Manitoba Public Insurance releases Top 5 list
The Eastman region, which includes communities Steinbach, Lac du Bonnet, Pine Falls, Birds Hill Park area and St. Malo, holds the dubious distinction of being the province’s No. 1 area for vehicle-deer collisions. There are about 1,800 collisions yearly within this region, based on statistics collected by Manitoba Public Insurance from 2007 to 2011.
Motorists are encouraged to exercise extra care and caution as they head into November – the worst month of the year for deer-vehicle collisions..
Rounding out the province’s Top 5 deer/vehicle collision regions:
1) Eastman Region, 1,800 yearly collisions
2) Brandon/Westman, 1,500 yearly collisions
3) Interlake, 1,000 yearly collisions
4) Pembina Valley, 600 yearly collisions
5) Central Plains and Parkland, 500 yearly collisions each
On average, there are about 6,800 vehicle-deer collisions each year in Manitoba, according to the Manitoba Public Insurance claims data. In efforts to educate Manitoba motorists about the high-risk areas, two maps, showing the highest-risk and high-risk areas – rural Manitoba and Winnipeg – are available on the Manitoba Public Insurance website: www.mpi.mb.ca.
“The map data is deer-only collisions,” said Ward Keith, Executive Director, Driver Safety & Regulatory Control, Manitoba Public Insurance. “Motorists are encouraged to be proactive in order to avoid a collision with any animal which may cross a roadway. Many collisions can be avoided if the motorist is aware of their driving surroundings.”
Last year in Manitoba more than 300 people were injured in wildlife-related collisions, according to Manitoba Public Insurance claims data. Over the last 10 years, three people in Manitoba have been killed in crashes caused by an animal on a road.
