Permanent daylight saving time would reduce deer-vehicle collisions

Cunningham, Calum X.; Nuñez, Tristan A.; Hentati, Yasmine; Sullender, Ben; Breen, Catherine; Ganz, Taylor R.; Kreling, Samantha E.S.; Shively, Kayla A.; Reese, Ellie; Miles, Jeff; Prugh, Laura R.

doi:10.1016/j.cub.2022.10.007

Cited by 20 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…First, as day length shortened during winter, peak traffic volumes shifted from before sunset to after sunset (figure 4(B)). As in other regions, collisions were tightly clustered in the hours before sunrise and after sunset (Haikonen and Summala 2001, Huijser et al 2008, Borowik et al 2021, Cunningham et al 2022, particularly during winter (figure 4(A)). Second, winter day lengths are shorter in Alaska than British Columbia, suggesting Alaska has a higher proportion of nighttime traffic during winter.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 56%

“…Collisions follow predictable patterns for other species and populations too. White-tailed deer (O. virginianus), for example, have a defined peak in collisions during the 2-3 week breeding season in October/November (Huijser et al 2008, Cunningham et al 2022. In Norway, snow-rich counties experienced substantial increases in moose-vehicle collisions in years with deep snow, which was attributed to migration causing an increase in moose density near roadways (Rolandsen et al 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Seasonal movements associated with migration or reproduction are driven by environmental cues (Nelson 1995, Monteith et al 2011, Rivrud et al 2016, Pedersen et al 2021, whereas daily movements can follow both cyclical circadian patterns (Owen-Smith and Goodall 2014, Cunningham et al 2019) and/or be more dynamic, like avoiding areas with fresh, deep snow (Mahoney et al 2018). Human driving patterns also play a key role in WVCs, but unlike animal activity, which responds to solar time (Nouvellet et al 2012), the timing of human activity is largely determined by clocktime (Cunningham et al 2022). This means seasonal changes to day length can alter the amount of traffic at night, when animals are most difficult for drivers to see (Cunningham et al 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Human driving patterns also play a key role in WVCs, but unlike animal activity, which responds to solar time (Nouvellet et al 2012), the timing of human activity is largely determined by clocktime (Cunningham et al 2022). This means seasonal changes to day length can alter the amount of traffic at night, when animals are most difficult for drivers to see (Cunningham et al 2022). Understanding the mechanisms that increase collision risk could facilitate real-time predictions of WVC risk, with even modest mitigation improvements capable of providing large economic and social benefits (Raynor et al 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, less daylight in winter causes a higher proportion of traffic to occur at night when animals are harder for drivers to see (Cunningham et al 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Human and animal movements combine with snow to increase moose-vehicle collisions in winter

Cunningham

Liston

Reinking

et al. 2022

Environ. Res. Lett.

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Wildlife-vehicle collisions imperil humans, wildlife, and property. Collisions with moose (Alces alces) are especially consequential and there are indications they may increase during severe winters. We tested hypotheses regarding the influence of moose movements and vehicular traffic patterns on collision risk. We first modeled daily snow depth and accumulation across 5.6 million km2 of the North American Arctic-Boreal region. Next, we analyzed the movements and road use of 113 GPS-collared moose in response to snow depth. Finally, we examined the influence of these snow properties on vehicular traffic and 7680 moose-vehicle collisions. As winter progressed and the snowpack deepened in each study area, GPS-collared moose migrated to lower elevations, leading them into areas with shallower snow but higher road densities. This elevational migration corresponded with a higher probability of road-use by moose (by up to ten-fold) in winter than in summer. Corresponding to these patterns, moose-vehicle collisions were 2.4–5.7 times more frequent from December through February (compared to early summer). Collision risk was highest when and where snow depth was less than 120 cm, indicating that migration into areas with shallower snow increased collision risk in those areas. Most (82%) moose-vehicle collisions occurred after dark. This pattern was strongest during winter, when nighttime traffic volumes were eight times higher than summer due to longer nights. Overall, our findings suggest that concurrent seasonal changes in human and wildlife behavior increase the frequency of moose-vehicle collisions during winter. Snow depth influences collisions primarily through its impacts on moose movement, while strong seasonal changes in daylight hours cause an increase in nighttime traffic that further contributes to risk. This information may help predict times and places where risk of moose-vehicle collisions are highest and to develop seasonally dynamic mitigation strategies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 56%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, less daylight in winter causes a higher proportion of traffic to occur at night when animals are harder for drivers to see (Cunningham et al 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Human and animal movements combine with snow to increase moose-vehicle collisions in winter

Cunningham

Liston

Reinking

et al. 2022

Environ. Res. Lett.

