Crashes involving a single vehicle colliding with an animal are frequent in Tribal areas. These crashes typically cause property damage but very rarely result in injury to a human. From 2010-2014 in Tribal areas a live animal was involved in motor vehicle crashes that resulted in 32 human fatalities. FARS data does not document the animal species or differentiate between domestic and wild animals. Because of the frequency, crashes involving a live animal have been a common topic at safety summits and in transportation safety plans developed by Tribes.
Countermeasures available to address animal-vehicle crashes are limited. Large animal passages over or under roads are very expensive and many designs are still considered experimental. Intelligent transportation systems involving detection and warning for animals in the roadway have had limited success. Likewise, fencing, shoulder widening, and warning signage have limited success in addressing crashes with some species of animals.