Automobile vs. Deer Collisions

[Bill T]

This is from the MSN Start Page this morning:

Are deer putting you at risk?
Some 1.5 million deer-vehicle collisions kill several hundred people and cause more than $1 billion in damage annually. Can they be prevented?

Each year, an estimated 1.5 million deer-vehicle collisions kill several hundred people, injure tens of thousands more and cause more than $1 billion in vehicle damage.

The Michigan Deer Crash Coalition estimates that one in seven reported crashes in that state involves a deer -- one every eight minutes.

And the totals may be even higher: Informal surveys suggest that nearly as many collisions go unreported, either because the owner isn't required to by law or because he doesn't have insurance.

Unfortunately, say the experts, there are no silver bullets to reduce the risk. At times and places where deer present a significant risk, avoiding a collision can just come down to common sense -- and cautious driving.

Assessing the risk
The problem intensifies during so-called deer season -- from October through December -- when there is a dramatic increase in the movement of the deer population. Many of these deer find their way onto highways and into suburban neighborhoods.

Of course, some states experience more collisions with deer than others. According to claim statistics from State Farm, the country's biggest auto insurer, the states with the highest number of accidents involving deer between July 1, 2004, and June 30, 2005, were:

Worst states for deer collisions
1
Pennsylvania
6
Minnesota

2
Michigan
7
Virginia

3
Illinois
8
Indiana

4
Ohio
9
Texas

5
Georgia
10
Wisconsin




The average cost per insurance claim for collision damage is about $2,600, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) says. With injury claims, the total reaches $11,000 per collision, the Insurance Information Institute says.

I had no idea it was that high. Thats a lot of dead deer! I wonder why the anti hunting groups aren't trying to ban automobiles and arrest the drivers? Bill T.

[gunslinger1911ACP]

The PETA and anti-hunting groups (and possibly insurance companies) are more likely to say "See! All those hunters are scaring the deer onto freeways. We should ban hunting to prevent the accidents."

I would think that the NRA and other pro-hunting groups (and my opinion as well) would argue "This is what happens when you don't manage the deer population through regular harvesting/hunting each year." I thought I read something down here in Texas that said the Dept of Texas Parks and Wildlife goal is to harvest 20+% of the deer population each year. Only about 12% is taken each year. As a result, the white tail population continues to explode. Solution: more hunters and having every hunter take their annual limit. My limit last season was five. I only took two.

Perhaps someone who has more knowledge on this topic can chime in an offer better numbers.

[Bill T]

"The PETA and anti-hunting groups (and possibly insurance companies) are more likely to say "See! All those hunters are scaring the deer onto freeways. We should ban hunting to prevent the accidents."

I'm not saying they, (PETA and anti hunting groups), wouldn't do this, but they would look pretty stupid in the process because the bulk of car / deer collisions take place at night when deer "freeze" with the sight of automobile headlights. I don't know of any states that have an "evening hunting season". Bill T.

[Art Eatman]

Interesting that Pennsylvania is still #1. Back some forty or more years ago, a "Field & Stream"-type magazine had a squib that the hunter kill in Pennsylvania was some 40,000 deer, which equalled the amount killed by cars.

Art

[Tom Matiska]

Returning to PA on Sunday I passed five roadkill in eastern Ohio and PA. Two anterless, spike, Y, and an eight+. That ratio of buck to doe is a sure sign the rut is starting.

[Wild Bill Bucks]

It takes about an hour to drive to my cabin at McGee Creek Lake, down the turnpike, in southeastern Oklahoma. It is not unusual to see 2 or 3 dead deer, almost every week-end, on the side of the road. I have also noticed that when the highway deptartment, does any road building, they come back and plant the road side, with some kind of clover that makes a purple head, and the deer seem to love it. Now with that in mind, isn't the highway department just baiting the deer up to the highway? Maybe they should plant grasses, that the deer don't particularly like.

