60,000 CANADIAN DRIVERS INVOLVED IN DEER-VEHICLE COLLISIONS PERYEAR

Composting carcasses. Dawn and dusk collisions leaving hundreds of commuters hurt or dead.Scenes from the latest apocalyptic Hollywood blockbuster? No, it's the latest in the increasingly desperate and at times bizarre effort to keep drivers and white-tailed deer apart.

Last year, approximately 60,000 Canadian drivers hit a deer, double the number from a decade ago. The total cost to drivers, taxpayers and insurance companies was about $400 million.
The numbers are drawn from the insurance company's study, which covered Ontario, Alberta and New Brunswick, and by compiling the latest national and provincial data.

• In Canada, white-tailed deer account for about nine of every 10 vehicle collisions with large animals, which includes moose, elk and bears.
• Ontario leads the way in deer collisions, with about 14,000 in 2008. Across Canada this year, it's expected that as many as 50 drivers and passengers will die and thousands will be injured in collisions with wildlife.
• In the U.S., the situation is even worse and is serving as a warning for what could happen north of the border as deer populations and the number of cars on Canadian roads grows, say roadkill experts.
• In 2008, there were 1.2 million collisions between vehicles and deer in the U.S., according to the State Farm study. The estimated bill for these deer run-ins: $8 billion.
• The City of Ottawa claims to have reduced deer-vehicle collisions through its 'Speeding Costs You Deerly' campaign, launched in the fall of 2006. Using temporary roadside signage — large, portable, illuminated advertising panels that grab commuters' attention — and heightened police enforcement of speeding laws, the campaign appeared to put the brakes on the number of deer collisions in the peak months of October and November, from 344 in 2005, to only 214 in 2008.

Driving for Deer: Tips for Avoiding Deer-Vehicle Collisions

- The vast majority of deer vehicle crashes happen in spring and fall. The peak months vary across Canada.

- Most deer-vehicle collisions occur in the hours around dawn and dusk.

- Reducing speed is the No. 1 way to avoid a deer-vehicle collision.

- Scan the roadside for deer, and slow down when they're seen near the road.

- Avoid swerving to avoid deer. Most deaths and injuries related to deer involve drivers swerving into oncoming traffic or roadside structures.