THE M5 is the most deadly motorway in Britain for animals, closely followed by the M6.

Deer are the most commonly reported roadkill, with 25 incidents reported in the West Midlands between June 2019 and September 2020.

They are followed by badgers, foxes, cats and dogs, although in many reports of animal kills the drivers are unable to specify the animal involved.

In fact, the survey by U Switch reveals that drivers massively underestimate the number of animals being killed on our roads.

The most reliable estimate is around 300,000 every year – a veritable slaughterhouse of wild animals – but some estimates go into the millions.

In the period covered there were 279 animals killed on the M5 while 244 died on the M6 – even though the M6 is a longer road.

U Switch surveyed 2,226 drivers and found 56% admitted hitting an animal.

Of those the highest percentage were BMW drivers, the lowest were Citreon owners. Peugeot drivers are the most likely to stop, Audi drivers the most likely to take the animal to a vet.

Generally drivers are most likely to report an accident with a dog (with a collar), followed by horse, cattle, dog (without a collar), sheep and then deer.

Drivers are least likely to report running over a frog or toad, wild boar!, water vole, fox or badger.

Nearly 3 in 4 drivers wrongly think they will be lumbered with vets bill if they take an injured animal to the vet. In fact most vets would not charge in those circumstances.

The full analysis and breakdown of the report is available here: https://www.uswitch.com/car-insurance/guides/roadkill-report/