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July | August 2005 |
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This is the peak travel season. All over Colorado, tourists and residents alike are traveling to their favorite fall destinations. And not all of these seasonal travelers are human. Wildlife is on the move, switching to habitats better suited for them at this time of year. In Colorado, October and November are the months that have the highest number of animal-vehicle collisions. The convergence of our own fall-foliage peak traffic with wildlife migration routes creates situations where the results can be tragic. This past summer, AAA Colorado joined the Southern Rockies Ecosystem Project, Colorado State Patrol, Colorado Department of Transportation, Colorado Department of Wildlife and Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association to become part of the Wildlife on the Move driver awareness campaign. The key to keeping both yourself and the wildlife safe is to understand when and where animals are likely to be present, and to be especially alert when traveling on roads that cross their own seasonal migration roads. Drivers need to stay alert and not be distracted by the scenery. Colorado State Patrol officers advise motorists to buckle up, take note of animal crossing signs and be prepared to hit the animal if necessary. If you come upon an animal in the road, you should brake, never swerve. Retaining control of your vehicle is extremely important before, during and after a collision. Be particularly alert at dawn and dusk, when animals are more active. At night, watch for shining eyes. There are no legal consequences for hitting a wild animal, unless the motorist was speeding. Even if the collision causes no damage, the State Patrol wants to hear about it. Reports can be made by calling *CSP, a free cell-phone call. Reporting such crashes will ensure that officials have more accurate and complete data about where animals are being hit on our roadways. AAA Colorado believes we can better understand how to share the road safely by working together with such campaigns as Wildlife on the Move. By doing so, we can protect and perpetuate a very unique part of Colorado's natural beauty for future generations of tourists and residents to enjoy. Where the wild things are In comparing migration patterns with the most popular AAA TripTik routings, AAA Colorado and the Southern Ecosystems Project discovered these 10 key roadways where drivers should be extra cautious during the fall: I-70 & Hwy 285 west of Denver I-70 west of Vail I-70 at Glenwood Springs Hwy 36 north of Boulder I-25 at Colorado Springs Hwy 160 east of Alamosa Hwy 160 west of Del Norte Hwys 550 & 160 at Durango Hwy 285 north of Salida Hwy 40 east of Craig |
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