A Collection of Deer and Transportation Studies for Suburban Planning


Muley Fanatics donates deer crossing signs to Green River February 24, 2021 Wyoming, Wyoming Tribune

... These 30”x30” signs are solar powered with LED lighting around the perimeter of the sign, with the lights continually flashing and providing for a highly visible reminder of possible deer crossing ...


Squeak sound of success: Japan rail workers' device scares off deer to avoid collisions May 9, 2021 mainichi.jp

... around one minute before a train was set to pass, a high-pitched "squeak" sound was heard around the tracks. The sound stopped as soon as the train passed by. This is a "repellent sound" ... The number of collisions on the section where the repellent sound system has been installed is currently "zero," ...


Preventing Animal-Vehicle Crashes using a Smart Detection Technology and Warning System C Druta, AS Alden - Transportation Research Record, 2020, Virginia

... buried cable animal detection system (BCADS) to provide roadside or in-vehicle warnings to approaching drivers based on the active presence of an animal ... approximately 80% of drivers either braked or slowed in response, indicating that the sign was effective. A 75% reduction in deer-vehicle crashes was observed in the first year after system deployment...


Deer Deter In a joint venture with IPTE, JAFA Technologies is the exclusive distributor of the Wildlife Crossing Guard in North America. This innovative new device is designed to reduce, with the ultimate goal of eliminating, deer-vehicle collisions as a result of night-time road crossings. Installed at intervals of 50 to 100 yards, activation occurs when headlights approach the unit during the time period from dusk to dawn when the vast majority of animal-vehicle collisions occur. When activated, the unit emits a sound that is meant to simulate that of a predator or a cry of fear. The sound is supplemented by a small strobe type light that is meant to represent reflection of movement from the predator’s eyes.


Wildlife crossing system on Highway 200 near Thompson Falls December 26, 2019 Montana, The Missoulian

... MDT installed 8-foot tall wildlife fencing along a 2.7 mile section ... To prevent animals from crossing into the fenced-in highway corridor, MDT installed electric wildlife deterrent mats this fall...


Reducing wildlife collisions on Virginia roads April 3 2019 The News & Advance

... VDOT installed fencing along the roadside adjacent to the existing large underpasses to funnel the animals underneath... about half the deer were already using these passages ... In the last two years, researchers found a 90 percent reduction in collisions...


UDOT tests new radar-activated signs to reduce deer collisions May 22, 2019 Utah, Equipment World

... The idea of a UDOT staff member, the device uses radar to detect wildlife near the road and then sends a signal that triggers LED lights on a “deer caution” sign to alert drivers...


Effects of Hunting Activities on Deer Vehicle Collisions February 2019, Yunhe Ma, North Carolina

... an econometric analysis of the relationship between hunting activities and deer-related vehicle crashes during hunting season from year 2009 to 2016. Increases in the deer harvest increases the frequency of DVCs during hunting season. The buck population has a bigger impact on DVCs than the doe population. Harvesting deer on private lands has a smaller effect on DVC than harvesting on public hunting lands...


Scale-dependent effects of landscape composition and configuration on deer-vehicle collisions and their relevance to mitigation and planning options SJ Hegland, LN Hamre - Landscape and Urban Planning, 2018

... The number of deer-vehicle collisions (DVCs) were lower when road verges contained little woody vegetation. Landscape scale composition with high proportion of open land cover also significantly reduced DVCs. Landscape configuration with farmland downhill and forest uphill increased DVCs. Road verge clearance saved money and deer...


Why did the deer cross the road...there? November 15, 2018 Pennsylvania, Department of Ecosystem Science and Management - Penn State

... Deer didn’t just approach the closest fence section and then decide how to cross... They were seeking them out... crossing sites had bottom wires that were significantly higher than adjacent fence panels. Just like migration, ungulates appear to learn these fence quirks then pass on this knowledge...


Kentucky using chemical spray to stunt grass growth along highways July 24, 2018 WPSD Local 6

... his biggest concern is not being able to see deer on the side of the road... The state is hoping to address the problem with a new chemical spray called PGR —short for plant growth regulator. PGR doesn’t kill the grass. It simply slows down the growth...


Smart sonic fences are here to stop deer from becoming roadkill December 23, 2018 United Kingdom, Wired UK

... “Since we installed these devices, the number of animal road deaths is down significantly, particularly in the autumn when the male deer cross the road to rut ... the device will be triggered not by the vehicle but by the animal, through a thermal sensor ...


Electronic Deer Warning System December, 2016 Zhuo, Lu. CA San Luis Obispo - 2016

... The primary means of detecting a moving vehicle is via seismic vibration. It is known that deer can hear ultrasonic tones up to 30 KHz (inaudible to humans), so the system will create these sounds with piezoelectric buzzers. The firmware was designed to be simple to understand, with helpful abstractions provided to future programmers. This is important so that researchers are not hampered by the code and understanding the system, and can instead focus on research and parsing data. Additionally, the hardware circuitry involved with data collection and power management was created to be as power-efficient as possible so that the system will require as little maintenance as possible...


Ann Arbor, Biologist tells Ann Arbor officials success can be had with non-lethal deer management plan February 6, 2015 Michigan, MLive

... Lance DeVoe, a biologist with the city of Rochester Hills, discussed a non-lethal deer management program created and implemented in his city, arguing low-cost methods such as education of residents and improved road signage have been successful. "There's been about a 40 percent decrease in car-deer accidents and a 75 percent decrease in the complaints coming into the city," ...


