Statewide study aims to reduce wildlife-vehicle crashes across Missouri
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV)-- The Missouri Department of Transportation, working with the Missouri Department of Conservation and the Land Learning Foundation, is conducting a statewide wildlife-vehicle collision hotspot study.
The study aims to identify high-priority road segments for wildlife-vehicle collisions and develop mitigation measures to reduce crashes and improve habitat connectivity.
The study is funded through the Federal Highway Administration Wildlife Crossing Pilot Program. The entire study took a year and a half to complete.
The study was split into two phases.
Phase one focuses on analyzing available data to understand current and future conditions, identify and rank wildlife-vehicle collision sites and develop a statewide list of wildlife crossing needs.
Phase two will focus on developing evaluation criteria to prioritize wildlife-vehicle collision sites, analyze alternatives, recommend mitigation measures and provide an opportunity for public comment.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, in 2025, there were 3,862 crashes involving animals. In Troop H, 234 crashes involving animals in the roadway.
MoDOT Senior Environmental Specialist Caleb Knerr said the main data set used in the study was from MSHP.
“Basically, looking at large mammals and large wild mammals such as coyotes. Things that can cause damage to a car, cause a vehicle to have extensive damage, or leave the roadway and cause a safety concern,” Knerr said.
The study aims to make roads safer by locating wildlife vehicle collisions.
“Knowing where those locations are and knowing when there is overlap between planned projects and collision areas, and seeing the mitigation measures we can incorporate to reduce those collisions and help drivers stay safe.”
MDC Policy Coordinator Jordan Meyer said white-tailed deer were the most common animal involved in vehicle collisions across Missouri.
“It was over 95% of all the wildlife collisions in Missouri are deer-related. Subject matter experts from outside the state were just impressed by the size of our deer herd here in Missouri, especially around the urban centers like Kansas City and St. Louis,” Meyer said.
Meyer said that as the understanding of wildlife and landscape changes, the MDC will be able to help inform and collaborate with MoDOT. He also said the study showed where the different mitigation measures will be across the state.
“We can go into further conversation about what would be the most effective strategy for that area because it’s all really unique and could all be solved with a variety of different structures,” Meyer said.
Increasing driver awareness can help reduce wildlife collisions in high-risk areas, especially during different seasons.
“Slow down and be able to give yourself the ability to react and be mindful. A lot of our wildlife collisions happen in the late fall and the early winter,” Meyer said.
MoDOT has an interactive statewide wildlife-vehicle collision map that shows all reported crashes and identifies the top 10 hotspots. In addition, residents can report any deer collisions to the WVC Study team.
