IIHS: Collisions with deer and other animals spike in November; fatal crashes up 50% since 2000

News Release | October 30, 2008

Collisions with deer and other animals spike in November; fatal crashes up 50% since 2000

ARLINGTON, VA — November is the peak month for vehicle-deer collisions, and a new analysis of insurance claims and federal crash data indicate the problem is growing. The Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), an affiliate of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), recently examined insurance claims for animal strikes under comprehensive coverage month by month from January 2005 through April 2008. The main finding is that insurance claims for animal collisions are nearly 3 times higher during November than the typical month earlier in the year. For example, for every 1,000 insured vehicles 14 claims were filed in November 2007 compared with an average of 5 claims per 1,000 during January-September. Insurance claims usually don't specify the animal involved, but other data show that deer are the main ones.

"Urban sprawl means suburbia and deer habitat intersect in many parts of the country," says Kim Hazelbaker, HLDI senior vice president. "If you're driving in areas where deer are prevalent, the caution flag is out, especially in November."

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scatterbunny said:

Has anyone ever used a deer whistle on your car? Just wondering if they are really effective, or a scam.

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Whistles and Other Noisemakers

Ultrasonic whistles mounted on vehicle bumpers emit a shrill tone when air passes through them as the vehicle travels over thirty miles per hour. Manufacturers claim these whistles are audible to deer (but not to humans) and effective in frightening deer from the roadway. The whistle is about two inches long and bullet shaped. In 1990, according to The New York Times NATIONAL, deer whistles cost about $25, and such groups as the California, Iowa, and Kansas state police were using them on their patrol cars.

While manufacturers contend deer can hear the whistle up to a quarter mile away, no published research verifies the device's effectiveness. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety presented evidence refuting claims promoting the whistles:

Georgia's Game and Fish Department, for example, found that in hundreds of observations from vehicles equipped with deer whistles, deer didn't respond. Whistles on vehicles going 25-30 mph produced no ultrasonic sound, although some ultrasonic and lower frequencies were produced when the whistles were blown by mouth. According to wildlife biologists at the University of Georgia, neither deer nor humans can hear ultrasonic sound. Whistles blown by mouth near captive deer produce no response.

A University of Wisconsin study found that three types of whistle did produce low-pitched and ultrasonic sounds at speeds of 30 to 70 miles per hour; however, researchers were unable to verify that deer responded to the sounds, even at distances well below the distances from which manufacturers claim the whistles are heard. Moreover, deer would only be able to hear the whistles if there were a straight shot between the deer and the whistle. If curves, trees, or other obstacles came between the deer and the whistle, the device would be ineffective.

According to an article called "Blowing the Whistle on Deer Scare Devices" in the Mid-February 1993 Farm Journal, the Ohio State Police installed deer whistles on their patrol vehicles; however, they reported finding no significant decrease in collisions between patrol cars and deer. The same article indicated that a panel of the World Society for the Protection of Animals could find no data proving "that such a device can actually stop an animal crossing the road, which is the main purpose of the device." Finally, Washington State University researcher Leonard Askham felt the evidence tended to favor a conclusion that deer whistles do not work. "Even if the devices were effective," Askham warned, "they would soon become clogged with insects and dirt and stop working."

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