DATE:     10/28/02
CONTACT:  Webb M. Smathers, (864) 656-3223; wsmthrs@clemson.edu
WRITER:   Susan Bedingfield, (864) 656-3876; sbeding@clemson.edu

Clemson study highlights
ways to make highways safer

     CLEMSON   When most people think of fall, they imagine driving 
around enjoying the beautiful colors and the cool crisp air. 
     Fall is a time to enjoy what Mother Nature provides, but be 
careful, especially in certain areas, as you drive because fall is also 
a prime time for white tail deer to dart across the road. 
     That's the conclusion of a study designed by a Clemson University
professor to look for economically feasible methods of reducing the 
number of deer and vehicle collisions. 
     "There is a stabilized but very high deer population and 
tremendous growth of human populations into deer habitat here in South 
Carolina," said Webb Smathers, professor in the Department of 
Agriculture and Applied Economics.
     In 1995 the United States Department of Highway Safety estimated 
that nationally drivers were involved in between 500,000 and 750,000 
accidents involving deer. The annual cost from property damage and 
human injury was estimated to be $1.2 billion per year. 
     These estimates only covered the number of accidents reported. The
actual numbers could be higher, according to Smathers.
     To reach each geographic region of the state -- mountains, 
piedmont, coastal plain and coast -- the Clemson study was conducted in 
Abbeville, Aiken, Barnwell, Florence, Georgetown, Jasper, Laurens, Lee, 
Marion, Newberry, Orangeburg and Spartanburg counties. 
     Using computerized mapping, the study identified areas along 
highways where large number of accidents tend to occur. Analysis of 
these sections indicated why deer crossed more frequently in these 
areas.
     Smathers and graduate assistants, Garland Wilkie and Melissa 
Smith, documented not only breeding season, but low light conditions 
around dusk and dawn, proximity to streams and rivers and certain 
vegetation lining the road also contribute to accidents involving white tail deer.
     "October, November and December are three of the worst months for 
auto accidents involving deer," said Smathers. "This is breeding season 
for the deer; so they are most active during these three months, which 
is no surprise."
     "However, one surprise was the part water played in these 
accidents. Roads that crossed or were near creeks and streams were 
especially high in auto accidents involving deer."
     In addition, Smathers recommends alternatives for roadside 
management, so deer are not attracted to the road in the first place. 
     Ornamental plants on the side and middle of the interstates are
generally fertilized so they look pleasing to motorists as they drive through the state. Because fertilized plants satisfy their nutritional 
requirements without a lot of effort, deer also prefer these plants.
     "Using plants with low fertility requirements and low on the 
deer's food preference will help keep the state not only beautiful, but 
also safe," said Smathers.
     Hunting is the least expensive method available to reduce 
accidents. Through the legal harvest of deer, the herd can be reduced 
to a safer level.  
     Other recommendations include:
     · Rights of way should be maintained to increase visibility for 
       drivers and deer.
     · Fencing along the roadway has been shown to significantly reduce
       the number of deer/vehicle accidents. Where roads cross rivers 
       or streams would be good places for high fencing.
     · Special signs could be strategically placed in problem areas.
     "Good basic advice would be to drive safely in areas where 
vehicles have been known to hit deer, and where highways cross streams, 
especially during low light conditions from October through December."
	The South Carolina Deparment of Transportation, as part of 
an effort to make the state's highways safer, funded the project.
                              END