A conservationist in Sudbury says she has seen an increase in turtle deaths this spring.
Dead turtles have become a common sight on one street in Sudbury, Massachusetts.
The uptick on Raymond Road has continued even with posted turtle crossing signs.
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WATCH HEREAshley Makridakis, a state-licensed wildlife rehabilitator with Fresh Start Wildlife Rescue, is sounding the alarm.
"It is not even the month of May," Makridakis said. "I have observed, on occasion, anywhere from two to six sizable turtles smashed in the road."
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So why has Raymond Road been so deadly for these large turtles?
Makridakis believes it is because of distracted driving.
"It's phone in the face, you can see it. The good old balance-on-the-steering-wheel technique," Makridakis said.
According to AAA Northeast, reported distracted driving crashes have steadily decreased in Massachusetts over the last decade from a high of more than 4,700 in 2016.
"It's tough to quantify how much is happening out there, because we know there's more distracted driving than actually being reported in the numbers," said Mark Schieldrop of AAA Northeast. "A lot of times, if someone is involved in a crash, they may not fess up to that fact that they, in fact, were distracted before the crash happened."
The Town of Sudbury is taking steps to protect the turtles in those wetlands.
There are plans to install a 3-foot silt fence by the end of May.
