{"id":493516,"date":"2026-01-05T06:47:15","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T06:47:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/493516\/"},"modified":"2026-01-05T06:47:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T06:47:15","slug":"how-to-avoid-winter-moose-collisions-opp-advises-drivers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/493516\/","title":{"rendered":"How to avoid winter moose collisions, OPP advises drivers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Ontario Provincial Police say fresh moose tracks near highways are a warning to northern drivers. Officers report multiple sightings amid frigid weather. <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">Ontario Provincial Police are warning drivers to be extremely vigilant on northern roads as plummeting temperatures are driving moose toward highways in search of salt and easier travel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">The warning comes after officers observed significant wildlife activity, including groups of moose, on <a href=\"https:\/\/maps.app.goo.gl\/gdYewS4rptH8U7aaA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/maps.app.goo.gl\/gdYewS4rptH8U7aaA\">Highway 527<\/a> and other routes. <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ctvnews.ca\/northern-ontario\/video\/2026\/01\/03\/opp-warn-drivers-after-multiple-moose-spotted-on-northern-ontario-highways\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.ctvnews.ca\/northern-ontario\/video\/2026\/01\/03\/opp-warn-drivers-after-multiple-moose-spotted-on-northern-ontario-highways\/\">a video<\/a> posted to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/OPPNorthWest\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/OPPNorthWest\">social media<\/a>, OPP Sgt. Kyle Arnold pointed out clear moose tracks from a patrol perspective.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">\u201cWith the frigid temperatures, the moose are on the move,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">\u201cThere have been numerous sightings on Highway 527 with four or five moose at a time on the road.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dangerous, unpredictable presence<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">OPP emphasized the severe risk of a collision with a moose, an animal that can weigh up to 1,200 pounds. <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">Police said such encounters are most dangerous at night when visibility is poor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">\u201cThey run, often crossing highways in the dark where they\u2019re almost impossible to see until it\u2019s too late,\u201d OPP wrote in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/reel\/25662017876822766\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/reel\/25662017876822766\">a social media post<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">To help drivers identify potential danger, police listed specific signs that indicate moose may be near the roadway:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>moose tracks in the snow along the shoulder,<\/li>\n<li>official wildlife warning signs,<\/li>\n<li>any movement in the roadside ditches and<\/li>\n<li>streaks of fresh salt on the pavement, as moose are known to lick it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\" alt=\"\" class=\"c-image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DRWS2ODQERF4JPIWVOPOXJUUAM.jpg\"  width=\"800\" height=\"450\"\/>Bull Moose Licking Salt in Northern Ontario An undated photo of a bull moose licking salt on a roadway in northern Ontario. (File photo\/View from my window\/ Facebook) (E.I.MYRAAS) <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">Arnold connected these signs directly to driver action.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">\u201cIf you see tracks \u2026 on the side of the road on your travels, that\u2019s a sign to slow down,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Defensive driving for winter conditions<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">OPP\u2019s post outlined key defensive driving techniques for current conditions. At night, drivers are advised to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Use high beams whenever it is safe and oncoming traffic allows,<\/li>\n<li>continuously scan both sides of the road ahead and<\/li>\n<li>proactively reduce speed during extreme cold snaps.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">The overarching message from OPP is a simple one: drive carefully.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">\u201cOne small choice keeps you safe and keeps them alive,\u201d wrote Arnold in the social media post.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">\u201cDrive safe this winter and keep your eyes on the ditches,\u201d he added in the video.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\"><b>RELATED STORIES:<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ontario Provincial Police say fresh moose tracks near highways are a warning to northern drivers. Officers report multiple&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":493517,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[99054,2147,3158,43718,20503,21379,27743,19383,50,2150,8150,18610,92878,222214,8742,17541,10828,313],"class_list":{"0":"post-493516","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"tag-avoid","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-cold","11":"tag-drivers","12":"tag-driving","13":"tag-highway","14":"tag-highways","15":"tag-moose","16":"tag-news","17":"tag-ontario","18":"tag-road","19":"tag-roads","20":"tag-roadway","21":"tag-roadways","22":"tag-salt","23":"tag-temperatures","24":"tag-warning","25":"tag-weather"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115841154768949641","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/493516","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=493516"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/493516\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/493517"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=493516"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=493516"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=493516"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}