Vehicle-deer crashes high in November in Michigan

Posted 11/21/2011


In Michigan, the highest rate of vehicle-deer crashes occurred in November last year. UMTRI research sheds light on the factors that combine to increase animal-vehicle crash risk and what motorists can do to improve their own safety.

According to state crash statistics, there were 55,867 reported vehicle-deer crashes in Michigan in 2010. November had the highest rate of motor vehicle-deer crashes with 9,558 (17 percent of the total). Eleven people were killed in the crashes, and eight of those people were motorcyclists. About 80 percent of all car-deer crashes take place on two-lane roads between dusk and dawn.

UMTRI assistant research scientist John M. Sullivan has studied animal-vehicle crash trends. In his paper "Trends and Characteristics of Animal-Vehicle Collisions," published in 2011 in the Journal of Safety Research, Sullivan says that fatal animal-vehicle collisions have been on the rise since 1990, and that there are unmistakable seasonal patterns associated with deer mating, migration, and yearling dispersal, as well as diurnal patterns associated with their tendency to be more active around dawn and dusk. In Michigan, animal-vehicle crashes peak around 6 p.m. in November and again in May around 9 p.m.

Sullivan believes several factors combine to increase crash risk--low ambient light just before dawn and just after dusk, the limited reach of low-beam headlamps, and vehicle speed. The best thing motorists can do, he advises, is slow down.

"The difference between a fatal and a nonfatal crash is often a matter of impact force," explains Sullivan. "Slowing down on the roadways around dawn and dusk, when deer are most active, is one of the most important actions that drivers can take to avoid a fatal collision, even if the collision itself is unavoidable."

The Michigan Deer Crash Coalition also warns motorists not to veer for deer. The organization publishes a downloadable brochure with the following traffic safety tips:

If a crash is unavoidable:
• Don't swerve
• Brake firmly
• Hold onto the steering wheel
• Stay in your lane
• Bring your vehicle to a controlled stop.

In Michigan, the five counties with the most vehicle-deer crashes in 2010 were: Kent (1,976), Oakland (1,836), Jackson (1,779), Calhoun (1,618), and Montcalm (1,319).

Also see tips on autumn driving from the Michigan Department of Transportation.