Understanding White-tailed Deer Sensory Abilities, Behavior, and Movement Ecology to Mitigate Deer-Vehicle Collisions: The Value of Long-term, Collaborative Research
Deer-vehicle collisions (DVCs) are a nationwide concern resulting in loss of human lives and financial loss from vehicle damage. Wildlife warning reflectors, vehicle-mounted sound emitters, and roadside fences have been proposed to mitigate DVCs. However, these deterrents have been marketed and implemented with little scientifically based testing of their efficacy, especially in terms of how they are perceived by deer and how they do (or do not) alter deer behaviors. This paper provides a detailed review of a 14-year collaborative research program between Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) and university researchers designed to investigate the sensory abilities of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and deer behavior as a basis for testing methods for deterring deer from entering roadways. State highway departments should consider the results of this empirical research before implementing vision- or sound-based deterrents or roadside fencing. These results also will provide a basis for planning additional research projects designed to mitigate DVCs in other states.
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Supplemental Notes:
- This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ANB20 Standing Committee on Safety Data, Analysis and Evaluation.
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Corporate Authors:
500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC United States 20001 -
Authors:
- Jared, David M
- Osborn, David A
- D'Angelo, Gino J
- Miller, Karl V
- Warren, Robert J
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Conference:
- Transportation Research Board 96th Annual Meeting
- Location: Washington DC, United States
- Date: 2017-1-8 to 2017-1-12
- Date: 2017
Language
- English
Media Info
- Media Type: Digital/other
- Features: Maps; Photos; References;
- Pagination: 14p
- Monograph Title: TRB 96th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Animal vehicle crashes; Crash causes; Crash characteristics; Deer; Fences; Roadside; Warning devices
- Geographic Terms: Georgia
- Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01623631
- Record Type: Publication
- Report/Paper Numbers: 17-00809
- Files: PRP, TRIS, TRB, ATRI
- Created Date: Jan 25 2017 3:08PM