As the weather warms and roadsides turn green, motorists in Maine need to be wary of another sign of spring: moose alongside Maine roads.
Moose-vehicle collisions are a problem throughout Maine, and Maine Dept. of Transportation crash data shows that each spring, the frequency of moose-vehicle collisions increases in April and continues to climb until it peaks in mid-June.
According to DOT crash statistics, Maine has averaged over 600 moose vehicle crashes a year over the past 10 years. Each crash has the potential to be deadly, and annually well over 100 people are injured in moose/vehicle crashes.
In 2009, there was one fatality. Over the past five years, moose/vehicle crashes have accounted for nine fatalities on Maine’s roads. Crashes occur in every county in the state, with the majority of accidents happening between dusk and dawn.
The DOT recently released an updated brochure that details the hazards of moose and deer collisions, and ways to avoid them. Along with the Department of Public Safety, Office of the Secretary of State, Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and the Maine Turnpike Authority, the DOT also produced the Maine Large Animal/Vehicle Crash Map. The map compiles the latest three-year crash statistics and plots them on a map of the state. It shows the frequency of crashes in each county, as well as number of crashes by month and time of day. The poster and brochure can be viewed at www.maine.gov/mdot/safety/mcd.htm. This poster is distributed to schools, motor vehicle registries and town offices.
“Due to a moose’s large size, every moose-vehicle accident has the potential for serious injury,” said Duane Brunell of the DOT Safety Office. “Drivers need to be alert when driving at night, especially in wooded or marshy areas. You need to slow down, scan the roadsides for moose, and always wear your seatbelt.”
In late spring, moose frequent roadways for several reasons. After a long winter of eating poor-quality food, their bodies crave the salt that is found along roadsides. The sides of roads are also the first areas to green up in the spring, offering tender plant shoots as another source of food for moose. Yearling moose, recently forced away by their mothers as the mothers prepare to give birth to this year’s calves, often travel and find themselves around roads.
Nighttime is also primetime for moose-vehicle collisions. The number of moose crashes peaks between 7 p.m. and midnight. Moose move more during the evening after it cools from the daytime high temperatures.
During a three-year period, nearly 2000 moose collisions occur in Maine, and fatalities occur almost every year. Nearly 90 percent of crashes occur between dusk and dawn; nearly 80 percent of the crashes occur during hours of darkness and 19 of the 22 fatalities over the past 10 years occurred when it was dark.
The state experiences driver fatalities almost every year due to moose/car collisions.
There are several steps drivers can take to minimize the chance of being involved in a moose-vehicle collision. Steps include reducing speed when it is dark, using high beams where it is appropriate, always using seatbelts and searching the roadway ahead to identify potential problems.
With their dark brown color, moose are difficult to see at night, and because of their height, their eyes do not readily reflect oncoming headlights. They also tend to move in groups. Where there is one, slow down, because there may be another; and be on the lookout for tall silhouettes along roadsides.
Remember, moose are everywhere in the state, and they can turn up on any type of road from local roads to high-speed interstates.
