Under the Sign of the Moose

The latest issue of Orion magazine contains an excerpt from Robert Finch's book The Iambics of Newfoundland (almost universally and rather misleadingly listed in online stores as The Lambics of Newfoundland!), in which he recounts the problems faced by the Newfoundland Highway Department in its efforts to prevent moose-car accidents. He explains that the Trans-Canada Highway had become a favored spot for viewing moose on Newfoundland, but that as a result, accidents involving moose were common. In response, the highway department put up life-sized sheet-metal silhouettes of moose, designed to warn drivers that moose, and moose watchers, might be on the road ahead. Unfortunately, the signs themselves proved interesting to drivers, causing a slew of new accidents at the moose-sign locations. As a result, the highway department placed new signs before the moose silhouettes reading CAUTION: MOOSE SIGNS AHEAD.

According to Finch, the number of accidents has vastly decreased since the new signs went up, but so have the number of moose sightings.