planb
18th November 2004, 19:13
THERE'S A FOUR LEGGED JIHAD GOING ON HERE, FOLKS! KEEP AN EYE OUT...MAYBE TWO!
Fatal crashes involving animals at new high
COLLISIONS: Alaskans hit an average of 700 moose a year, with one to three human deaths.
By DEE-ANN DURBIN
The Associated Press
(Published: November 18, 2004)
WASHINGTON -- Cars and motorcycles crash into deer more than 4,000 times a day, and it's taking a deadly toll -- on people.
Last year a record 210 motorists were killed in collisions with animals, mostly deer. That was 40 more than the previous year and more than twice the number in 1993, according to a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Alaska drivers have been slamming into about 700 moose a year since 1994, according to statistics tallied by the state Department of Transportation and the Alaska State Troopers. The accidents kill one to three people a year and injure more than 100.
"The deer population is growing, and there are more vehicles on the road every year," Allan Williams, the institute's chief scientist, said Wednesday. "There's just a lot more chance for interaction with animals on the roads."
Deer are involved in about 75 percent of fatal animal-crash accidents. In all, there were 1.5 million deer crashes last year, injuring 13,713 people, the institute said.
Such animal-involved fatal crashes have been rising since the mid-1990s, according to federal data analyzed by the institute. Between 1993 and 1997, an average of 119 fatal crashes occurred each year. Between 1998 and 2002, the figure rose to 155.
The institute said special signs during migratory periods, thinning herds and signs that activate when deer are near roadways have shown promise in reducing crashes.
Daily News reporter Doug O'Harra contributed to this article.
Fatal crashes involving animals at new high
COLLISIONS: Alaskans hit an average of 700 moose a year, with one to three human deaths.
By DEE-ANN DURBIN
The Associated Press
(Published: November 18, 2004)
WASHINGTON -- Cars and motorcycles crash into deer more than 4,000 times a day, and it's taking a deadly toll -- on people.
Last year a record 210 motorists were killed in collisions with animals, mostly deer. That was 40 more than the previous year and more than twice the number in 1993, according to a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Alaska drivers have been slamming into about 700 moose a year since 1994, according to statistics tallied by the state Department of Transportation and the Alaska State Troopers. The accidents kill one to three people a year and injure more than 100.
"The deer population is growing, and there are more vehicles on the road every year," Allan Williams, the institute's chief scientist, said Wednesday. "There's just a lot more chance for interaction with animals on the roads."
Deer are involved in about 75 percent of fatal animal-crash accidents. In all, there were 1.5 million deer crashes last year, injuring 13,713 people, the institute said.
Such animal-involved fatal crashes have been rising since the mid-1990s, according to federal data analyzed by the institute. Between 1993 and 1997, an average of 119 fatal crashes occurred each year. Between 1998 and 2002, the figure rose to 155.
The institute said special signs during migratory periods, thinning herds and signs that activate when deer are near roadways have shown promise in reducing crashes.
Daily News reporter Doug O'Harra contributed to this article.