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Michigan Deer Crashes Increase in 1999

19 May 2000

Michigan Deer Crashes Increase in 1999, Reports Office of Highway Safety Planning

    LANSING, Mich., May 18 Deer-vehicle crashes jumped nearly
3.5 percent in 1999, following two years of decline, announced the Michigan
State Police, Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP).  The state had 67,669
reports of deer-vehicle crashes, up from 65,397 in 1998.
    Kent County again had the highest number of crashes, although the number
dropped slightly from 1998.  Kent had 2,070 crashes in 1999, compared with
2,108 in 1998.

    The top five counties were:

    County      1999     1998

    Kent        2,070    2,108
    Jackson     2,033    1,925
    Calhoun     1,852    1,766
    Oakland     1,759    1,668
    Montcalm    1,605    1,623

    In addition, fatalities increased from 4 in 1998 to 6 in 1999.
    "The coalition has been very successful in raising vehicle-deer crash
awareness, but continuing high crash rates make it necessary to expand our
program," said Jerry Basch, chairman of the Michigan Deer Crash Coalition.
    OHSP is part of the Michigan Deer Crash Coalition, a statewide coalition
of public and private groups working to decrease the number of deer-vehicle
crashes.  Efforts in past years have focused on a fall public information
campaign, alerting motorists of when and where crashes are most likely to
occur.
    Two areas of the state, the Upper Peninsula and Kent County, are
evaluating the effectiveness of special reflectors placed in high deer-crash
areas.  At least another year of data is needed to gauge their impact.
    The group now plans to further evaluate the data and meet with the
Department of Natural Resources, the Michigan Farm Bureau and the Michigan
United Conservation Clubs to discuss future strategies.