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Q: Do electronic deer alerts really keep deer away from cars? ( No Answer,   5 Comments )
Question  
Subject: Do electronic deer alerts really keep deer away from cars?
Category: Miscellaneous
Asked by: erspertus-ga
List Price: $10.00
Posted: 25 Nov 2005 00:25 PST
Expires: 30 Nov 2005 08:45 PST
Question ID: 597368
There are a number of electronic deer alert devices
[http://www.911phone.net/Alert.htm] advertised as keeping deer out of
the path of your car.  I would like information on whether they really
work.
Answer  
There is no answer at this time.

Comments  
Subject: Re: Do electronic deer alerts really keep deer away from cars?
From: canadianhelper-ga on 25 Nov 2005 11:18 PST
 
Short answer is NO.  If you can find an insurance company to give you
a discount that would cover the cost...go for it...otherwise check
this evidence:

I think the most telling thing about this topic is that AAA does not
even mention them as a way of controlling animal/car collisions:
http://www.aaafoundation.org/resources/index.cfm?button=autodeer
  
Crashes With Animals 
  
Collisions with animals, particularly deer, represent more than four
percent of all crashes in the United States and killed 111 people in
1995 according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration's Fatal Accident Reporting System (FARS), so the
Foundation decided to look into this issue further. An analysis of
state data from Alabama showed that the most dangerous times of day
for deer-related crashes are in the early evening and early morning --
the most active time for deer. The most dangerous time of year is
during the mating season, in November and December. While FARS
reported 275,000 collisions with animals in 1995, the Insurance
Information Institute , a New York based group that looks into various
insurance-related issues, estimates that there are 500,000 collisions
each year with deer alone, each costing the insurance industry
approximately $2,000 per claim. According to the I.I.I., the deer
population has swelled from approximately 10 million in the 1980s to
more than 20 million today.

So, what can you do to avoid hitting an animal yourself? First, pay
attention to animal crossing signs. They're probably there because
other motorists have had crashes in the area. Also, obey the speed
limit and keep a close watch for deer around dusk and at dawn. Don't
over-drive your headlights at night -- i.e., control your speed so
that you will have time to react to something when it appears in your
headlights. If you see a deer in the road, honk your horn -- flashing
your lights might cause the animal to further fixate on your vehicle.
Keep in mind that if you think you are going to hit the animal, it's
often better to brake than to swerve. Swerving can confuse the animal
as to which way to run and possibly result in a worse collision with a
fixed object such as a tree or an oncoming vehicle.


Nor does the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recognize them:

http://www.hwysafety.org/research/topics/pdf/sr28.4_deer.pdf

and

Deer
whistles that attach to vehicles have
been available for more than 20
years. The whistles produce ultrasonic
noise (16 to 20 kHz) when a
vehicle exceeds about 30 mph. The
presumption is that deer will hear
the noise and be warned away. It?s
unclear whether deer do hear the
noise, but in any event studies
show the whistles have no effect on
deer behavior.
?People approach this hoping
to find quick and easy solutions,
but there aren?t any. Whistles don?t
work,? Hedlund says

http://www.hwysafety.org/sr/pdfs/sr3901.pdf

and

Based on our research at Texas A&M, and the studies conducted by Dr.
Marchington at the University of Georgia, it seems very unlikely that
deer whistles will be effective at reducing deer-vehicle accidents.
Also
 
A scientific advisory panel from the World Society for the Protection
of Animals states, after extensive review, that there is no known data
"that shows that such devices can actually stop an animal crossing the
road, which is the main purpose of the device."

The state police in Ohio, after months of testing, found no
significant decrease in patrol car/deer accidents after the warning
devices were installed. In fact, more accidents were reported by the
officers after the whistles were installed than before for the same
period of time and stretches of highway. Tests conducted in Utah,
Georgia and Wisconsin also concluded that deer whistles don't work.

http://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/CEPublications/eb1677/eb1677.html

Since completing the study, a new electronic whistle has been put on
the market. Although Scheifele has not had an opportunity to test it,
he has examined its advertising claims. He says the specs for the
electronic whistle are considerably different from those of the
air-fed devices, so "there is a possibility that the electronic
whistle is more effective than the air-fed devices."

But even if deer can hear the electronic signal, the UConn scientist
questions how one alerts rather than startles the animal. This is
where animal behavior comes into play.

"Think about the metaphor 'deer in the headlights'," says Scheifele.
"It is used to conjure up an image of someone who is confused or
frightened. When deer sense something unusual, we do not know for sure
how they are going to react."

Will they freeze in their tracks, run off, or charge towards the
sound? Their behavior is related to the "fight-or-flight response".
According to scientific literature on the subject, there is an amount
of space in which an animal feels safe, but once that boundary is
violated, the animal's reaction is unpredictable. Its response will
depend on a number of factors, including age, sex, type of enemy, and
surroundings.

http://www.advance.uconn.edu/2002/021118/02111812.htm
Subject: Re: Do electronic deer alerts really keep deer away from cars?
From: erspertus-ga on 25 Nov 2005 14:29 PST
 
Thanks very much for your extremely helpful reply.  Let me know your
favorite charity, and I'll donate $10 there and close out this
question.
Subject: Re: Do electronic deer alerts really keep deer away from cars?
From: tempworker-ga on 26 Nov 2005 20:31 PST
 
I think this guy wants, and deserves, a job at ga.
Subject: Re: Do electronic deer alerts really keep deer away from cars?
From: pademelon-ga on 27 Nov 2005 04:25 PST
 
Same thing happens with kangaroos.
Subject: Re: Do electronic deer alerts really keep deer away from cars?
From: canadianhelper-ga on 30 Nov 2005 06:11 PST
 
Get your kids something extra for Christmas (or whatever holiday you
may enjoy at this time of year!) Charity begins at home.

Glad I could help.

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