The Division of Wildlife Resources has an important message for Utah drivers as daylight savings time comes to an end this weekend. The time change means that many people will have evening commutes during the lower-visibility hours for the next few months. Why does this matter? Well, this shift correlates to an increase in wildlife along the roadways as big game migrates to lower elevations and as a result, a jump in deer/vehicle collisions. “The peak time to hit deer in Utah is during November,” Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Migration Initiative Coordinator Makeda Hanson said. “It coincides with mating season and the annual migration of deer. Animals are crossing more roads during the migration, and male deer move around a lot more to find mates. It also doesn’t help that the daylight hours are shorter during this time of year, creating lower visibility for drivers.” As of October 28th, there have been over 7,800 wildlife/vehicle collisions reported in Utah this year. Visit wildlife.utah.gov for tips on how to avoid wildlife collisions.
