Top five worst areas in Manitoba for wildlife-vehicle collisions

A motorist brakes to stop as a buck leaps across Mill Road in East Aurora, N.Y. on Sunday, Sept. 23, 2012. (AP / Buffalo News, Robert Kirkham)

Manitoba Public Insurance has named the Eastman Region No. 1 in the province for deer-vehicle collisions.

Statistics collected by MPI from 2010 to 2014 show about 1,600 collisions annually in the region, which includes communities such as Steinbach, Lac du Bonnet, Anola, Birds Hill Park area and Falcon Lake.

MPI encourages motorists to take extra care during October and November ─ the two worst months for deer-vehicle collisions.

Top 5 deer/vehicle collision regions in Manitoba:

1) Eastman Region - 1,600 yearly collisions

2) Westman - 1,450 yearly collisions

3) Interlake - 1,100 yearly collisions

4) City of Winnipeg, - 600 yearly collisions

5) Pembina Valley - 600 yearly collisions

In a news release Thursday, MPI said Manitobans are involved in about 11,000 wildlife-vehicle collisions annually.

These incidents are most common between September to December; a four-month period that accounts for 46 per cent of the annual wildlife-related collisions in Manitoba.

Last year, 300 Manitobans were injured in wildlife-related collisions.

In the last decade, eight Manitobans have been killed in crashes caused by an animal on the road.

MPI said it’s illegal in the province for drivers to place food and other wildlife attractants along provincial roads and highways in Manitoba.

Doing so can attract wildlife to the roadside unnecessarily and create dangerous hazards for passing motorists.

Tips to help keep motorists safe: