Researchers Say Preventing Deer-Vehicle Collisions Costly

Nov. 28--More deer are struck by vehicles on a 12-mile segment of U.S. Route 19 in Nicholas County than any other stretch of highway in West Virginia, according to recently released research on deer-vehicle collisions in the state.

A joint research project by the Rahall Transportation Institute at Marshall University, the Western Transportation Institute at Montana State University and West Virginia University found that, from 2008 to 2012, more than 68 deer were struck by vehicles between mile markers 4.3 and 16.4 on U.S. Route 19. The report includes deer-related crash data for two-mile segments of road in the state with more than eight reported deer-vehicle collisions over the five-year period.

The project was conducted as part of a 2011 legislative audit of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources that called for better control of West Virginia's deer population. The research, which was jointly funded by State Farm Insurance, Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration, the West Virginia Department of Transportation and the Division of Natural Resources, is the first of its kind in West Virginia, said Andrew Nichols, a co-author of the report and director of Intelligent Transportation Systems at the Rahall Transportation Institute.

Nichols said although there are potential techniques for mitigating deer-vehicle collisions in West Virginia, such as wildlife fencing and wildlife crossings, the effective methods are too expensive to justify the cost in most cases because West Virginia does not have easily identifiable large mammal migration hotspots like some western states.

"In my opinion, it's not an issue that the DOT should tackle just because it's a widespread issue," Nichols said. "Honestly, short of just having fewer deer, it's up to the drivers themselves to be alert. The DOT installs deer crossing signs, but I'm sure the average driver wouldn't be able to tell you where those are during the daily commute, and research shows those signs aren't effective."

The 293-page report analyzes deer-vehicle collision data pulled from police crash reports statewide from 2008 to 2012 and identifies potential ways the crashes could be mitigated. Nichols said the data doesn't show the entire scope of West Virginia's high deer-vehicle collision numbers because not every wreck is reported by motorists to police.

The report identified 18 high-frequency deer-vehicle collision highway segments (13 or more reported collisions in five years) in the state. U.S. Route 19 in Nicholas County between mile markers 10.3 and 12.3 had 22 reported deer-vehicle collisions between 2008 and 2012, more than any other two-mile stretch of roadway. The report identified the areas most prone to deer-vehicle collisions as the Eastern Panhandle, the Summersville area of Nicholas County, the Parkersburg area of Wood County and Kanawha River Valley near Winfield in Putnam County. Two segments of Interstate 64 between Cross Lanes and Hurricane and Interstate 77 from mile markers 109.7 to 111.7, just north of Charleston, were the only interstate segments identified as having high numbers in the report.

The report outlines several mitigation techniques, including the installation of more wildlife fencing, enhanced deer crossing signs that flash yellow when deer are near the roadway, and setting lower nighttime speed limits. Wildlife fencing is taller than standard roadside fencing, preventing mammals such as deer from leaping over the fence and into the path of traffic.

Wildlife fencing has proven effective in at least one part of West Virginia; the report indicates U.S. Route 33 between Interstate 79 and Elkins has 19.1 miles of the barrier. Out of a total of 24 deer-vehicle collisions on the entire 41.7-mile stretch of road from 2008 to 2012, only three of those crashes occurred within the stretch of highway with the fencing.

The downside to installing the fencing is its cost. Though researchers say deer-vehicle collisions in West Virginia could be reduced 79 percent to 97 percent with wildlife fencing in deer "hotspots," the report estimates wildlife fencing would cost more than $250,000 per mile over its 25-year lifespan.

Nichols discussed the report with members of the Legislature's Select Committee on Infrastructure on Nov. 17. Senate vice-chair Art Kirkendoll, D-Logan, said the state's deer-vehicle collision problem should be mitigated through increased hunting to reduce the number of deer in the state.

"I've known some people that have lost their lives because of deer coming across and jumping across corridors and landing in vehicles," Kirkendoll said. "It's happened in my area. I think you could have some way to try to increase hunting -- maybe with some more advertising or more hunting events -- that would create some more hunting activity. I don't see a downside to that."

Though deer-vehicle collisions are expensive -- the average property damage claim is $3,888, according to State Farm -- Nichols said that because they make up a very small percentage of total wrecks in West Virginia, and cause fewer injuries and deaths than other types of vehicle crashes, the Department of Transportation could get more "bang for its buck" through other highway safety investments.

Nichols said there were 1,517 traffic fatalities from 2008 to 2012, and only 12 of those resulted from deer-involved collisions. He said only 2.2 percent of crashes with injuries in the state during that time period were deer-related.

"The problem is, in terms of mitigating, you've got these (deer-vehicle collisions) that are competing with other types of crashes so it becomes a prioritizing exercise," Nichols said. "When you look at an annualized cost of more than $10,000 and an installation cost of about $154,000 per mile, the price tag goes up really high. In terms of prioritizing DVCs with everything else in the state, the DVCs fall down in the list mostly because when a deer gets hit, usually it's only a car that gets hurt."

Select Committee on Infrastructure chair Margaret Staggers, D-Fayette, said the problem of deer-vehicle collisions will solve itself within the next few decades as autonomous cars become the norm.

"Automobiles will avoid those collisions in the future," Staggers said. "I think the smart automobile is more of an answer than the state doing anything ... I think the solution is already coming. We don't have to do anything or spend any money."

The entire report can be found online at www.njrati.org/research.

Contact writer Marcus Constantino at 304-348-1796 or [email protected]. Follow him at www.twitter.com/amtino.

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