Could Cattle Guards Augmented with Electrified Pavement Prevent Mule Deer and Elk Access to Highways? [PDF] JP Flower, PC Cramer, UT Logan - 2015 Utah

... Based on strong results from the feeding exclosure trial, electrified pavement appears to have potential as an effective tool to reduce ungulate access to roadways when deployed at wider dimensions. Moreover, the material may offer a mitigation option for locations unsuitable for double cattle guards and wildlife guards, such as at end points in wildlife exclusion fencing and/or across roads with annual average daily traffic of greater than 500 vehicles...


How a Video Game Is Saving Wildlife From Being Run Over by Cars July 31, 2015 Florida, Yahoo News

... The picture-based signs did do slightly better than the word-based signs at reducing people’s speed and brake reaction times, which supports that hypothesis,” Grace said. “However, the word-based signs were still better than having no signs at all.” ... published Wednesday in the journal Nature Conservation, ...


UDOT considers new deer deterrent for safer roads July 17, 2015 Utah, KSL

... "When we covered up the reflectors with a white canvas bag, basically because we just wanted to neutralize the reflectors, we found that the white canvas bag worked better than the reflectors," ... 65 percent fewer deer carcasses in the areas where they put a white cloth bag over the reflectors simply as a control for their test ...


A scrap of white cloth is found to deter deer July 15, 2015 Wyoming, Jackson Hole News&Guide

... reflectors covered with white bags [white cotton bags] are about 65 percent more effective than reflectors with the black bags ... Apart from crossings — overpasses and underpasses — there’s nothing 65 percent effective out there.” ... the best predictors of collisions: Traffic volume and the speed limit were the most important factors relating to the nature of the road ...


Deer collisions drop on Staten Island in 2015, after city finally posts warning signsJanuary 23, 2016 New York, Staten Island Advance

... new signs in place on city street, there has been a significant decline in deer-related auto collisions ... in December, the DOT installed its first-ever deer-crossing signs ...


Car-deer accidents continue to be a hazard despite low deer population June 26, 2015 Iowa, Spencer Daily Reporter

... While the deer population is considered to be down in Clay County, Hawley noted the sheriff's office has not witnessed fewer reports of car-deer accidents... Drivers need to keep their heads up ...


Hotspots, underreporting, and dynamic space-time influences of wildlife-vehicle collisions NP Snow - 2014

... large hotspots associated with suburban landscapes account for the highest frequencies of collisions, therefore these locations should be targeted for mitigation. Identifying the most critical locations to mitigate can be accomplished with relatively few reports of collisions if collected in a consistent manner. Managers should consider investing in long-term mitigation strategies (i.e., underpasses) to reduce WVCs for many years, because the ecological drivers of hotspots do not appear to change...


Targeting mitigation efforts: The role of speed limit and road edge clearance for deer–vehicle collisions EL Meisingset, LE Loe, Ø Brekkum, A Mysterud - The Journal of Wildlife Management, 2014

... The relative risk for DVCs increased with speed limit. We found a higher risk for DVCs during winter compared to the other seasons. Forest cover, distance to pasture, and terrain ruggedness substantially affected risk of DVCs. Road edge clearance reduced the frequency of DVCs, but the effect appeared in the winter season only with a decrease of 53%. Our study highlights that speed limit reduction and road edge clearance are both powerful mitigation tools to reduce the number of DVCs...


Fort Thomas report shows fewer deer, more accidents May 7, 2013 Ohio, Cincinnati.com

... City administrator Donald Martin presented the annual deer report ... while aerial census results show the deer population has decreased from 205 in 2010, to 96 in February 2013, the deer-related vehicle accidents have gone up from 13 in 2010, to 19 in 2011, and 20 in 2012, along with one deer-related bicycle accident.... councilman Roger Peterman said. “The thing that bothered me is that we went into this (archery program) for safety, and it’s not working.” ...


Deer Birth Control Could Prevent Collisions September 1, 2011

Discovery News

... A birth control injection for deer puts them completely out of the mood to mate for up to five years without a booster.... GonaCon ... eliminates dangerous and destructive courtship behaviors responsible for the autumn increase in collisions between cars and deer....Other deer birth control vaccines prevent pregnancy, but they don't stop the animals from exhibiting mating behaviors, said David Goldade of the U. S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service/Wildlife Services National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) in Fort Collins, Colo., where GonaCon was developed....


Rochester Hills: Suburb cuts deer-car collisions by 25 percent November 23, 2011 Michigan, Plain Dealer. By Donna J. Miller, Plain Dealer reporter... Despite a 34 percent increase in the Rochester Hills deer population since 2009, the city experienced a 25 percent reduction in deer-vehicle crashes, the Southeastern Michigan Council of Governments said. The decline was up to five times greater than that seen in neighboring areas, which did not use the signs and "Don't veer for the deer" campaign.... Get details at tinyurl.com/4k5x8fo (scroll down to Deer Management Information).


Wildlife Vehicle Collision Reduction Study. Report to Congress, 2008. PDF Download


Wildlife-Highway Crossing Mitigation Measures May, 2007 Seasonal wildlife warning signs (2 signs per km, one sign for each travel direction, and an assumed life span of 10 years, no maintenance) may result in a 26% reduction of deer-vehicle collisions, and could end up saving $10,393 per km per year. Bear in mind, however, that these types of signs are only applicable in situations where deer (or other large animals) display road crossing behavior that is concentrated in space and time. Animal detection systems (life span 10 years, costs include maintenance) cost more, but still result in a positive balance of $1,562 per km per year because of their effectiveness in reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions by 82%. Vegetation removal, however, demonstrates more potential and may result in a positive balance of $14,729 per km per year.Assuming that deer reflectors and mirrors (life span 12.5 years, costs includes maintenance) are indeed not effective in reducing deer-vehicle collisions, they have a negative balance of $495 per km per year.