Smarter deer crossing system

US company JAFA Technologies and its Austrian partner IPTE have announced that DeerDeter, a US joint venture, has completed development of a high-frequency deer collision-avoidance roadside configuration for applications in residential areas.
February 6, 2012 Read time: 1 min
US company 2263 JAFA Technologies and its Austrian partner 2264 IPTE have announced that DeerDeter, a US joint venture, has completed development of a high-frequency deer collision-avoidance roadside configuration for applications in residential areas.

The new development is the result of potential customers expressing concern about the repetitive activation of the existing unit's sound in high-traffic residential areas. The audible sound could become annoying for residents, so IPTE has developed the new unit with a higher frequency sound, not discernable to humans.

The units are activated by approaching headlights to set off a sound displeasing to deer and other animals, along with a supplemental strobe light that mimics movement. This dual-sensory roadside technology deters deer from continuing across the road. The units can be reprogrammed with different sounds to avoid animals becoming desensitised to a specific stimulus.

In 2006, 2192 State Farm Insurance Company cited annual figures of 1.5 million animal-vehicle collisions, with over $1 billion in damages. As many as 10,000 injuries and more than 200 fatalities annually are reported, according to the Insurance Information Institute for Highway Safety.

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