New Ideas To Stop Car-Deer Crashes

It's nightfall on one of the nation's roadways and one of North America's most dangerous animals is on the move.

Deer - darting across roadways and into cars. Even in broad daylight, CBS News correspondent Hari Sreenivasan reports.

"I just remember seeing a flash of fur and then the deer coming up into the windshield," said Sheriff's Deputy Justin Sabo, who was rushing to a medical emergency when his car slammed into a deer … and went airborne.

"I hit the tree first, and then the car spun in air on the side and I hit a power pole," he said.

Sabo was hospitalized overnight, but is lucky.

Each year more than 200 people die in similar accidents. Deer collide with vehicles 1.5 million times every year - causing more than $1 billion in damage.

In Minnesota alone there are more than 35,000 deer-vehicle accidents each year. That's so many that the state is experimenting with an early warning system for drivers. There is an invisible beam between these two posts. And when a deer interrupts the beam it triggers an alarm.

"Both beams have to be broken at the same time," Robert Weinholzer of the Minnesota Department of Transportation explains.

So it is like a laser fence?

"A laser fence, exactly," he said.

And that "laser fence" seems to be convincing motorists to slow down. The old signs, with no lights, were largely ignored.

"So, is this working?" Sreenivasan asked.

"It started the end of last April and up to this point, we're less than 50 percent the number of deer that were hit during the same period last year," TK said.

Near Fort Dix, N.J., it is the deer who are being warned.

The sensors are in the side of the road and pick up the headlights as they come down.

Every time a car approaches these posts, lights and whistles scare deer away, from a stretch of road where car-deer collisions were common.

"There hasn't been a single collision reported," said Edward Mulka of Jafa Technologies. "There hasn't been a single carcass reported for pickup since we installed these units."

For now both projects are still experiments, and people like Jay Sabo who spend a lot of time on the road, are still mostly on their own.

To the former Army sergeant, now deputy sheriff it's a surprising hazard close to home.

"I wasn't expecting to survive Samarra, Iraq, as an infantryman, and then to come back and almost get taken out by a deer.

But with growing numbers of cars - and deer - on America's roadways, there are bound to be more close calls.

[caswellrd]

Bhappy2-2, while I hope he/she is joking, supplies one reason why there are so many deer--hunters want to be kept happy and state deer agencies strive to keep them happy and keep deer populations at optimum levels. Biologists say that the way to lower deer populations is to kill more female deer yet when hunters buy their license it gives them the privilege of killing a buck! Doe permits are manipulated to try to get some control. If the main purpose of selling hunting licenses was to get rid of deer then hunters would have to kill does before they would be able to kill a trophy buck but hunters would be really mad.
Thus your venison is really expensive when you figure in all the accidents, all the posted signs, days off from work etc.--very self-centered way of thinking.

[bhappy2-2]

Increase the hunting season. Allow the hunters to harvest more deer. This may not help the collision problem but it will put more venison in my freezer!

[caswellrd]

Those of you who are saying killing the deer will solve the deer/car collision situation evidently haven''t had the privilege of studying deer biology. Scientific studies have proven that unless conducted on an extermination basis, killing deer only causes an increase in reproduction rates. Killing deer leaves more available food and cover for the surviving deer so they have healthier and more young.
State wildlife agencies evidently count on this because it appears they like to manipulate deer populations so there are plenty of deer for hunters. There are plenty of publications with statements from wildlife biologists that reveal this. In fact, a well-known biologist has called state deer management policies "malpractice." It would be unlikely they would ever use "extermination" because hunters demand a lot of deer for their so-called "sport" and state wildlife agencies like the revenue they get from hunting licenses etc. It is interesting that states with the larger number of hunters have some of the most deer car collisions-so it doesn''t appear killing deer is the answer. It is great that new devices are being tested to help solve the problem of deer/vehicle collisions. Now if we could just get more people to slow down and be more aware of their surroundings...........

[Krazcarl]

One of my priciples of life and yes I have to few is never under any circumstance to kill anything with my car. I''ve been broken beside the road and know how terrible it feels had some close calls with deer and squirrell there our friends not our enemies. Like grandad said look where ya going I''ve known fools that bragged on getting a deer with there car pounded one of them up.

[gunownerdan]

S U P P O R T
Y O U R
L O C A L
D E E R
H U N T E R
!

[rushman71]

nolalou: Thanks. I''m just talking like all the liberal pundits out there!!!

[b0ludo]

The problem of animals getting picked up and thrown through the windshield pretty common worldwide... That''s why if you live in an area prone to the problem you need an SUV with a proper bull bar in the front. We can''t afford a fence to keep out the Mexicans but we will build electronic fences to keep out deer? Lets get our priorities straight. Cull the deer populations... A lot cheaper than your fences.

[alienhead5]

So, the author writes: "Near Fort Dix, N.J., it is the deer who are being warned."

Deer are not people, thus, they cannot be a "who". They are animals and must be a "that".

Jeeze - next thing ya know we''ll be marrying them and having kids ... sort of.

[godseyesore-2009]

NavyRetired2, the whistles don''t work. I''ve experimented with them on 2 vehicles and deer grazing highway edge don''t even look up! Based on my experience, MityWhity''s assessment rings true that the deer hit you. I had a buck run beside my car and before I could stop, lept over the hood, ripping off side-view mirror and windshield wiper. Deer populations need severe culling to reduce the encounters.

[navyretired2]

"Used to drive thru herds of them in the early morning going to work. I was lucky and never hit a live one, but did hit one that was already dead in the middle of the road once. Knocked the front end of the car out of whack.

The answer is to drive slow and keep good watch right now. If you speed through those areas, you''''re just asking for it.

I had those whistle things attached to the front of my car for awhile. Don''''t know how much, if any, it helped, but I didn''''t hit any.

I hope they find something that helps, and is cost effective. Way too many insurance claims for deer hits running up insurance premiums. Of course, along with the drunks, and kids out on a lark driving too fast.

Posted by RowdyTexan2 at 09:33 AM : Jan 11, 2008"

Big Insurance CEOs are doing more to run-up insurance premiums than the deer are...but I don''t think anybody''d shed a tear if you hit a CEO in the middle of the night :)