Estimating the weather effects of deer-vehicle collisions

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Live Poster Session:
Thursday, July 29th 1:45-2:45pm EDT

Zoom link: https://wesleyan.zoom.us/j/97936875715?pwd=and5K2FXZDErVU9zODMzb25oZEVMQT09

Julia Crainic
Julia Crainic

Julia is a rising junior (’23) at Wesleyan from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is double-majoring in Economics and Government with a minor in Data Analysis. On campus, Julia is involved in research in the Economics and Government Departments and is co-captain of the Equestrian Team. After graduation, Julia hopes to use data to approach questions at the intersection of Economics and Government.

Abstract:

According to the National Research Council, annually, inclement weather is associated with over 1.5 million vehicle collisions, resulting in 800,000 injuries and 7,000 fatalities. While the relationship between adverse weather and vehicle collisions is well studied, the effect of weather on deer-vehicle collisions (DVCs) is not well understood. Both driver and deer behavior change based on weather conditions, sometimes in opposite ways, leaving the association between weather and DVCs theoretically ambiguous. Better understanding this relationship is important in determining DVC-targeted mitigation strategies, with the goal of reducing the $10 billion in economic losses associated with DVCs annually. This analysis finds that daily temperature and precipitation are important predictors in estimating the frequency of DVCs. Additionally, holding weather constant, wolf presence and the size of the deer population are shown to be significantly associated with the frequency of DVCs.

Video:

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