Relative Risks of Deer–Vehicle Collisions Along Road Types in Southeast Michigan

Abstract

Deer–vehicle collisions (DVCs) are a substantial hazard throughout much of North America. Our objective was to determine relative risk for DVCs based on road characteristics and dominant land cover types, and to illustrate the use of relative risk assessment in wildlife management. Relative risk compares the probability of being in one event relative to the probability of being in another event. We determined relative risk of DVCs by comparing 1,350 DVC locations against 1,350 randomly selected non-DVC locations within three counties in southeast Michigan. Relative risk of a DVC was greater on rural roads compared to urban roads, roads with traffic volume >120 vehicles/h compared to roads with ≤120 vehicles/h, and high and medium speed roads compared to lower speed roads. Our findings provide guidance for identifying risks of DVCs related to road attributes, and prioritizing management strategies in an objective manner to mitigate risk from DVCs.

Keywords:

• deer–vehicle collision
• Michigan
• relative risk
• Odocoileus virginianus
• white-tailed deer

Acknowledgments

We thank S. Schrier, T. Bruff, and C. Compton for providing data for analyses. We also thank the Riley Lab Group for providing feedback on the article. This study was supported through grants from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Michigan Department of Transportation, and the Michigan State University Agricultural Experiment Station.