Welcome to the online home of the Deer-Vehicle Crash Information Clearinghouse (DVCIC) at the Texas Transportation Institute. The DVCIC, established at the University of Wisconsin, is now funded and part of the Deer-Vehicle Crash Information and Research Center (DVCIR Center). Check out the new “Pooled Fund” section of this website for more information.
The DVCIR Center pooled fund project was created to continue and expand the data collection, research evaluation, and information exchange tasks completed by the DVCIC. It will also define and fund deer-vehicle crash related activities and research.
DVCIR Center members currently include the Department of Transportation from Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Texas and Wisconsin. The lead agency is the Federal Highway Administration Office of Natural and Human Environment.
Information about becoming a pooled fund member can be found in the “Pooled Fund” section of this website.
The DVCIC and DVCIR Center are excellent focal-point resources for practitioners trying to find better information and methods connected to the problem of deer-vehicle crashes. They are a great location for anyone looking for information related to deer-vehicle crashes.
NEWS and NOTES:
October 2007 Deer-Vehicle Crash Reduction Symposium and Committee
Meeting Held
A symposium and DVCIR Center technical advisory meeting were held October 29-30, 2007 at the NY State Department of Transportation Training and Conference Center in Schenectady, NY. The agenda for the symposium included an update on the DVCIC and DVCIR Center activities, speakers that are working on projects related to DVC-reduction, and a panel or conversation circle focused on the experiences of agencies involved in the implementation of animal-vehicle collision countermeasures (e.g., challenges, outcomes, and lessons learned). The output of the advisory committee meeting will be used to guide the research projects that will be advertised soon and funded by the DVCIR Center.
Deer-Vehicle Crash Data Updated and Added to Website
New deer-vehicle crash (DVC) data has been added to the website. The most current year of DVC-related data provided to the DVCIR Center is being posted for each Department of Transportation involved with the clearinghouse and pooled fund. Data for 2006 will be added, if necessary, as it becomes available. The data available between 1993 and the present has also been acquired and posted. The listings of the ten states with the most animal-vehicle collision fatalities have also been updated. Summary, statewide, and national fatality data are available under the “Data” section of this website.
DVCIR Center Inaugural Meeting Held
The inaugural DVCIR Center pooled fund technical advisory committee (TAC) meeting was held at the Minnesota Department of Transportation Arden Hills Training Facility in January 2007. This meeting was sponsored by the Southwest University Transportation Center (SWUTC) at the Texas Transportation Institute. The agenda included presentations of ongoing DVC reduction projects, DVCIR Center organization discussions, and the definition and prioritization of potential subjects for projects the DVCIR Center may fund. The TAC identified a series of information-sharing activities it would like the DVCIR Center to complete. In addition, it was proposed that problem statements be developed for four potential research subjects. The subjects chosen include the identification of high crash locations, roadside vegetation management impacts, education and outreach methodologies, and alternative sign design evaluation. Information on the advancement of these projects will be added to the “Pooled Fund” section of this website as it becomes available.
Successful Meeting Creates DVC Reduction Strategic Agenda
In October 2005 a Strategic Agenda for DVC reduction was created. More than 65 people with a wide range of backgrounds met in Madison, WI to provide input for the agenda. A description of the meeting and its presentation are available here. The action items suggested by the attendees of the meeting are presented within the Strategic Agenda document and focus on four areas: data collection and research, funding, partnership building, and technology transfer/education. The objective of the strategic agenda was to provide guidance to those interested in advancing the reduction of DVCs.
New Information Added
9/4/07 Updated DVCIC homepage and added current DVC-related data and summaries for all DVCIC and DVCIR Center states. Added “Pooled Fund” section to the website. Updates to this section to provided in the coming months.
10/25/06 Added 2005 Wisconsin Deer Crash monograph to Wisconsin Deer Crash Data . Available data from other Upper Midwest states and Pooled Fund states to be added soon.
10/25/06 Updated information about DVCIC and DVCIR Center, Strategic Agenda, Pooled Fund, and Ten-Year data summary.
4/11/06 The report "Statewide and Upper Midwest Summary of Deer-Vehicle Crash and Related Data from 1993 to 2003" has been added. Information by state/region is available under "DVCIC Products" on the toolbar or here.
10/24/05 Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin DVC data pages have been updated and historical crash data by county have been added as downloadable files. 2004 data for Minnesota has also been updated.
10/14/05 The Regional Deer Crash Data page has been updated with 2004 figures
9/29/05 Wisconsin Deer Crash Monographs from 2000 to 2004 have been added to the Wisconsin Deer Crash Data page.