DETROIT – There were 6,062 vehicle-deer crashes in southeast Michigan in 2010, according to figures released by SEMCOG, the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments.
SEMCOG based their figures on crash data received from the Michigan Department of State Police, Criminal Justice Information Center.
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These figures represent fewer vehicle-deer crashes than what were reported in 2009 (6,560) or in 2008, (6,278).
In 2010, vehicle-deer crashes accounted for five percent of all crashes that occurred in southeast Michigan.Although there were no fatalities involving deer in southeast Michigan in 2010, there were 11 fatalities involving deer in the state.
Eight of 11 people killed were driving motorcycles. SEMCOG said deer crashes are more prevalent now for a couple of reasons -- rapid development in previously rural areas and a statewide deer herd four times larger than in 1970 and 10 times larger in southeast Michigan.
Oakland County had the most vehicle-deer crashes in the seven-county SEMCOG region (1,836; 5.5 percent) and ranked second in Michigan behind Kent County. However, St. Clair and Livingston Counties experienced the highest percentage (20 percent) of deer-vehicle crashes (to all crashes) in 2010 in Southeast Michigan, consistent with the state average of 20 percent.
On the community side, Scio Township experienced the most deer crashes in southeast Michigan in 2010.