Effectiveness in Disease and Injury Prevention
Injuries from Motor-Vehicle Collisions with Deer --
Kentucky, 1987-1989
Motor-vehicle collisions involving animals can result in both
personal injury and property damage. In the United States, deer are
a common hazard to motor vehicles and their occupants (1). This
report, based on police records submitted to the Kentucky
Transportation Cabinet from 1987 through 1989, characterizes motor-
vehicle collisions with deer in Kentucky.
During the 3-year period, 11,648 persons were involved in 6813
motor-vehicle collisions with deer in Kentucky. Police records
indicated that 356 (3%) of these persons were injured. An average
of 2271 collisions with deer occurred per year, representing 59
collisions per 100,000 persons in Kentucky and seven collisions per
100 million miles driven. During the same period, conservation
officers in the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources
reported an annual average of 4209 deer killed by motor-vehicle
collisions in the state--approximately 1% of the total herd of
350,000.
Most motor-vehicle collisions involving deer occurred on roads
with a speed limit of 55 miles per hour or higher (89%), in rural
areas (86%), and on roads with one or two lanes (72%). In rural
areas, 11 motor-vehicle collisions with deer occurred per 100
million miles driven; in urban areas, two such collisions occurred
per 100 million miles driven. Forty-five percent of the collisions
occurred during October-December (Figure 1). Weather conditions
were clear in 71% of the collisions. Most (70%) occurred at night;
of these, 94% were on unlighted roads. Fewer than 3% of reported
crashes were attributed to unsafe operation of the vehicle (e.g.,
speeding) or defects in the vehicle itself (e.g., defective
brakes), and fewer than 1% involved multiple vehicles. The number
of drivers reported as intoxicated was too small for meaningful
analysis.
Common sites of human trauma involved the head, face, or neck
(43%). Although no human deaths were reported, 12% of injuries were
classified by the attending police officer as incapacitating (i.e.,
a nonfatal injury that prevented normal activities and generally
required hospitalization). Factors associated with injury included
failure to use safety belts (rate ratio (RR)=1.9; 95% confidence
interval (CI)=1.5-2.4), collision while riding a motorcycle
(RR=18.1; 95% CI=12.3-23.4), collision on a one- or two-lane road
(RR=1.7; 95% CI=1.3-2.3), and collision during daylight (RR=1.4;
95% CI=1.1-1.8). The risk for injury was not associated with rural
setting, month of occurrence, weather conditions, or posted speed
limits of 55 miles per hour or higher.
Reported by: B Sigler, Dept of Highways, Kentucky Transportation
Cabinet; J Phillips, Dept of Fish and Wildlife Resources, Kentucky
Tourism Cabinet; K Agent, MS, J Pigman, MS, L Wayne, MS, Kentucky
Transportation Center, Univ of Kentucky, Lexington; R Adams, G
Rice, MPA, M Stapleton, MSPH, B Yandell, PhD, R Finger, MD, State
Epidemiologist, Dept for Health Svcs, Kentucky Cabinet for Human
Resources. Unintentional Injuries Section, Epidemiology Br, Div of
Injury Control, National Center for Environmental Health and Injury
Control; Div of Field Epidemiology, Epidemiology Program Office,
CDC.
Editorial Note
Editorial Note: The seasonal increase in the number of
motor-vehicle collisions with deer is not directly attributable to
an increase in vehicle-miles traveled. The increased number of
collisions during the fourth quarter of the year may be associated
with increased deer migration due to the mating and hunting seasons
and changing food supplies (2,3). The number of vehicle-miles
traveled, however, does not appear to account for this increase in
Kentucky because peaks in miles driven occur during July and August
(Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, unpublished data).
Overall, the number of collisions may be greater than police
reports indicate (3), as suggested by findings in Kentucky that the
number of reported collisions accounted for only 54% of deer killed
by motor-vehicle collisions. In Kentucky, reporting of collisions
with deer is legally required if property damage exceeds $200 or
the driver wishes to keep the dead animal; however, collisions are
more likely to be reported when insurance is claimed for vehicular
damage or personal injury.
Measures that have been used to prevent motor-vehicle
collisions with deer include the following: warning signs, speed
restrictions, fencing, underpasses for animals, roadside mirrors
and reflectors (to deflect headlight beams toward the sides of the
road to alert the deer), and reduction in deer populations through
recreational hunting (2,4-7). However, until such measures are
demonstrated to be effective, injury control will depend on
increased use of safety belts and such design features as
antilacerative windshields to protect motor-vehicle occupants (8).
References
Joselyn GB. Wildlife--an essential consideration determining
future highway roadside maintenance policy. Highway Research Record
1969;280:1-14.
Arnold DA. Deer on the highway. Traffic Safety
1979;79:8-10,29-30.
Allen RE, McCullough DR. Deer-car accidents in southern
Michigan. Journal of Wildlife Management 1976;40:317-25.
Ward AL. Mule deer behavior in relation to fencing and
underpasses on Interstate 80 in Wyoming. Transportation Research
Record 1982;859:8-13.
Bellis ED, Graves HB. Highway fences as deterrents to
vehicle-deer collisions. Transportation Research Record
1978;674:53-8.
Pojar TM, Prosence RA, Reed DF, Woodard TN. Effectiveness of a
lighted, animated deer crossing sign. Journal of Wildlife
Management 1975;39:87-91.
Schafer JA, Penland S, Carr WP. Effectiveness of wildlife
warning reflectors in reducing deer-vehicle accidents in Washington
State. Transportation Research Record 1985;1010:85-8.
Bjornstig U, Eriksson A, Thorson J, Bylund P-O. Collisions with
passenger cars and moose, Sweden. Am J Public Health 1986;76:460-2.
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