Government tackles cow deaths
Main Roads is investigating putting fluorescent ear tags on cattle after more than 600 cows were struck and killed by vehicles on roads leading out of Hedland in the past year.
The strategy is being considered along with an awareness campaign to minimise night driving and a new State Government incentive program for pastoralists to improve fencing around cattle stations.
Transafe WA chairman Steve Post, who has hit several cows on the road during his time as a truck driver, said drivers were often forced to make split decisions when a cow was on the road.
"The options are to try and swerve but the reality is you could well and truly wind up in the dire circumstance of rolling the whole combination, so I think a level head is taken," he said.
"The best course of action is usually to steer your path and unfortunately hit the cow.
"It's easy to do $10,000 worth of damage to a truck and quite often there's about $40,000 but worst-case scenario, if the truck goes over it can be hundreds of thousands of dollars."
At $600 to $2000 a cow, hitting one also comes at a cost to the pastoralist.
Mr Post believed the solution to the problem was to fence highways around pastoral stations and seal major highways.
A Main Roads spokesman said cows were often attracted to the road side because the drains encouraged moist feed in an otherwise typically dry region.
He said warning signage along roads had been improved and vegetation around cattle strike hotspots had been cleared in an attempt to reduce cattle numbers near roads.
"We are encouraging pastoralists to access a current funding incentive program to fence their property, which will increase manageability of their cattle," he said.
"(The top priority areas are) Marble Bar Road (and the) Great Northern Highway/North West Coastal Highway intersection to the Solomon FMG rail crossing."
