Roadkill

Roadkill is an animal or animals that have been struck and killed by motor vehicles driven by humans on highways. It is important because of the loss of wild animals, road safety, and the economic impact on both drivers and road management. For this reason it has increasingly become the topic of academic research to understand the causes, and how it can be mitigated. Some roadkill can also be eaten.

History

During the early 20th century, roadkill or "flat meats" (or "highway pizza") became a common sight in most industrialized First World nations, as they adopted the internal combustion engine and the automobile. One of the earliest observers of roadkill was the naturalist Joseph Grinnell, who noted in 1920: "This [roadkill] is a relatively new source of fatality; and if one were to estimate the entire mileage of such roads in the state [California], the mortality must mount into the hundreds and perhaps thousands every 24 hours."

In Europe and North America, deer are the animal most likely to cause vehicle damage. In Australia, specific actions taken to protect against the variety of animals that can damage vehicles – such as bullbars (usually known in Australia as 'roo bars', in reference to kangaroos) – indicate the Australian experience has some unique features with road kill.

Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead

Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead, also known as Roadkill 2, is a 2008 American thriller film. Released in October 2008. It is a direct-to-DVD sequel to the 2001 film Joy Ride. The film was directed by Louis Morneau and starring Nicki Aycox, Nick Zano, Laura Jordan, Kyle Schmid and Mark Gibbon as Rusty Nail. The film was followed by Joy Ride 3 (2014).

The film was released on DVD on October 7, 2008 in the United States and opened at #9 at the DVD sales chart, making $1,492,635 off 62,000 sold DVD units. As per the latest figures, 200,000 units have been sold, translating to $4,307,361 in revenue. This does not include Blu-ray sales/DVD rentals.

Plot

The film begins with a trucker at a truck stop in an unspecified rural location. It is night time and in a heavy rainstorm, and a hooker gets into a large, black Peterbilt and offers her "services" to the trucker inside. The trucker is revealed to be Rusty Nail (Mark Gibbon), when he recites his phrase "I like the rain. Keeps everybody inside and washes everything clean". He asks the hooker to go out into the rain to get wet. When she is unnerved by this strange behavior and states she is leaving, Rusty Nail locks the doors and asks her to leave through the open window. He then shuts the window up half way as she is clambering out, trapping her with half her body hanging outside the truck. Rusty Nail then drives off, decapitating the hooker as he drives alongside a trailer attached to the truck.

Roadkill (disambiguation)

Roadkill is a common reference to animals killed by impact with motor vehicles.

Roadkill or Road Kill may also refer to:

Film

Music

Television episodes

Other uses