If you are a commuter, Southern California, freeways are your nightmare. If you happen to be a deer or a possum, the highways of Northern California are a lot worse.
A study released Thursday by the University of California Davis identified the state highways that are the worst for collisions and near-misses with animals. Most are on the north end of the state. Only two are in the south.
Interstate 280 in the Bay Area is the most troublesome, based on the cost-per-mile of animal issues. It had 386 collisions reported in 2016 that cost nearly $875,000 in cleanup and maintenance.
Highway 101 north of San Francisco is second. State Highway 2 provides the biggest problems in Southern California.
The study, based on reports to the California Highway Patrol, recommends more fencing in the worst spots, saying it would quickly pay for itself in money saved from collisions.
