Wildlife crossings, which are human-made structures like underpasses, overpasses, or culverts (涵洞) that help animals move safely around their habitat, don’t just protect animals and biodiversity. They can also reduce the number of car collisions and save significant money, a new study finds.

“I thought it would be useful to provide some information on the financial benefits of wildlife crossing structures for policymakers, transportation planners, and conservationists”, says Wisnu Sugiarto, the author of the study.

For this study, Sugiarto studied collision information from the Washington State Department of Transportation. He examined data for 13 of the 22 wildlife crossings in Washington State from 2011 to 2020. Then he made adjustments based on how close the crossings were to other structures and the time it took to build them. He compared the numbers of wildlife-vehicle collisions each year before and after the construction of a wildlife crossing. Then he compared his analysis to that of a separate area in the state with no crossings at all.

“The findings reported that wildlife crossing structures reduced the number of wildlife-vehicle collisions (碰撞)by one to three accidents on average per mile per year, but not all structures had statistically significant effects”, Sugiarto says.

Using financial estimates from other research, he determined that a wildlife crossing offers an annual benefit of between $235,000 and $443,000 every year. Earlier studies focused on wildlife crossings in North Carolina, Utah, and Wyoming. They found wildlife underpasses and fencing could improve road safety, he says. “My findings complement the earlier studies and are also in favor of improving road safety.”

Besides, the findings are timely. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in 2021 includes $350 million over five years for the construction of wildlife crossings.

‘‘Before working on this research, I wasn’t aware of any strategies to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions. I also thought we couldn’t do much about it, partly because we can’t communicate with wildlife or control their movement”, Sugiarto says. “However, it turns out that there are multiple strategies to handle issues related to wildlife-vehicle collisions and that we can do something about them.”

【小题1】What did Sugiarto think about conducting the study in paragraph 2?

A．It is necessary.

B．It is cost effective.

C．It is difficult to conduct.

D．It would educate the pedestrians.

【小题2】How did Sugiarto conduct his study?

A．By turning to previous findings.

B．By referring to professional data.

C．By analyzing the cause of collisions.

D．By interviewing different passers-by.

【小题3】Why are Sugiarto's findings considered to be timely?

A．They offer a way to ensure road safety.

B．They draw public attention to collisions.

C．They help improve the safety of wildlife crossings.

D．They provide evidence for new policies on wildlife crossings.

【小题4】What is the effect of the study on Sugiarto?

A．It makes him famous.

B．It gives him new topics to explore.

C．It changes his view on wildlife-vehicle collisions.

D．It provides inspiration for him to communicate with wildlife.