Previous attempts to build a picture of the full extent and geographical distribution of deer-related road traffic accidents in the UK have been hampered by the need to rely on retrospective abstraction of records.
Even if retrievable at all, records on deer-related incidents have tended to be maintained in a very incomplete and inconsistent manner by a variety of potential sources for such information [e.g. Police, County Councils, Local authority road/carcass clearance departments, RSPCA, Wildlife Hospitals, Insurance companies, forest rangers, private deer stalkers etc.].
The Highways Agency and The Deer Commission for Scotland, together with the Woodland Trust, the National Forest Company, and the Deer Study & Resource are continuing to help fund the current research, to develop for the first time a stratified national system for recording and monitoring information on the locationa and frequency of deer related road traffic incidents occurring throughout Great Britain.
This research is now building up an extensive database of reported incidents to provide a basis for analysing the true scale and key factors associated with occurrence of deer - vehicle accidents. This will also help us to identify present and aid prediction of future locations of high deer accident risk, and investigate the relative effectiveness of existing methods of accident mitigation.
Complementary field research projects have been initiated and others are planned to assess the effectiveness of differing preventative measures such as optical and acoustic wildlife warning reflectors and fences, use of Variable Driver Awareness Message Signs, and to assess aspects of deer behaviour and deer management which are relevant to improving the design of mitigation aimed at reducing traffic collisions.
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