals to cross the road, and the warning system monitors the location.
No wildlife crashes have occurred there since the system began operating in late June. Previously, the area recorded between five and 10 wildlife-related crashes each year.
“We have had very positive experiences with this,” said Jaakko Klang, a traffic safety engineer at the Southwest Finland regional development centre.
Transport and Communications Minister Lulu Ranne inaugurated the system on Friday. She said new warning technologies were important for reducing crashes involving deer and other large animals.
Finland’s road safety strategy aims to eliminate fatal crashes and serious injuries by 2050. However, the government has no specific programme or separate funding to expand similar warning systems elsewhere in the country.
“This is a pilot location, and we will monitor its results,” Ranne said.
The smart system was developed through cooperation between Innotrafik, regional development centres in Southwest Finland, Pirkanmaa and South Ostrobothnia, insurance companies Lähi-Tapiola Pohjanmaa and Lähi-Tapiola Varsinais-Suomi, wildlife management associations and the Finnish Motorists association.
More than 13,200 wildlife-related road accidents were recorded in Finland last year, according to Statistics Finland. Nearly half occurred in Southwest Finland and Uusimaa.
Other measures are also being used to reduce crashes. Audio beacons in Ostrobothnia and Southwest Finland use spoken messages to turn deer away from roads, while wildlife fences, warning tape and wildlife grids have also produced positive results.
A real-time warning system costs about 40,000 to 50,000 euros. By comparison, an animal overpass costs about six million euros and an underpass about four million euros.