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Click here if you cannot view this news release From Sue Stetler, SEMCOG Communications Director • e-mail • 313-961-4266
SEMCOG releases statistics on deer crashes in Southeast Michigan There were 6,353 vehicle-deer crashes in Southeast Michigan in 2006 (up from 6,097 in 2005 and 6,196 in 2004), according to figures released by SEMCOG, the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, based on crash data received from the Michigan Department of State Police, Criminal Justice Information Center. That figure represents 4.6 percent of all crashes in 2006 (138,165 total). In 2006, a vehicle-deer crash occurred every 1.4 hours. While the greatest number of overall crashes occurred between 3 and 6 p.m., the greatest number of deer crashes occurred between 6 and 9 p.m. In general, the largest percentage of all crashes involving deer occurred between 3 and 6 a.m. (15.4 percent), followed by 9 p.m.-midnight (10.8 percent). Deer crashes are more prevalent now for a couple of reasons — rapid development in previously rural areas and a statewide deer herd four times larger than in 1970 and 10 times larger in Southeast Michigan. Oakland County had the most vehicle-deer crashes in the seven-county SEMCOG region (1,866; 5.0 percent) and ranked third in Michigan behind Kent and Jackson Counties. However, Livingston County experienced the highest percentage (23.9 percent) of deer-vehicle crashes (to all crashes) in 2006 in Southeast Michigan.
Rochester Hills and Scio Township experienced the most deer crashes in Southeast Michigan in 2006. The top 10 list follows in the chart below. Other community numbers are accessible by county in the hyperlinked list above. Simply find this release on SEMCOG's Web site and click on the specific county.
Many of the outermost communities in the seven-county SEMCOG region saw high percentages of crashes involving deer. In Greenwood Township, located in northern St. Clair County, 74.5 percent of all crashes involved deer, followed by Lynn Township (St. Clair County, 71.1 percent), Leonard (Oakland County, 66.7 percent), Lyndon Township (Washtenaw County, 65.5 percent), and Cohoctah Township (Livingston County, 62.9 percent). SEMCOG is a member of the Michigan Deer Crash Coalition (MDCC), now in its 11th year, working to decrease vehicle-deer crashes. This year, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources estimates the deer herd to be 1.7 million. The coalition notes that deer crashes occur most frequently during October, November, and December; most occur on two-lane roads between dusk and dawn. In 2006, there were 12 fatalities involving deer in the state (up from nine in 2005). Deer crashes are costly. In Michigan, deer crashes cost at least $130 million per year; the average insurance claim is about $2,135 in damage, usually to the front end, often leaving the vehicle undriveable. The coalition cautions drivers not to swerve out of a lane to avoid a deer. It's generally safer to hit the deer than run off the road or risk injuring another motorist. The MDCC Web site is accessible through SEMCOG's Web site — www.semcog.org. Look for the MDCC name and logo on the right side of the home page under Public Outreach. The MDCC Web site provides access to statewide vehicle-deer crash resources, including updates on current issues, resources, deer-car crash data, news releases, and a calendar of activity. SEMCOG is a regional planning partnership of local governmental units serving 4.9 million people in the seven-county region of Southeast Michigan striving to enhance the region's quality of life.
Read recent SEMCOG news releases SEMCOG is a regional planning partnership of governmental units serving 4.9 million people in the seven-county region of Southeast Michigan striving to enhance the region's quality of life.  Southeast Michigan Council of Governments 535 Griswold Street, Suite 300 Detroit, MI 48226-3602 313-961-4266 - Fax 313-961-4869 www.semcog.org |
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