[FirstFreedom]

When I was in western Penn one summer, I saw more deer along the roadways than anywhere else I've been. The rise in accidents during the rut is in part due to hunters scaring and running deer, but it's also in part just due to the natural increase in movement related to the rut - does are running around trying to get away from bucks, until they are ready to breed, and bucks are running *everywhere*, both in their territories, and out into other territories, looking for does. When they cross territories, they may come across a roadway which they've never encountered before, so they don't know to be wary of it, and splat. So Peta can't lay it all on hunters. And of course the flip side is, how many more collisions would there be were it not for hunting controlling the populations...

[mete]

Use big heavy projectile - F150 as brakes are applied hard !! Only broke plastic grill. Actually PA officials say that over the years deer have learned about the dangers of highways.

[woodeckt]

"Solution: more hunters and having every hunter take their annual limit. My limit last season was five. I only took two. "

Dang I wish I could take my limit. The limit here in Alabama is 2 deer per day of hunting season. One Antlered and one Doe or Two Doe per day. That comes out to 220 Deer if one hunted every day from October 14 to January 31 and got their limit hunting bow and gun seasons.

I do agree that more people need to take deer.

I think a big part of the problem with DVC (Deer Vehicle Collisions) is the spread of urban population into rural areas. One place that I have been hunting now has pretty pricey homes going up 10 miles away. I do not have a solution just wanted to weigh in.

[trooper3385]

I'm a State Trooper here in South Texas and have already worked 5 deer crashes just in October. Well, actually 4 and one hog. We don't really see much of a problem until around the beginning of October through about March. Like Woodeckt said, part of the problem is because of the urban population moving moving towards rural areas. I believe the main reason is due to the weather. The deer are looking to feed. When it starts drying up, the deer move out towards the highways looking for food. It naturally stays greener on the side of the highways, due to the run off from the roadway. The deer get out on the side of the roadway to feed and then get spooked when the see the cars. I don't see that hunting pressure has anything to do with it. At least in this area of the United States. We still see alot of deer crashes well after deer season. It just happends that deer season falls during the time that the deer or most likely to come out to the roadway to feed. One thing to remember which is kinda off the original subject. If I deer runs in front of you car, apply your brakes and keep going straight ahead. If you hit it, you hit it. For every crash that I work involving a deer, I probably work 2 roll over accidents because people swerve to miss the deer and flip there car over. Just last Thursday, I worked a Fatality car crash because the driver of an 18 wheeler swerved to miss a deer.

[SavageSniper]

Good point Trooper. I am a mechanic, so I too get to see alot of deer vs car incidents. Just recently our sales manager got a fine doe with a brand new Volvo S40. A deer will tear up a car, but I think most of the deaths come from people trying to avoid hitting the deer. My wife was a "city girl" when I married her 20 yrs ago. I told her if its smaller than a cow, hit it.

[woodeckt]

I had forgotten that Trooper it has been unusually dry here in Bama I would be surprised if we do not have many more than normal DVC this year. So all you hunters out there get them and remember if you do not eat them (I do deer it is the other RED Meat ) you can donate them, at least here if you do not want the meat you can take them to a processor and they will process the deer for free and give the meat to charity.

[Art Eatman]

trooper, do you know Ben English, at Ozona?

My "theory" about driving at night and dealing with critters:

1. Deer tend to go back toward where they came from, when spooked. Don't try to go behind them if you have a choice; go in front.

2. Cows are the opposite. They don't want to be headed off. The better choice is to go behind them.

3. Horses are suicidal. No matter what you do, they'll try to stay in the headlights.

4. Hogs? Forget it. There's no telling. And hitting a hog is like hitting an equal-sized rock. Better to center the danged thing than to hit it with a front tire.

5. None of the above are "always". Some critters don't read my book, "What Critters Do".

But trooper is sure correct that it's better to hit the animal than go off the road into Very Hard Things.

Art

[afsnco]

Agreed, Art.

I hit a spike on I-65 South, just north of B'ham. I was doing 70 mph in the far left lane near the median. He jumped over the barrier and right in my path. I had just enough time to decide to hold the steering wheel straight and plow through him. His head flopped toward the windshield, but barely kissed it, then his body flowed down the left side of the car with bones loudly breaking all the way. If I'd have swerved, I'd have caused a multi-car pileup, probably resulting in more deaths than just the spike. I'm just thankful that the airbags didn't deploy so I could see where I was going. It caused over $3K in damage to my car.

