Rushville, IL – Schuyler County's Highway Department is using Western's GIS Center to plot car-deer crashes.
County Engineer David Schneider says plotting the collisions over at least a six-month period will show his planners where the "hot spots" are.
He says then engineers can evaluate the dangerous locations and see if there are things that could be changed.
He says one example could be trimming trees or brush at some locations to improve the line-of-sight for deer. He says this could give them a better view of oncoming traffic. It could keep them from jumping onto the road when cars are near.
Schneider says when the study is complete, his department will take the results to civic clubs and other groups to help raise awareness of the problem.
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Schneider says one thing they are watching for is the theory that deer are attracted to areas where road salt is used.
He also says early results show more car-deer crashes occur near water, such as rivers or streams.