news&views Autumn 2023 | Page 14

Outdoor Living

Duane Radford

Wildlife Collisions

A couple of events occurred last year that prompted me to write an article about wildlife collisions . The first incident involved a majestic bull moose that had been hit by a pickup truck . It happened on Highway 16 , in broad daylight , on October 5 of last year , just west of Elk Island National Park . The front end of the vehicle was cratered . The poor creature lay crippled in the ditch when I happened upon the accident . Authorities had been contacted to euthanize the moose . The second incident involved an old friend of mine who collided with a moose on a dark , stormy night on his way home to his farm near Lac Bellevue on December 11 . His SUV was a write-off . These are not isolated accidents involving wildlife collisions in Alberta ; they happen all the time .
Photo by Ray Makowecki
The latest collision data that the Alberta Motor Association ( AMA ) has from Alberta Transportation is from 2020 . “ Five Albertans were killed in collisions involving a moose between July 19 and August 3 , 2020 . That ’ s the average number of fatal crashes with wildlife for an entire year !” Note that these accidents with moose took place in the summer , generally a time when risks are lower . According to the AMA , November is the peak month for wildlife-vehicle collisions , with about eighty per cent involving deer , which are “ especially active this time of the year as mating season gets underway .” Wildlife-vehicle collisions are expensive — the average claim is around $ 8,000 and the average annual cost to Albertans is around $ 280 million . The AMA recommends that motorists take the following defensive driving measures to protect themselves .
Slow Down “ The faster you ’ re going , the greater the distance you ’ ll need to stop .” Speed limit restrictions should be your starting point , but exercise extra caution near wildlife crossings , many of which are signed . “ The severity of a collision spikes exponentially as speed increases , making the potential for death or serious injury more significant .”
Be Vigilant Actively scan for animals on the highway and along the ditches , regardless of where you are driving . Because of urban sprawl encroaching into wildlife habitats , wild animals can be found just about anywhere in Alberta .
14 | arta . net WELL-AGED