World News for Students of English

14-09-2021 15:00

Reindeer in Finland freely roam the land but often find themselves on busy roads. Every year motorists kill around 4,000 reindeer. This is a loss for the herders, drivers, and of course, the reindeer themselves.

In the past, herders painted the antlers of reindeer with fluorescent colours and h ung reflectors around their necks to keep them safe, but now, like most things in life, there is an app for this.

Lapland’s Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment developed the app to try and save the 300,000 reindeer that freely wander the wilds of Lapland.

The interactive reindeer warning smartphone app allows drivers to tap their smartphone screens to register any reindeer spotted near roads using GPS technology. This then creates a 1.5-kilometre warning zone that lasts for 1 hour, and other app users receive a warning if they enter the area.

The pilot project began in June with 1,000 app-loaded smartphones delivered to professional drivers including heavy vehicles, taxis and buses. The project has seen a reduction of around 100 accidents in comparison to the same period in 2013.

Difficult words: roam (walk), spot (see), reduction (lessening).

You can watch the video news lower on this page.