A road-safety group is warning drivers about the big increase in wildlife moving around and possibly crossing roadways during springtime.
“Animals don’t follow traffic rules,” said Trace Acres, program director for Road Safety at Work, a WorkSafe BC initiative. “Even a small deer can cause a serious crash, and it often happens before the driver has time to react.”
Crashes with animals are most common at dawn (6-8 a.m.) and dusk (5-8 p.m.), with high-risk zones including routes that link rural and suburban areas — such as locations near parks, greenbelts and golf courses.
ICBC statistics show there were 12,825 crashes involving animals in B.C. in 2023, resulting in 1,070 injuries.
Figures for Vancouver Island — including the Gulf Islands and Powell River — indicate there was an annual average of 2,207 vehicle/wildlife incidents from 2019-23, with 185 injuries per year and no fatalities.
The highest annual average of incidents was in the southern Interior, with 5,086 incidents per year from 2019-23.
Animal encounters in May are most likely to involve deer, while moose activity increases in June and July.
Mating and feeding cycles in spring and summer can bring animals closer to roads, Road Safety at Work said.
“The safest thing you can do is to drive in a way that gives you more time and space to react,” Acres said.
