While regular headlights on our vehicles have given rise to the expression “like a deer in the headlights,” a new study has found an alternative lighting system that could cut down significantly on vehicle-deer collisions.
That’s promising information for drivers in Pennsylvania, perennially one of the top states in number of deer-vehicle collisions, just a bit more than two months away from the peak time of year for those collisions.
“We evaluated a vehicle-based collision mitigation method designed to decrease the likelihood of deer–vehicle collisions during low-light conditions, when most collisions occur,” explained the researchers, Travis Devault, Thomas Seamans and Bradley Blackwell.
“Specifically, we investigated whether the use of a rear-facing light, providing more complete frontal vehicle illumination than standard headlights alone, enhanced vehicle avoidance behaviors of white-tailed deer.”
The extra light was an LED light bar illuminating the front of the vehicle.
Expecting that the additional light would give deer additional cues about approaching danger and cause the animals to greater efforts to avoid that danger, the researchers ran 62 vehicle approaches at free-ranging adult deer. Half of the test runs included the extra LED light bar.
The likelihood of a dangerous deer-vehicle interaction decreased from 35% of vehicle approaches using only headlights to 10% of vehicle approaches using the light bar as well.
The reduction in dangerous interactions appeared to be driven by fewer instances of immobility – freezing, “like a deer in the headlights” – behavior by deer in response to the illuminated vehicle compared with approaches using only headlights.
More deer moved in response to the illuminated vehicle.
The researchers noted that road-crossing behavior was influenced heavily by proximity to concealing cover. Deer only crossed when the nearest cover was located on the opposite side of the road.
They concluded that frontal vehicle illumination has potential to greatly reduce vehicle collisions with deer and other species.
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Contact Marcus Schneck at mschneck@pennlive.com.
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August 13, 2020 at 04:15PM
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Deer in the headlights safer with altered light design - pennlive.com
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