AASHTO Journal, 30 October 2015
Across the nation this autumn, state departments of transportation and other agencies are taking special efforts to warn motorists that this is a peak period for traffic crashes in which vehicles and those animals collide, or for drivers crashing as they try to avoid striking deer.
Autumn brings both deer hunting and mating seasons. Wildlife specialists say deer are also on the move as fall crops are harvested and as leaves fall off trees to strip summer habitats of cover and make them less secure.
The Illinois DOT and other agencies in that state issued a joint statement reminding motorists that “this is the time of year to be on high alert for deer on Illinois roads.”
They said nearly half of all crashes involving deer in Illinois usually happen in October, November and December, mostly on rural roads at twilight or nighttime.
However, drivers on interstate highways in the Midwest have also seen deer suddenly run across the road despite the headlights of fast-approaching traffic.
Statewide, Illinois reported 15,356 crashes in 2014 involving deer, compared with 15,334 in 2013. Last year those crashes left four dead, down from six in 2013.
In North Carolina the DOT said over the past three years “nearly half of the 58,372 animal-related crashes in the state took place in October through December. About 90 percent of those involved deer.”
During that period, 11 people died in animal-related crashes, the agency said, which also “injured more than 3,386 drivers and passengers and caused nearly $145 million in damages.”
The Kansas DOT said 15 percent of crashes last year in that state were “deer-related,” and that while they occur throughout the year this is a prime time for such accidents.
The Kansas Highway Patrol cautions drivers to avoid taking extraordinary measures to avoid striking a deer in the road, because that can make a bad situation even worse. “If you are unfortunate enough to have a deer enter the highway in front of your car, it is best to hit the animal and not swerve to avoid it,” said KHP Lt. Adam Winters. “Often we find more serious crashes occur when you swerve in avoidance.”
The agencies are giving drivers common-sense tips to try to avoid the deer strikes or minimize injuries when they happen.
For instance, the NCDOT said most people who are injured in deer-related crashes were not wearing their seatbelts, so it reminds vehicle occupants to buckle up.
It also tells drivers to be alert “in areas where deer are more likely to travel through, such as near bridges or overpasses, railroad tracks, streams and ditches,” to slow down in posted deer crossing zones and put more distance between traveling vehicles to reduce the risk of multiple-vehicle crashes if one hits a deer.
The Ohio DOT generated a mapping tool to help drivers know the state’s major “hotspots” for the largest number of vehicle crashes involving deer.
The Illinois notice points out that “deer will often cross roads and double back,” so drivers stopped for the animals should “make sure deer have moved away from the road before proceeding.” Most agencies also warn that the presence of one deer probably means more are in the area.