Vehicle collisions with wildlife are a national problem that affects motorists in every U.S. state, and challenges state DOTs seeking to minimize these crashes. New data shows U.S. drivers on average have a 1 in 116 chance of a collision with an animal. The company estimates there were over 1.9 million animal collision insurance claims in the U.S. between July 1, 2018 and June 30, 2019 (State Farm 2019). Wildlife vehicle collisions represent a substantial safety and economic concern for the traveling public in South Dakota. During the five-year span of 2014-2018 there were 22,955 reported wildlife vehicle collisions on South Dakota roadways (SD-DPS, 2019). Estimates show that tens of thousands of large ungulates are killed on South Dakota roadways each year. Large ungulates are a valuable resource to the state. Annually, an estimated $683 million dollars attributed to hunting are directly spent in South Dakota (Southwick Associates, 2017). The value of individual animals is difficult to assess and can vary greatly depending on factors used in the determination. This proposed research is a stepping-stone on the road to South Dakota becoming more proactive in identifying problem areas where wildlife moves across roads and creating the necessary mitigation to ensure the safety of the traveling public and preserve wildlife populations.
The impact of wildlife-vehicle collisions on drivers and wildlife populations has been gaining increasing attention in the United States. Given the es...
This guide documents the available options for roadway surfacing, and provides a decision-making process to allow consideration of all conventional en...
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