Reducing Deer Vehicle Collisions on Skye: How BDS Volunteers Are Driving Real Change
Deer vehicle collisions (DVCs) are a serious and persistent challenge across the UK including Scotland. They put drivers and passengers at risk, cause suffering and death for deer, and place additional demands on police, vets, and local deer managers responding to incidents.
At the British Deer Society (BDS), reducing avoidable harm to deer while supporting safe, responsible coexistence between people and wildlife is an important part of our work. On the Isle of Skye, a BDS supported, volunteer‑driven project is now showing how targeted awareness, local knowledge, and strong partnerships can deliver meaningful change on the ground.
A Volunteer‑Led Project Rooted in Local Knowledge
The Skye deer vehicle collision project is led by BDS volunteer Steve Connolly, working closely with local head gamekeeper stalker Scott MacKenzie at the Fearnan Eilean larmain estate near Armadale in the South of Skye. Like many BDS volunteers, Steve brings practical experience, deep local knowledge, and a strong commitment to deer welfare.
The project began with a simple but important question:
Could changing driver awareness and behaviour reduce collisions in known hotspot areas?
Rather than assuming answers, the team chose to start by understanding the problem properly.
Monitoring Before Mitigation
In keeping with BDS’s evidence‑led approach, the team spent a full year monitoring known hotspots along the Broadford–Armadale road within the estate boundaries before introducing any mitigation measures.
During that initial monitoring period, six confirmed deer deaths were recorded on this stretch of road. As with many DVCs, the true number may have been higher, as injured animals can leave the roadside and go unreported. This monitoring phase provided a baseline against which any future change could be assessed.
Rethinking How We Warn Drivers
Traditional deer warning signs are widespread, but experience shows that drivers can become desensitised to them over time. Drawing on local insight, BDS volunteers trialled distinctive, high‑visibility signage designed to stand out and prompt drivers to actively slow down and stay alert in high‑risk areas.
The project has been underpinned by strong local partnerships, including:
- BDS volunteers, coordinating monitoring, messaging, and evaluation
- Local Estate owner and land manager, with vital support from Lady Noble and her team of Scott and Orla MacKenzie in supporting the project
- CalMac Ferries supported by Jennifer Fairlie, allowing digital deer warning messages to be displayed on their electric time-table notification boards which has displayed deer awareness messages on electronic road signs and multi lingual posters in their ferry terminals, helping reach both residents and visitors
- Skye Radio a key community partner supported by station manager Suzy Lee who have interviewed Steve on their morning show about the project and committed to include deer awareness notifications in their future traffic reports, whilst also committing to interview Steve and Scott in the Spring to reinforce the message, ensuring messaging was is accessible, and relevant, including for tourists unfamiliar with deer on roads
This collaborative, place‑based approach reflects how BDS works best: bringing people together to deliver practical solutions informed by real‑world knowledge.
Early Results: Encouraging, but Carefully Interpreted
Following the introduction of signage and awareness measures, the results to date have been encouraging. In the first year after installation, no confirmed deer vehicle collisions have been recorded on the monitored stretch of road, compared with six in the previous monitoring year.
However, BDS is careful not to over‑state these findings. This project is not a formal scientific study, and further monitoring is under way to ensure the results are robust and not attributable to chance or external factors.
Even so, the contrast with previous years suggests that targeted awareness and behaviour change, informed by local knowledge, can make a meaningful difference.
Education and Behaviour Change at the Core
Education is a core charitable objective of the British Deer Society, and it sits at the heart of the Skye project. Messaging focuses on helping drivers understand basic deer behaviour, including that:
- Drivers need to be alert to deer crossing roads and drive accordingly
- Deer are rarely alone; if one crosses the road, others often follow
- Dawn, dusk, and night‑time driving are particularly high‑risk periods
Simple actions, slowing down, staying alert, and anticipating further crossings, can significantly reduce the likelihood and severity of collisions.
Supporting Welfare Alongside Responsible Management
This project does not replace responsible deer management. Deer on Skye continue to be managed professionally and sustainably. Instead, the initiative addresses a different but equally important issue: preventing avoidable harm caused by interactions between vehicles and wildlife and the distress it can cause to all parties involved.
By focusing on prevention, the project reduces suffering for deer, trauma for drivers and the wider public and the wider impacts on emergency services and vets etc and carcass disposal.
A Practical Model with Wider Potential
One of the strengths of the Skye DVC project is its potential to inform work elsewhere. Deer crossing points often remain consistent over long periods, even as roads and traffic patterns change. Across Scotland and the rest of the UK, local deer stalkers, keepers, and land managers frequently know where the highest‑risk areas are.
By demonstrating what can be achieved through low‑cost, community‑led mitigation, supported by BDS coordination and expertise, the Skye project provides a practical template that could be adapted for other hotspot locations.
What to Do If You Hit a Deer
BDS reminds drivers that if a collision does occur, it is essential to contact the police immediately. This ensures injured animals are dealt with humanely and legally, and that risks to other road users are managed appropriately.
Learn More and Get Involved
The ongoing work is shared through the British Deer Society Highlands Group on Facebook, which is open to anyone interested in deer welfare, education, and sustainable deer management. With periodic updates on the British Deer Society news blog and newsletter.
Support Our Work Supporting Deer and Their Habitats
Join the British Deer Society or make a donation today to help protect deer, their habitats, and the wider countryside, for now and future generations.
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Deer Vehicle Collisions Skye Project, Volunteers and Community, British Deer Society
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