Fatal traffic crashes with animals have risen nationally since 1993, but have remained fairly steady in Maryland.
The low number partially can be attributed to Maryland’s small size and the Baltimore region not being as rural as other parts of the state where crashes are more likely, said Brian Eyler, the deer project leader for the state Department of Natural Resources.
Some counties have managed deer hunts to control overpopulation, including Howard where the last reported fatal car crash involving an animal was 2003, officials said.
“There’s no question about it: Hunting is the most effective way to manage deer,” Eyler said.
The best example of a successful deer hunt was along a road in Seneca Creek State Park in Montgomery County. Roadkills dropped from 101 in 1996 to fewer than 20 by the early 2000s, he said.
November was called the peak month for vehicle-deer collisions with insurance claims nearly three times higher than other months of the year, according to a report by the Highway Loss Data Institute, nonprofit that publishes insurance loss statistics on most cars and other vehicles.
Insurance claims usually don’t specify the animal, but deer are the primary culprit, the institute reported. Other animals include cattle, horses, dogs and even bears.
“The months with the most crash deaths coincide with fall breeding season,” said Anne McCartt, senior vice president for research with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a nonprofit research and communications organization funded by auto insurers.
“Crashes in which people are killed are most likely to occur in rural areas and on roads with speed limits of 55 mph or higher. They’re also more likely to occur in darkness, at dusk, or at dawn.”
In many cases, the driver doesn’t die because of crashing into the animal, rather he or she subsequently strikes a fixed object or neglects to wear a seat belt, said Russ Rader, spokesman for the Highway Loss Data Institute.
BY THE NUMBERS
Deaths from traffic crashes involving animals:
Rank State 1993-2007 2007
1 Texas 227 17
2 Wisconsin 123 15
3 Pennsylvania 112 9
4 Ohio 93 10
5 Michigan 87 11
41 Maryland 22 2 (Frederick, Harford)
Source: Highway Loss Data Institute
