It’s the time of year where the leaves are falling the combines or rolling, and there’s a chance you’ll see a deer along the road. Michael Pawlovich of the Iowa Department of Transportation says a lot of things make the deer more active. He says the deer rutting season is underway, the primary deer habitat is disappearing with the harvest, and hunters are chasing deer around.
Pawlovich says the D-O-T records show over 38-thousand car-deer accidents from 2001 to 2005. Pawlovich says over the last five years 27 people were killed, 225 people sustained major injuries. Pawlovich says if you see a deer, you’re better to hit the deer instead of veer off the road and hit something that could do more damage.
Pawlovich says defensive driving is the be best way to avoid hitting a deer. He says you should slow down, pay more attention in wooded areas where deer might congregate, and if you see one deer, remember there are likely more deer around. Pawlovich says you should also wear your seatbelt to help avoid any serious injury if you do hit a deer. The D-O-T says November is the month with the most vehicle/deer crashes.