Scott Jackson Discusses MA Animal Collisions with GBH

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In Massachusetts, 2023 saw at least 3,886 deer collisions, marking the highest number since 2002. This has been driven by the rising deer population, according to MassDOT data. Among these, 146 resulted in injuries. Drivers in the state now face a 1 in 85 chance of filing an insurance claim for an animal-related accident, placing Massachusetts 16th in the nation, as reported by State Farm. 

GBH recently spoke with Scott Jackson, an extension professor in the College of Natural Sciences's Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment, to learn more about collisions with other common Massachusetts animals:

"Scott Jackson, a wildlife biologist at UMass Amherst, noted that cars are deadly for a lot of animals other than deer, from red foxes and bobcats to turtles and salamanders. He pointed to porcupines as being particularly prone to road collisions since they walk slowly and react to threats by freezing and erecting their quills—obviously no match for a 4,000-pound car. 'When you think about impacts on ecosystems…it’s hard to think of something that has more of an impact than the road.'"

— GBH

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