After decades of being killed on the road in huge numbers, hedgehogs are finally to get their own road sign warning drivers to watch out for them.

The new signs bearing the silhouette of the animal in a red triangle will be placed in areas where the accident risk is highest and will also be used to warn about squirrels, badgers, otters and other small animals crossing.

Ministers announced the proposed new signage on Monday as part of a scheme to reduce the number of animal road deaths and the number of accidents caused by people swerving to avoid animals or motorcyclists skidding on roadkill.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The new road sign to improve road safety and protect hedgehogs. Photograph: Department for Transport

Hedgehog numbers have fallen by more than half in the UK countryside since 2000, with roads a particular hazard for the mammals because they curl up into a ball in the face of danger.

The signs are the first featuring a new animal in a quarter of a century: they join those warning motorists about large animals, such as deer, cows, sheep and horses, and the smaller ones, such as migratory toads and wildfowl.

“We have some of the safest roads in the world but we are always looking at how we can make them safer. Motorcyclists and other vulnerable road users are particularly at risk,” the transport secretary, Chris Grayling, told Monday’s launch.

“The new small mammal warning sign should help to reduce the number of people killed and injured, as well as helping our precious small wild mammal population to flourish.”

Officials said the latest Department for Transport figures showed that, in 2017, 629 people were injured in accidents involving an animal in the road, excluding horses, and four people were killed. Grayling expressed hope that the signs would help decrease those numbers.

On Monday, Grayling also met with various groups, including Brake, the AA and the RAC Foundation, as well as the Wildlife Trust, to discuss the issue. And he asked local authorities and animal welfare groups to determine sites where the signs should be placed.

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The campaign group, the People’s Trust for Endangered Species, welcomed the move. Its chief executive, Jill Nelson, said the group had long been concerned about hedgehogs being killed on the roads. “We welcome this focus on road safety and protection for all small mammals.”

Tony Campbell, the chief executive of the Motorcycle Industry Association, said: “Powered two-wheelers provide a great solution to road congestion but, like all road users, riders must be aware of those around them.

“Therefore, the MCIA is pleased to welcome these new signs that will help everyone, including those on two wheels or four legs, complete their journeys more safely.”