BANGOR, Maine (NEWS CENTER)-- According to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, moose related car accidents rise this time of year. One cause of this is young moose who separate from their mothers tend to cover more ground- including across roadways.
Safe driving is one effective way to avoid collisions with moose. But a device called a deer whistle promises to be an added way of warding deer and moose off the road.
Deer whistles are small plastic devices that attach to the front of any car or motorcycle. They are advertised as making a sound when air rushes through them that drives moose and deer off the road- preventing accidents. But do they really work?
Some whistles are advertised as giving off a sound loud enough to catch a deer's attention long enough to stop them on the side of the road. This makes them look and listen rather than cross the road. But according to moose biologist Lee Kanter from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, this doesn't always mean the animals won't still run in front of on coming cars- simply because they don't understand the whistle means danger.
"So a deer or moose hears a whistle. What does that mean to them? They have to associate that sound with, oh that's a car, that's a bad thing. It's going to hit me, I better get out of here. And the research has demonstrated it just doesn't work like that," said Kanter.
Kanter says even if a device gives the driver added comfort, it's no excuse to become too relaxed behind the wheel and forget to practice safe and non-distracted driving- especially in moose dense areas.
*All online video and pictures of deer whistles courtesy of Amazon.com and deerwhistle.com
