Near Michelago, between Canberra and Cooma in New South Wales, Australia, a 300-meter stretch of the Monaro Highway is serving as a testing ground for the Protective Animal Warning System.
The highway is especially dangerous for wildlife around dawn and dusk, when low light can make kangaroos and other animals harder for drivers to see. The warning system aims to give approaching drivers more time to react.
Heat-sensing and optical cameras monitor the highway and surrounding roadside. AI checks for kangaroos, deer, wombats, and other wildlife. When it detects an animal nearby, a roadside sign lights up with the message “ANIMAL ON ROAD SLOW DOWN.”
Unlike a standard yellow wildlife sign, the digital warning appears only when the system detects an animal nearby. Drivers get a warning tied to what is actually happening ahead, giving them time to slow down while the animal moves away from traffic.
At the trial site, Wildcare Queanbeyan president Elena Guarracino said she had counted up to 30 dead kangaroos. She hoped that, if successful, the technology would be introduced in other areas where animals are frequently hit by vehicles and eventually expanded to provide real-time alerts inside vehicles. ABC News reported that an estimated 10 million animals are killed on Australian roads each year.
Transport for NSW, the state government agency that oversees New South Wales’ roads and broader transport network, will track whether fewer animals are hit by vehicles during the trial. If successful, the system could be introduced at other dangerous locations across New South Wales.
Lady Freethinker hopes this technology will help protect animals crossing roads around Australia and that, if it proves effective, similar systems could be introduced on roads around the world to help save even more animals. A few extra seconds could save a life.
Communities around the world are finding innovative ways to protect wildlife near busy roads and highways. While PAWS uses technology to warn drivers about nearby animals, a new wildlife bridge in California takes a different approach altogether by giving wildlife a safer path over traffic. Deer even began using the crossing before construction was complete.
LFT applauds the efforts of communities where the safety of people AND animals is being prioritized and solutions are saving lives.
