Animal-Vehicle Collision Data Collection

WTI described the current data collection practices of all states and provinces in the US and Canada for animal-vehicle collision and animal carcass data.

To examine the extent to which animal-vehicle collision data are collected and used across North America; to report on successful examples, illustrated through case studies; and to advise on standards

Animal-vehicle collisions (AVC) have serious consequences for people as well as animals. There are an estimated 725,000 – 1,500,000 AVC in the United States annually resulting in over 200 human fatalities, over 29,000 human injuries and over a billion dollars in property damage every year. In addition wildlife mortality may affect species on the population level, with some species facing serious reduction in population survival probability. In the United States and Canada AVC data collection varies from the institutionalized practices in the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation’s Wildlife Accident Reporting System to practices in United States jurisdictions where public safety officials limit reporting to only those collisions which result in property damage with an estimated cost in excess of a dollar-value reporting threshold. Identifying locations with high numbers of AVCs is critical in deciding where countermeasures are needed. This project will examine how AVC data are collected and used in the United States and Canada. The project team will survey state and provincial agencies regarding their collection and use of AVC data, review relevant literature in the field, review case studies to document any reported standards and illustrate innovative and successful practices for the collection and use of AVC data, as well as lessons learned and gaps in information.