Site and landscape conditions at white-tailed deer vehicle collision locations in Illinois

Motor vehicle collisions with white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) pr esent several problems including danger to humans, vehicle damage, and deer mortality. Knowledge of factors influencing deer movements onto or across roads and highways may reduce deer/vehicle collisions on existing roads, an d improve planning for future roads. We used remotely sensed data to determ ine characteristics associated with high accident areas. Topographic featur es and highway construction variables considered conducive to deer/vehicle accidents were measured around high accident road segments (greater than or equal to 15 accidents from 1989-1993) and randomly selected control sites. Variables were measured on aerial photographs and topographic maps within a 0.8 km radius of the road segments. Landscape composition and spatial str ucture were quantified with the computer program FRAGSTATS, using a statewi de land cover classification derived from Landsat V TM satellite imagery. A logistic regression model composed of site variables predicted that greate r distance to forest cover decreased the probability of a road segment bein g a high deer/vehicle accident site. The presence of adjacent gullies, ripa rian travel corridors crossing the road, and public recreational land withi n the 0.8 bm radius increased this probability. A model using only landscap e metrics derived from satellite imagery predicted that greater landscape d iversity and shorter distances between nearby forest patches increased the probability of a road segment being a high deer/vehicle accident site. Both models discriminated between high and low deer kill sites. Therefore, proa ctive management of negative deer/human interactions may be accomplished th rough remote sensing and geographical information systems, (C) 1999 Publish ed by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.