[Hedley]

The only four legged critter I have ever killed was with a 1971 Honda CB750. I hit a small doe at about 60mph, and the pack behind me said the poor thing litteraly spun like a top of my right crankcase guard. I just got a bit of speed wobble. I consider myself lucky.

[HiPowering Along]

Only his drivers license.

Hit a deer coming home from work on a Yamaha 1100 full dresser - unseated the bike at about 70MPH...came up with bruises and a hunk of deer rack as a momento...totalled the bike and killed the buck.

Three months later nails another one with the Blazer and the snowmobile trailer - took out a good sized doe and knocked the axle out from underneath the snowmobile trailer.

Believe it when it's said PA is number one in deer-related accidents...just don't swerve for the dang things - deer are more replaceable than you are!

"The PA Rubber-Tired Hunter" is now retired from hunting with Michelins, I hope....

[Tom Matiska]

If hunting pressure was a major cause, the article would be about the decline in PA road kills. Older hunters are passing in huge numbers, and the activity level of those still buying licenses is down also.

Census numbers tell the story. City populations in PA are in decline. Rural/burbs are up. "Bedroom" communities in the Pocono's (eastern PA) are attracting New Yorkers in record numbers. More people driving more cars on our rural roads is the cause.

[Wild Bill Bucks]

MUST WARN YOU THESE ARE GRAPHIC. But people who have not hit one, really don't understand.http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/...1&d=1161961799

[mikejonestkd]

I'm surprised that NY didn't make the list, it seems that everyone I know has hit at least one of them.

Back in the day i hit one one morning in a 26,000 lb company truck doing about 70+ mph. I didn't even have a chance to swerve or brake for the impact. The odd thing is that all I heard was a small ' twack ' and the truck didn't even slow down. I was picking pieces out of the grill for a while though when I got to the job site...

[Trip20]

I just got an email today from the DNR mailing list, warning motorists of the rut and increased deer movement. Check it out:

Wisconsin’s white-tailed deer are moving into the rut, or mating season, so motorists will need to be especially alert for deer suddenly darting out into roadways. Remember if you see one deer run out into a road, it is highly likely that another deer will be following it. October and November are peak months for deer-vehicle collisions. Last year motorists struck and killed nearly 39,500 deer in Wisconsin, according to Department of Natural Resources records and the Department of Transportation reported there were more than 17,500 reportable deer-vehicle crashes that caused more than $1,000 damage in to vehicles.

[Buckeyenomad]

I almost hit a deer last year. I went 200 yards into a field and across a driveway before he jumped a fence and got away from me.

Buckeyenomad

[SavageSniper]

Hey Wild Bill, Thx for the pics. Very good to show what can happen, esp. the last one. I would really hate to be the poor driver, though I am sure he made out better than the deer. I guess that the impact was too high for air bag deployment.

[chemist308]

I almost hit a deer last year. I went 200 yards into a field and across a driveway before he jumped a fence and got away from me.

Yep, same thing almost happened to me. Mine was standing in the middle of the road when I pulled out of the driveway. After slamming the accelerator it turned, ran 10 yards down the road, and then dashed off the road across a ditch.

[Art Eatman]

"After slamming the accelerator it turned, ran 10 yards down the road..."

I've field-dressed and butchered a lot of deer, but I never found an accelerator...

, Art

[willsjeep]

The only game warden "trouble" I ever had was due to a hit deer. On my way to work one evening, I came up on a deer that had been hit . It had a broken back and hindqaurters but was still alive and flopping around. As this was on a rural dirt road, I stopped and used my 22 pistol to head shoot it and put it out of its misery.
Since I did not want to waste it I was going to load itup and take it to work where a friend of mine on first shift could take it home and get what was good out of it.
As I was loading it the warden pulled up and started questioning me about "hunting from the road". It was a little strained there until the lady who hit it in her car came back with her husband and a truck to pick it up.
She explained, I explained again, we loaded the deer in their truck and the warden warned me about shooting on the road.
I have also hit a few in my life, once hit two at one time in a 78 F-150. My advice is also try to stop but do not try to swerve. Insurance will fix the vehicle damage.
Will