Safety Group Unveils New PSA Campaign to Call Attention to Car-Deer Crashes

DEARBORN, Mich., Sept. 24 -- On average, every eight minutes in Michigan a motorist hits a deer, sometimes with devastating consequences. A new public awareness campaign announced today by the Michigan Deer Crash Coalition (MDCC) is aimed at reducing that figure by telling motorists to be extra alert when driving this fall.

Public Service Announcements are being sent to all Michigan television stations today, aimed at promoting awareness of the problem amongst the driving public and reducing the number of deaths and injuries occurring each year on state roads.

"The MDCC is happy to announce that in 2002, both total car-deer crashes and deaths resulting from vehicle collisions with deer fell," said coalition Chairman Richard J. Miller of AAA Michigan, "but the number of injuries rose, and the dollar amount of damage to vehicles and, especially, to lives remains too high."

According to the Michigan State Police Criminal Justice Information Center, there were 63,136 deer-vehicle crashes in 2002, down approximately 4 percent from 65,993 in 2001. However, due to crashes that go unreported, the actual total remains closer to 80,000. More than 16 percent of all crashes in Michigan involve deer.

Nearly half occur in the October-to-December mating season when deer are very active, and crashes spike again in spring when the season's first grass appears along highway rights-of-way. Car-deer crashes peaked in 1996, but have stabilized at slightly lower levels in the six years since.

On average, there are 173 crashes involving deer every day of the year in Michigan. That's approximately one every eight minutes, and they occur in every county, including metropolitan areas like Detroit and Grand Rapids.

All motorists should 'think deer' whenever they are behind the wheel, drive defensively, as if a deer can appear at any moment, because they can! And remember, always fasten your safety belts. They are your best chance of surviving in any crash.

  If a crash with a deer is unavoidable, the MDCC recommends drivers:
  *  DON'T SWERVE!
  *  Brake Firmly.
  *  Hold onto the steering wheel with both hands.
  *  Come to a controlled stop.
  *  Steer your vehicle well off the roadway.

Michigan's car-deer crash problem has grown due to several factors. More homes and businesses built in historical deer habitat, along with the state's deer herd that is nearly four times larger than in 1970, force deer into ever- smaller, more populous areas.

Car-deer crashes in Michigan cause an estimated $130 million in auto repairs each year. Nationally, reported collisions alone cause an estimated $1.1 billion in damage. One study found that car-deer crashes kill more people in the nation than all commercial airline, train and bus accidents combined in a typical year.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm has declared October "Michigan Car-Deer Crash Safety Awareness Month."

The Michigan Deer Crash Coalition, formed in 1996, includes: AAA Michigan (313) 336-1500 * Allstate Insurance (248) 351-7118 * Federal Highway Administration (517) 377-1882 * Insurance Institute of Michigan (517) 371-2880 * Kent County Road Commission (616) 242-6900 * Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police (517) 349-9420 * Michigan Association of Insurance Agents (517) 323-9473 * Michigan Department of Natural Resources (517) 373-1214 * Michigan Department of State (517) 373-2520 * Michigan Department of State Police (517) 336-6579 * Michigan Department of Transportation (517) 373-7522 * Michigan Farm Bureau (517) 323-6560 * Michigan Sheriffs' Association (517) 485-3135 * Michigan State University (517) 353-9456 * Michigan United Conservation Clubs (517) 346-6484 * Office of Highway Safety Planning (517) 333-5317 * Traffic Safety Association of Michigan (517) 487-8811 * State Farm Insurance (616) 789-5199 * Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (313) 961-4266 * University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (734) 764-2485 * United Parcel Service (734) 523-1856.