Category: Serving 250,001+ Residents
The Problem
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) recognizes community policing as the delivery of police services resulting from community and police partnerships, jointly setting and establishing priorities to identify and resolve issues necessary to reduce crime and enhance public safety. The OPP has established a number of community-policing committees (CPC) comprised of police and community members, each having responsibility to identify issues of concern and develop strategies and initiatives to address the issues identified.
In Eastern Ontario, police and community stakeholders discussed issues relating to vehicle-deer collisions. Vehicle collision data for 1999 were reviewed in the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry (SD&G) area, and the analysis indicated that 27 percent of the reported collisions in the area were vehicle-deer collisions, resulting in approximately $1,000,000 in damages. In the year 2000, 413 deer collisions represented 27.2 percent of the total figure of 1,513 accidents in SD&G.
The number of collisions is likely to continue or increase because of the anticipated continued high growth of the deer population. The objectives were to reduce the number of vehicle-deer collisions in the test area and to increase awareness concerning the problem of deer-vehicle collisions.
The Solution
A community member from the OPP SD&G detachment area identified vehicle-deer collisions as the problem/issue to be addressed. The expectations were to reduce the number of collisions and subsequent damages and injury to property and persons as well as generally increasing awareness concerning animal-car collisions. Community members assisted with the identification of the problem, assisted with the development and implementation, and also helped to obtain the necessary funding for the initiative.
The CPC, comprised of police, residents, government agencies and insurance companies, researched and reviewed a number of options to analyze various approaches in developing a program that addressed their concerns. They were determined to prevent more deaths. The methodology followed the OPP PARE problem-solving model (Problem Identification – Analysis – Response – Evaluation).
A number of solutions were reviewed, such as deer whistles installed on vehicle hoods, improved signage, fencing and increasing the hunting season. Each proposal presented its own challenges and limitations. Through consultation with a number of other agencies, a possible solution was determined for controlling the deer on the highway — a reflector system known as the Streiter-lite.
The Streiter-lite reflector system appeared most promising. Upon seeing the reflected headlights, the deer become motionless and no longer enter the roadway, preventing vehicle-deer collisions. However, cost was a major factor, and there was little supporting documentation available from agencies that had chosen to install the reflectors. OPP members compiled the collision data and pin maps to analyze the information and identify the area experiencing the greatest concentration of collisions in a controllable area.
The purchase of the reflector system was underwritten by the involved insurance company partners, with the installation of the product provided cost-free by the United Counties, with local business providing a sign to identify the program and test area. The OPP received $27,000 from three insurance companies; a commitment from the United Counties of SD&G to install and maintain the system at no cost; and a significant reduction in costs for signage in the pilot project area, which would recognize the partners.
A decision was made to conduct a two-year pilot program commencing December 2001 to evaluate the effectiveness of the system. A control area and a test area were identified as part of a controlled experiment to determine objectively the effectiveness of the proposed solution. A 3.9-kilometer stretch of highway was selected near a tourist area, which had the highest vehicle-deer collisions ratio per kilometer in SD&G. Given the absence of overhead lights, this area was an ideal test location. The test and control areas were otherwise quite similar.
Evaluation
In 1999, there were 24 vehicle-deer collisions in the test area. Based on an average of $5,000 per collision, the total property damage to vehicles in the test area was approximately $120,000. This does not include other costs and impacts, such as the emotional impact on the victims of vehicle-deer collisions, health care costs for the injured, or the policing costs to investigate and respond to the vehicle-deer collisions.
In SD&G, the incidents of vehicle-deer collisions increased in 2002 by 6.4 percent, while, in the test area, the incidents were reduced to their lowest level since the project research had begun, reflecting a decrease of approximately 85 percent — dramatically reducing costs to the public and improving road safety.
There were a total of 24 vehicle-deer collisions in the 12-month period preceding the installation of the reflector system. Since the implementation of the system, there have been only four vehicle-deer collisions between December 2001 and May 2003. Two collisions took place at the same location within the first 30 days of installation. Municipal engineers and police investigators determined that the two collisions (at the same reflector post) were a result of the reflector posts not being installed as per the design specifications. Once the problem was corrected, there have been no further collisions at that location.
While vehicle-deer collisions almost doubled in the control area, the number of collisions reduced from 24 to four in the test area. The insurance company partners felt they had recovered their costs easily through the reduced collision damage repairs in the first six months. They have realized significant reduction in collision damage claims in the test area. There were a number of additional benefits of the reduction in vehicle-deer collisions in the test area, including: a reduction of victimization and emotional trauma on the vehicle occupants; a reduction of injuries and impact on health care costs; and a reduction in the amount of time spent by police investigating and responding to vehicle-deer collision calls, allowing them more time to respond to other community and victim needs.
Based on the preliminary results, discussions presently are underway to examine the feasibility of a province-wide rollout of this initiative in other areas with high deer-vehicle collisions. A final decision will be made upon the conclusion of the two-year pilot.
