Police Urge Driver Precautions Against Deer Accidents

Police urge motorists to be cautious while driving, especially through the end of November, as deer are in their mating season and are actively moving across the terrain.

The mating season, when coupled with pressure from hunters in the woods and farmers who are harvesting their crops, results in deer being on the move.

That movement means that deer will be crossing roadways, resulting in more collisions between deer and moving vehicles, according to police.

The peak period for deer-vs-vehicle accidents in this area is around the second week of November, with such incidents dropping off after December 15.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there are about 1.5 million auto accidents involving deer annually in the United States. Those accidents result in about $1 billion in vehicular damage and about 150 human deaths, plus about 10,000 personal injuries.

 The NHTSA expects that the actual statistics are higher due to inconsistent state-by-state reporting of deer-related vehicle accidents.

Town police offer the driving public some tips on avoiding deer accidents.

 * Be attentive while driving and slow down.

 * Use high-beam headlamps while driving in deer terrain at night to expand the view ahead and to improve potential reaction times in the event that deer are positioned along the roadside and then jump out into the road.

* Do not use vehicle-mounted “deer whistles” as deterrents to deer accidents because the devices do not appear to prevent deer collisions.

 * If a collision with a deer is unavoidable, it is usually best not to swerve to avoid it.

Motorists should brake and hold the steering wheel straight. Turning the steering wheel to avoid the deer may result in a worse accident with another vehicle or may cause the vehicle to spin out of control, resulting in a much more serious collision.