Deer collisions in Canada: costly economic toll

OPP respond to 10 vehicle collisions in a 24 hour period
Between the mornings of December 8, 2011 and December 9, 2011, members of the North Bay Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have responded to ten (10) vehicle collisions. Four (4) have involved wildlife bounding onto the highway, five (5) have involved drivers reporting that the weather and roads were the factor
Nov. 25, 2011
“Eighteen out of the 47 (property damage accidents) in October were car versus animal, mostly deer,” said West Parry Sound OPP staff sergeant Ron Campbell. “Thirty-one collisions were single vehicle collisions. People need to be aware and slow down.”

If only they would.

Nine out of every ten vehicles collisions in Canada involving large animals are with white-tailed deer. According to a 2008 study released by a major insurance company, approximately 60,000 Canadians hit a deer, led by Ontario with about 14,000 collisions. The study projected that 50 drivers and passengers would die in collisions with deer annually, and thousands would be injured.

It is a costly part of car insurance: economic toll of the deer/vehicle conflict in Canada is about $400 million. In 2010, in the Thunder Bay area, there were an estimated 640 to 850 deer/vehicle collisions, resulting in 42 injuries.