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White‐tailed deer population dynamics in a multipredator landscape shaped by humans

Ganz,

Bassing,

DeVivo

et al. 2024

Ecological Applications

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Large terrestrial mammals increasingly rely on human‐modified landscapes as anthropogenic footprints expand. Land management activities such as timber harvest, agriculture, and roads can influence prey population dynamics by altering forage resources and predation risk via changes in habitat, but these effects are not well understood in regions with diverse and changing predator guilds. In northeastern Washington state, USA, white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are vulnerable to multiple carnivores, including recently returned gray wolves (Canis lupus), within a highly human‐modified landscape. To understand the factors governing predator–prey dynamics in a human context, we radio‐collared 280 white‐tailed deer, 33 bobcats (Lynx rufus), 50 cougars (Puma concolor), 28 coyotes (C. latrans), and 14 wolves between 2016 and 2021. We first estimated deer vital rates and used a stage‐structured matrix model to estimate their population growth rate. During the study, we observed a stable to declining deer population (lambda = 0.97, 95% confidence interval: 0.88, 1.05), with 74% of Monte Carlo simulations indicating population decrease and 26% of simulations indicating population increase. We then fit Cox proportional hazard models to evaluate how predator exposure, use of human‐modified landscapes, and winter severity influenced deer survival and used these relationships to evaluate impacts on overall population growth. We found that the population growth rate was dually influenced by a negative direct effect of apex predators and a positive effect of timber harvest and agricultural areas. Cougars had a stronger effect on deer population dynamics than wolves, and mesopredators had little influence on the deer population growth rate. Areas of recent timber harvest had 55% more forage biomass than older forests, but horizontal visibility did not differ, suggesting that timber harvest did not influence predation risk. Although proximity to roads did not affect the overall population growth rate, vehicle collisions caused a substantial proportion of deer mortalities, and reducing these collisions could be a win–win for deer and humans. The influence of apex predators and forage indicates a dual limitation by top‐down and bottom‐up factors in this highly human‐modified system, suggesting that a reduction in apex predators would intensify density‐dependent regulation of the deer population owing to limited forage availability.

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Dark roads aid movement but increase mortality of a generalist herbivore in the American Southwest

et al. 2023

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Road networks pose many well‐documented threats to wildlife, from fragmenting habitats and restricting movement to causing mortality through vehicle collisions. For large, wide‐ranging mammals, home range requirements and seasonal migrations often necessitate road crossings, posing threats to human safety, property, and animal survival. Artificial nightlight, emanating from light posts and urban sky glow, is ubiquitous on and around road networks worldwide; however, its effects on road crossing behavior and the associated mortality risk for wildlife are not well understood. By integrating the latest NASA nightlight products with GPS collar data collected from 67 mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) over a 7‐year period (2012–2018), we used a resource‐selection framework to assess factors influencing seasonal crossing behavior and road mortality in Salt Lake City, Utah, an expanding metropolitan area in the United States. We found deer preferred to cross the road where surrounding artificial nightlight was lower in both summer and winter seasons, especially during crepuscular and nighttime periods. However, lower nightlight levels also increased the risk of road mortality. Areas with more shrub cover and lower speed limits increased the likelihood of crossing as well as lowered the risk of road mortality. There were five times as many mortality events in winter as in summer, likely because of the combination of deer preference for dark roads mixed with proximity to both higher speed roads and increased human activity. Better understanding how a pervasive and expanding environmental pollutant like artificial nightlight may attract or repel human‐tolerant wildlife species from roadways presents an opportunity to mitigate collision risk while improving population management strategies for this abundant, generalist herbivore and many other economically and ecologically important species.

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Permanent daylight saving time would reduce deer-vehicle collisions

Cited by 20 publications

References 36 publications

Human and animal movements combine with snow to increase moose-vehicle collisions in winter

Human and animal movements combine with snow to increase moose-vehicle collisions in winter

White‐tailed deer population dynamics in a multipredator landscape shaped by humans

Dark roads aid movement but increase mortality of a generalist herbivore in the American Southwest

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