Countermeasures for High-Risk Locations for Wildlife Related Crashes in Tennessee

Details

• Creators:
  Waldron, Brian ; Butler, Rebecca ; DeVault, Travis ; D’Angelo, Gino J. ; Camp, Janey ; Reyes, Paulina
• Corporate Creators:
  University of Memphis
• Corporate Contributors:
  Tennessee. Department of Transportation ; United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Animal Vehicle Crashes Countermeasures High Risk Locations Traffic Safety Wildlife
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  Tennessee;United States
• Edition:
  Final report – Aug. 1, 2023 to July 30, 2025.
• Corporate Publisher:
  Tennessee. Department of Transportation
• Abstract:
  A study funded by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration under RES2024-003 was conducted to assess the occurrence of wildlife-vehicle crashes (WVCs) along TDOT maintained routes in Tennessee and to explore potential mitigation strategies. WVC hotspots were identified by analyzing wildlife incident data from 2019 to 2023, with route segmentation defined by intersections. Many incidents involved deer. An extensive literature review informed the analysis of WVC causality and mitigation methods. Key factors influencing WVCs included time of day, weather, seasonality, and traffic density, with deer-related behaviors driving most incident patterns. Environmental conditions and traffic density were not found to be significant predictors. Various mitigation strategies were considered, including signage, auditory cues, odor deterrents, wildlife rerouting, and fencing. Fencing was identified as an effective mitigation strategy, yet its effectiveness was limited due to frequent intersections on most high-WVC routes, which restricted the possibility of installing continuous fence segments. A targeted field review of the highest WVC segments revealed infrastructure features such as underpasses, culverts, and stream crossings that could support mitigation, but implementation was constrained by road layout and ingress/egress points. Ultimately, the study recommended deploying flashing warning signage during peak WVC periods, especially in November, to alert drivers and promote behavior changes—such as reducing speed and increasing vigilance—that may reduce collision risks.
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  74736, RES2024-03
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:61fec8d6e0792b7ddb18fbba973f41e8cb42af3576c61fc0da564f4dc73b7363bb9a974576398b661ea1175113b7803c56df82601b3241ea6e34103f67a75a4d
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/85818/dot_85818_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 6.24 MB ]