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Volume 12
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10.3390/safety12020051
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Article

Land Cover and Temporal Effects on Dog-Vehicle Collisions in Lithuania

by
Arūnas Samas
1,*,
Giedrius Trakimas
1,2,
Alius Ulevičius
1,
Vaidotas Valskys
1,
Joris Valatka
1,
Lina Matačina
1 and
Gytautas Ignatavičius
1
1
Institute of Biosciences, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio Ave. 7, 10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
2
Department of Biodiversity, Institute of Life Sciences and Technology, Daugavpils University, Parādes St. 1, 5401 Daugavpils, Latvia
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Safety 2026, 12(2), 51; https://doi.org/10.3390/safety12020051
Submission received: 19 January 2026 / Revised: 13 March 2026 / Accepted: 30 March 2026 / Published: 13 April 2026
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Abstract

Animal-vehicle collisions (AVCs) are an increasing concern globally, yet domesticated animals, particularly dogs, remain understudied. We investigated spatial and temporal patterns of dog-vehicle collisions (DVCs) in Lithuania. Landscape variables such as distance to buildings, forests, meadows, and arable land, as well as land cover composition within a 500 m radius, were analyzed using GIS and compared to randomly generated pseudo-absence points. Temporal patterns were analyzed monthly, daily, and hourly. There was a significant difference in the number of DVCs occurring at sunrise and sunset. Moreover, DVCs were more frequent on weekends, peaking on Fridays and Sundays. Spatially, DVCs were significantly more likely to occur closer to built-up areas and meadows, and farther from forests and arable land, compared to random pseudo-absences, indicating a strong association with human-modified habitats. These findings indicate that DVCs are more influenced by human-modified landscapes and dog activity patterns, particularly around dawn and dusk.
Keywords: dog-vehicle collisions; land cover; temporal patterns dog-vehicle collisions; land cover; temporal patterns

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MDPI and ACS Style

Samas, A.; Trakimas, G.; Ulevičius, A.; Valskys, V.; Valatka, J.; Matačina, L.; Ignatavičius, G. Land Cover and Temporal Effects on Dog-Vehicle Collisions in Lithuania. Safety 2026, 12, 51. https://doi.org/10.3390/safety12020051

AMA Style

Samas A, Trakimas G, Ulevičius A, Valskys V, Valatka J, Matačina L, Ignatavičius G. Land Cover and Temporal Effects on Dog-Vehicle Collisions in Lithuania. Safety. 2026; 12(2):51. https://doi.org/10.3390/safety12020051

Chicago/Turabian Style

Samas, Arūnas, Giedrius Trakimas, Alius Ulevičius, Vaidotas Valskys, Joris Valatka, Lina Matačina, and Gytautas Ignatavičius. 2026. "Land Cover and Temporal Effects on Dog-Vehicle Collisions in Lithuania" Safety 12, no. 2: 51. https://doi.org/10.3390/safety12020051

APA Style

Samas, A., Trakimas, G., Ulevičius, A., Valskys, V., Valatka, J., Matačina, L., & Ignatavičius, G. (2026). Land Cover and Temporal Effects on Dog-Vehicle Collisions in Lithuania. Safety, 12(2), 51. https://doi.org/10.3390/safety12020051

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