The number of collisions in the province involving deer has spiked according to data from Manitoba Public Insurance.
In 2016, the number of crashes involving deer in the City of Winnipeg was 777, in 2015 there were 661 crashes involving deer and in 2014 it was 619.
In 2016 there were 8,988 crashes involving deer in the province. That number is up from 2015 where there were 7,015 crashes and up from the 2014 total of 5,570.
“I would suggest that the deer in the Charleswood area, are feeding along the boulevards, traffic is going by them on a daily basis, they become accustomed to it,” said Brian Smiley from MPI.
According to Manitoba Conservation the deer population in the province is below normal, that’s at fewer than 100,000. Some people in Charleswood wonder if the spike in collisions is because of the deer moving closer to homes.
“I think in part it’s nurtured in part by several people feeding them, they have no predators and a good life and they multiply very abundantly,” Joaquin Carneiro said.
Tips from MPI and CAA Manitoba include:
- Pay attention to the road
- Keep both hands on the wheel
- Don’t swerve to avoid deer
- Remembering that deer travel in herds
The majority of wildlife crashes in the province involve deer – at around 70 per cent according to MPI collision claim data.
The top five vehicle-deer collision areas in Manitoba are:
- Eastman: 1,630 collisions/year
- Westman: 1,455 collisions/year
- Interlake: 1,115 collisions/year
- Pembina Valley: 630 collisions/year
- City of Winnipeg: 625 collisions/year