Drivers spot ‘urgent warning signs’ on car number plates across the UK

Drivers have reported a ‘catastrophic’ problem they’ve spotted on their car number plates.

Analysis released by Bugs Matter for the Kent Wildlife Trust’s Buglife Survey has analysed 25,000 car journeys in the UK and found a staggering and alarming 63% decline in the number of insects found on car number plates since 2021.

The survey looks at the number of splattered insects on car number plates after each journey, asking drivers taking part to count and catalogue the amount. The experiment is repeated each summer in various parts of the UK.

Kent Wildlife Trust said: “The Bugs Matter Citizen Science Survey uses an innovative method for the large-scale surveying of flying insect abundance across the UK. The survey runs every summer and involves citizen scientists recording the number of insect splats on their vehicle number plates following a journey.

“Counting insects not only gives an estimate of the abundance of insect life but is also a measure of the health of the environment, so when their numbers fall it is an indication that nature is in trouble.”

The survey results, released in 2024, indicate the scale of the issue.

It says: “The number of recorded flying insects fell by 62.5% between 2021 and 2024, although the rate of decline has slowed between 2023 and 2024. This decrease in insect splats over such a short time is concerning. It is likely due to the compounding effects of both a background rate of decline as well as a short-term cycle of decline, perhaps linked to the extreme climate in the UK in recent years.”

The bottom line is that if numbers continue to decline, it would lead to total societal collapse, and Earth would no longer be able to sustain human life.

It continues: “In recent years, scientists, conservation organisations and the media have drawn attention to global declines in insect abundance, the consequences of which are potentially catastrophic. Invertebrates are critical to ecosystem functions and services, and without them, life on Earth would collapse.

“However, there has been insufficient data to make robust conclusions about trends in insect abundance, because standardised insect sampling approaches are not widely applied to all insect groups or at a national scale.

“The Bugs Matter citizen science survey provides a standardised and large-scale approach to monitor the abundance of flying insects over time.

“The sampling method is analogous to the ‘windscreen phenomenon’, a term given to the anecdotal observation that people tend to find fewer insect splats on the windscreens of their cars now, compared to in the past.”

Andrew Whitehouse, of Buglife, said: “The latest Bugs Matter data suggests that the abundance of flying insects in our countryside has fallen again. The consequences are potentially far-reaching, not only impacting the health of the natural world, but affecting so many of the essential services that nature provides for us.

“Human activities continue to have a huge impact on nature, habitat loss and damage, pesticide use, pollution, and climate change all contribute to the decline in insects. Society must heed the warning signs of ecological collapse, and take urgent action to restore nature.”