Hunting isn’t all people think about when it comes to deer. According to insurance statistics, the Mountain State leads the nation in deer strike accidents on the state’s roads.
“We live in a mountainous, rural area where wildlife is prevalent,” said Joe Pack, P.E. West Virginia Division of Highways chief engineer of operations. “The more rural the area, the more likely accidents are to happen.”
Between Jan. 1 and Nov. 20, 10,618 deer were hit on West Virginia highways, as well as 15 bears. Coyotes and other wild animals are also occasionally struck by cars on Mountain State roads.
Cleaning up after those accidents falls to the men and women who work in the department of highways field offices spread throughout the state.
“We treat it just like any other road obstruction,” Pack said. A deer in the middle of an interstate poses more of a threat to the public than a deer on the side of a rural road, so the department of highway takes care of the most dangerous sites first.
But department of highway’s work crews might not be aware of every single animal strike. If a person sees a dead deer or other animal in or near a state roadway, one can report it through the Safety With Action Today hotline. Call 1-833-WVROADS, email WV*****@**.gov, or visit https://dotforms.wv.gov/cra to file a report of an animal strike online.
Citizens may also contact their local WVDOH field office.
With work continuing in all 55 counties across the state, the West Virginia Division of Highways and the West Virginia Department of Transportation remind the public of the importance of keeping everyone safe in work zones by keeping “Heads up; phones down!”
