In this article they note a study of 92 does along the Wasatch Front over a 5 year period. Of those that died 30% were killed by vehicles. It was well above all of the other causes of death including predation.
Deer collisions
Published Dec 1, 2010 01:01AM
Updated Dec 1, 2010 01:01AM
Deer. They are another reason to slow down on Utah?s highways.
This is not news. Collisions between cars and deer have been killing drivers and deer since the automobile was invented.
What may be news to many readers, however, is that the number of people killed or injured in these accidents is rising. That's according to researchers at Utah State University and its Jack H. Berryman Institute, who have analyzed national statistics and conducted studies of their own.
The reasons for the rise in deaths from vehicle collisions with deer are threefold. There are more drivers, more roads and, in some cases, more deer. As cities push ever deeper into deer habitat, there are more accidents.
So what can be done? Terry Messmer of USU says that experiments conducted with deer fences and overpasses show that they can be very effective in keeping deer off roads, but they are costly.
Absent expensive projects, then, the best thing that drivers can do is to heed warning signs and slow down. In one study, these strategies reduced collisions with deer by 70 percent.
Research in Idaho, Utah and Nevada found that the best way to get drivers to slow down was to erect temporary signs during deer migration seasons. Apparently, motorists don't pay as much attention to permanent signs.
Utah motorists should be particularly vigilant now, as deer are moving out of the high country into lower elevation winter range. Because the days are shorter now, more motorists are driving more hours in the dark.
People should pay attention that they are driving in deer country. They should slow down and not drive when they are impaired by fatigue, alcohol or cell phones. They should be careful if they see a deer, which warns that more are probably present. Of course, the deer that you see is not likely to be the one you hit. So take it slow and be vigilant.
You might be surprised to learn that vehicle collisions were the biggest cause of death among 92 does that researchers equipped with radio collars for a five-year study in the Wasatch Mountains between Cache Valley and Garden City on Bear Lake. In that study, car accidents claimed the lives of 30 percent of the deer that died. That was more than died of malnutrition and many times more than died from predators. U.S. 89 and 91 are the major highways that cross this area.
So slow down when you're in deer country. The deer will be grateful, and it might save your life, too.
respect my authorita
Deer collisions
Published Dec 1, 2010 01:01AM
Updated Dec 1, 2010 01:01AM
Deer. They are another reason to slow down on Utah?s highways.
This is not news. Collisions between cars and deer have been killing drivers and deer since the automobile was invented.
What may be news to many readers, however, is that the number of people killed or injured in these accidents is rising. That's according to researchers at Utah State University and its Jack H. Berryman Institute, who have analyzed national statistics and conducted studies of their own.
The reasons for the rise in deaths from vehicle collisions with deer are threefold. There are more drivers, more roads and, in some cases, more deer. As cities push ever deeper into deer habitat, there are more accidents.
So what can be done? Terry Messmer of USU says that experiments conducted with deer fences and overpasses show that they can be very effective in keeping deer off roads, but they are costly.
Absent expensive projects, then, the best thing that drivers can do is to heed warning signs and slow down. In one study, these strategies reduced collisions with deer by 70 percent.
Research in Idaho, Utah and Nevada found that the best way to get drivers to slow down was to erect temporary signs during deer migration seasons. Apparently, motorists don't pay as much attention to permanent signs.
Utah motorists should be particularly vigilant now, as deer are moving out of the high country into lower elevation winter range. Because the days are shorter now, more motorists are driving more hours in the dark.
People should pay attention that they are driving in deer country. They should slow down and not drive when they are impaired by fatigue, alcohol or cell phones. They should be careful if they see a deer, which warns that more are probably present. Of course, the deer that you see is not likely to be the one you hit. So take it slow and be vigilant.
You might be surprised to learn that vehicle collisions were the biggest cause of death among 92 does that researchers equipped with radio collars for a five-year study in the Wasatch Mountains between Cache Valley and Garden City on Bear Lake. In that study, car accidents claimed the lives of 30 percent of the deer that died. That was more than died of malnutrition and many times more than died from predators. U.S. 89 and 91 are the major highways that cross this area.
So slow down when you're in deer country. The deer will be grateful, and it might save your life, too.
respect my authorita
