They're also fluent in Squirrel!
Posted on 06/19/2007 6:56:24 PM PDT by Rodney King
Moose warnings ineffective You can see them all over Norway, those ubiquitous, triangular signs warning that moose may try to cross the road. They're popular with tourists, but studies show they don't help much to reduce collisions.
"All these moose signs," sighs Bjørn Iuell of the national highway department called Statens vegvesen. "They don't work at all."
Iuell should know. He spends most of his time tracking the risks for collisions between motorists and wildlife, and how to reduce them.
Iuell told Aftenposten's weekend magazine A-Magasinet that research shows that motorists neither reduce their speed nor change their driving pattern when they see the moose signs. They're so accustomed to seeing them, that they've apparently become desensitized to them.
State highway officials are now considering removing many of the signs, and putting them up again only when moose are actually active in the area because of seasonal migration patterns.
The officials are also studying other means of warning motorists about the ever-present moose hazard in Norway. Around 1,500 moose are killed in traffic every year, resulting in death and injury for motorists as well and annual costs to the community of at least NOK 150 million.
Researchers lately have been tracking the movements of more than 200 moose that have been equipped with collars containing a GPS signal. It transmits the mooses' position every hour, giving the researchers valuable insight into how moose move around.
That can help them determine where highway safety authorities need to build fences and bridges over roads that moose need to cross.
In Våler, eastern Norway, where moose are plentiful, motorists are also receiving training in how to react when they see a moose near the road. "We feel there's a real need for this," said Knut Alfred Myren of the College of Akershus.
Moose warnings ineffective, huh? Perhaps, friend Rodney, perhaps.
When I issue a cheese warning though, people tend to pay attention.
I’ve always wondered how those signs are supposed to work - you know, how do they get the animals to cross there? [\homer simpson imitation]
I worry more about alligators!
Sisters everywhere terrorized!
I’ve been to Sweden and the Moose signs are in Svedish! Ufdah!
Better keep your sisters inside! ;^)
Mooses can read Swedish? no way!
OK, I’ll say it. A moose bit my sister once...
Mynd you, møøse bites kan be pretty nastï
Ok. So I run a search for moose-knuckle/camel-toe pic so I can post a smart quip.
Yep, you guessed it. Knee deep in porn. Damned near didn’t make it back over here...
Put up a big sign that says “Nasty Teeth!”
Oh wait, some may just think that means British pub ahead...
They're also fluent in Squirrel!
I wonder what kind of warnings moose would attend to?
I read about Denmark removing highway signs in a move to get motorists to be more aware and drive carefully. It worked. Sounds like that personal responsibility thing.
http://ahsmail.uwaterloo.ca/~abelda/current.html
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