It's more common than you might think. Here's exactly what Finnish law requires, how insurance works, and what steps to take if a reindeer collision ruins your
What To Do If You Hit a Reindeer in Lapland
Around 4,000 reindeer-vehicle collisions are recorded in Finland every year, the majority in Lapland. If you drive long enough up here, you will have a near-miss; some visitors will have an actual hit. The reaction in the first 60 seconds shapes how the next two hours go. This is the procedure.
Stop. Hazards on. Stay in the lane if safe.
Pull onto the shoulder if there is one. If there isn't, stay where you are with hazard lights on. Do not chase the animal into the forest, even a clearly injured reindeer may charge if approached, and you risk a second accident if another car comes around the bend. Step out only on the side away from oncoming traffic.
If the reindeer is alive but injured, do not try to move it or end its suffering. That is the herder's legal responsibility, not yours.
Finland's emergency number is 112 . Operators speak English. Tell them: location (use the kilometre marker on the road sign or your phone's coordinates), what was hit, whether anyone is injured, and the registration of your vehicle. They will dispatch local police if needed and notify the reindeer-herding district (paliskunta) responsible for the area.
Police attend serious accidents. For a typical car-on-reindeer collision with no human injury and a driveable car, they will not always come, but the call is mandatory regardless. The 112 logged report is what your insurance and the rental company will request.
The car damage from at least three angles.
The animal (one wide shot is enough, do not approach).
The road conditions (snow level, ice, visibility, time of day).
The kilometre marker / nearest road sign for location.
Your speedometer if it stopped at impact (rare but useful).
Every Finnish rental contract includes 24/7 roadside assistance. The number is on your contract and usually on a sticker inside the windscreen. They will arrange recovery if needed and walk you through the insurance paperwork. The Finnish national roadside assistance number, 0200 8080 , is a useful backup if your rental company line is busy.
Most rental excess (€800–€2500) does cover reindeer collisions. If you took the Excess Waiver / Super CDW upgrade, your out-of-pocket exposure drops to zero. Glass & Tyre cover is separate, a reindeer through the windscreen is covered by the standard collision cover, not the glass cover.
Reindeer in Lapland are owned by individual herders (poromies) within a regional herding district. If you hit one, the owner is entitled to compensation. Your insurance typically pays this directly to the herding cooperative, you do not handle cash on the roadside. The compensation rate is set annually and currently sits around €600–€1,000 per animal depending on age and gender.
The umbrella organisation Paliskuntain yhdistys (Reindeer Herders' Association, +358 16 331 6000) coordinates this. Save the number alongside 112 and 0200 8080 before your trip.
The single biggest factor is speed at dawn and dusk. Reindeer are most active in the two hours either side of sunrise and sunset; that is also when light levels make them hardest to spot. Cut 20 km/h off the limit during these windows, especially on tree-lined sections.
Use full beams when no oncoming traffic, a reindeer's eyes reflect from 200+ m.
If you see one reindeer, expect more. They travel in groups; the second often steps out as you slow.
"Reindeer Crossing" signs (sign 156) are placed where actual herd movement is concentrated, not as a generic warning.
If a collision is unavoidable, brake straight and stay in your lane. Swerving into the oncoming lane causes worse accidents than hitting the animal.
For more on insurance excess, fuel policy, and other rental-specific questions, see the Tips & FAQ page .