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Abstract
Deer-Vehicle Accidents at SRS: Does Vegetation Play a Role?
Track: Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries Management
Author(s): Rakesh Malhotra, Paul E Johns
Deer-vehicle collisions are a common occurrence on highways of the eastern United States. Several past studies state that factors such as traffic density and seasonal deer behavior influence the timing and spatial occurrence of collisions. Another factor that contributes to such collisions is roadside vegetation. This study analyzed vegetation maps created from 1:16,000 true-color aerial photographs and locations of deer collisions that occurred at the Savannah River site. To control for seasonal variability in deer behavior, the analysis for each of the four seasons was carried out separately. Collision and random points were buffered at several radii (820, 1,640, 3,280 feet), and vegetation characteristics around these points were recorded using GIS.
Rakesh Malhotra
University of Georgia
204 GGS Building,
Dept of Geography, UGA
Athens, GA 30602
USA
Phone: 706-542-2338
Fax: 706-542-2388
E-mail: rakesh@uga.edu