Tag: Accidents

Yellowstone reveals number of large animals struck by vehicles

Motorists in Yellowstone National Park were involved in 241 known collisions with large mammals such as bison, elk, and bears during the past five years.

Motorists in Yellowstone National Park were involved in 241 known collisions with large mammals such as bison, elk, and bears during the past five years.

While that might sound alarming, consider that millions of visitors drove on park roads during that period.

The numbers were provided to FTW Outdoors this week in response to inquiries regarding a recent nighttime collision involving a large SUV and a bison.

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Wrote Morgan Warthin of the park’s Public Affairs Office:

“So far in 2021, there have been more than 1.6 million recreation visits to the park and two known vehicle collisions with bison. In 2020, there were 3.8 million recreation visits and 14 known vehicle collisions with bison.

Bison steps onto a Yellowstone road. Photo: ©Pete Thomas

“There have been 241 known vehicle collisions with large mammals in the park over the last five years.”

More generally, traffic-related accidents are the most common cause of injury and death inside Yellowstone National Park, which encourages visitors to follow these safety guidelines:

• Drive cautiously and watch for animals. The park has hazards on the road you are not used to at home, like 2,000-pound bison! Other road hazards include soft shoulders, potholes and frost heaves.

• Use extra caution at night. Animal fur absorbs light, making them very difficult to see on roads at night even while using bright headlights. Slow down, especially on curves in the road, when venturing into the park during dark.

• Drowsy? Take a break. Driving while drowsy significantly increases the risk of car accidents, and with 450 miles of roads in the park, long days behind the wheel are common. Be sure to get adequate sleep before getting behind the wheel and take turns driving with other legal drivers in your group to protect yourself and others.

• Never park in the road or block traffic. If you need to stop or pull over for any reason, use a pullout and ensure all four vehicle tires are to the right of the white line. Stay with your vehicle if you’re stopped in a wildlife jam.

• Follow the speed limit. The speed limit in Yellowstone is 45 mph unless posted otherwise.

• Pack your patience. Winding roads and traffic often make drive times much longer than expected.

• Know before you go. For details on road closures and construction in the park, check out our park roads page.

–Top image showing a grizzly bear is courtesy of Yellowstone National Park

SUV collides with Yellowstone bison, night driving at issue

A recent collision involving a bison and a large SUV in Yellowstone National Park should serve as a reminder to park visitors to drive extra carefully at night.

A recent collision involving a bison and a large SUV in Yellowstone National Park should serve as a reminder to park visitors to drive extra carefully at night.

The top image, captured two weeks ago by Dianna Borgmier, shows extensive damage to a Nissan Armada hours after it struck a bison near Yellowstone Lake at about 10:30 p.m.

The bison, Borgmier explained, did not survive.

“This is why you don’t need to drive after dark,” she wrote on the Yellowstone Visitor Facebook page. “Bison hit, killed, I know of four bison in the last few days. Way to many! The road is theirs.”

Yellowstone bison crosses road during the day. Photo: ©Pete Thomas

Borgmier told For The Win Outdoors that the vehicle was towed to a repair shop run by her husband at the Fishing Bridge service area. “He has a lot of pictures from the last four years of bison hits in the park,” Borgmier said.

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Borgmier did not know if anyone inside the vehicle suffered injuries.

A park spokesman had not, at the time of this post, provided details about the incident or answered a request for an estimate of how many bison are struck by vehicles annually inside the park.

More than 100 comments accompany the Yellowstone Visitor Facebook page, some pertaining to close calls tourists have experienced, and others suggesting that too many motorists speed through the uncrowded park at night.

“At night it is near impossible to see a bison on the road,” one comment reads.

Yellowstone is home to more than 4,500 bison. It’s the only location in the lower 48 states that has had a free-ranging bison population since prehistoric times.

The iconic critters are revered by visitors, in part, because of their omnipresence. But also because of their colossal appearance and casual, sometimes goofy demeanor as they roam the landscape.

They are the heaviest land animals in North America and can weigh 2,000 pounds, but they’re no match for a fast-moving, 5,000-pound SUV.

The animals are easy to spot during the day, but night drivers sometimes do not see them until the animals are illuminated in their headlamps.

Night driving, while not recommended, is fairly common as motorists sometimes use the park as a thoroughfare, or simply get caught after dark while exploring.

The maximum speed limit in Yellowstone National Park is 45 mph.