The number of animals hit by drivers in North Carolina increased in 2019 to the highest levels recorded in more than five years, according to the state Department of Transportation.

The department released a report Monday detailing three years’ worth of animal-related crashes across the state.

Researchers found that such collisions killed five people and injured more than 2,800 from 2017 to 2019, and they also caused nearly $157 million in property damage.

The number of crashes had been declining from a high of 20,337 in 2013, but soared to 20,331 in 2019 — an increase of more than 2,300 over 2018′s data, according to the report.

Transportation officials attributed the rise to the state’s population growth, adding to the amount of development and number of drivers on the road.

“That pushes animals, primarily deer, which account for about 90 percent of all animal-related crashes, into more opportunities for a dangerous encounter with vehicles,” officials said Monday.

There most animal-related car crashes were recorded in the state’s most populous county, Wake, which had more than 1,020 crashes involving animals in 2019, up about 245 over 2018, according to the data.

Photo via Greg Oberski.

Related Stories
‹
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper Vetoes First Bill of 2024 Legislative Session
In his first veto of 2024, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper blocked a bill that would allow more trees to be cut back in favor of billboards.
Striving for Zero: The Struggle to End Pedestrian Deaths in The Triangle
The rate of pedestrian deaths is increasing nationwide, and NCDOT data shows that both Chapel Hill and North Carolina fit that trend.
North Carolina Traffic Deaths in 2021 Worst in Two Decades
Written by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS North Carolina reported a record 1,755 traffic deaths in 2021, topping the previous mark set in 2007 and 5% higher than the number of deaths recorded in 2020. Data from the N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Program released on Thursday showed a decline in some types of crashes compared to 2020. […]
After Public Hearings, NC Remapping Work Begins This Week
Written by GARY D. ROBERTSON Back in Raleigh after over a dozen redistricting public hearings last month, the General Assembly is ready to begin drawing new boundaries for the North Carolina legislature and the state’s U.S. House delegation for the next decade. The House and Senate remapping committee leaders said Tuesday that lawmakers could begin drawing boundaries Wednesday […]
Panel Recommends Raising NC Revenues for Transportation 40%
A blue-ribbon panel called Friday on North Carolina to boost transportation spending by 40% through the next decade to improve its “mediocre” infrastructure of highways, railroads and transit as the state grows and current revenue sources dwindle. The North Carolina First Commission, formed nearly two years ago by Gov. Roy Cooper’s then-transportation secretary, suggests several […]
North Carolina Looks to Take Jefferson Davis Name off Highway
North Carolina transportation officials are taking steps to remove the last vestiges of a highway named more than a century ago for Confederate president Jefferson Davis. The N.C. Department of Transportation is removing signs and markers in the state-owned right of way, The News & Observer of Raleigh reports. The groundwork for the removal was […]
Grant to Help North Carolina Buy Rail for High-Speed Service
North Carolina will use a $47.5 million federal grant to purchase a rail line needed to advance planned high-speed passenger train service between Raleigh and Richmond, Virginia. The money, announced on Friday by four North Carolina members of Congress, will let the state transportation department buy rail from CSX Corp. from Raleigh north to Warren […]
NC Treasurer Demands 2 DOT Executives Be Replaced
The North Carolina state treasurer called Wednesday for two top state Department of Transportation executives to be replaced following recent reports of overspending and salary raises at the agency. Dale Folwell, a Republican, said DOT Secretary Eric Boyette needs to remove the chief operating officer and chief financial officer because the “continued mismanagement” threatens the […]
Transportation Spending, Governing Changes Heading to Cooper
The General Assembly gave its final approval on Wednesday to a North Carolina transportation funding and governing overhaul following a recent stinging audit and COVID-19-related revenue declines at the Department of Transportation. The House agreed 99-17 to the Senate version of the bill, which also would let legislative leaders pick six members of the Board […]
Bill Erodes Cooper's Power to Name N.C. Transportation Board
The Republican-controlled General Assembly could be heading toward another power struggle with Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper over appointments, this time over the composition of the North Carolina Board of Transportation. A pair of Senate committees on Wednesday approved a Department of Transportation oversight measure that would take away Cooper’s ability to appoint the at-large members […]
›