Drive Carefully During Deer Season

To avoid traffic accidents, Indiana motorists need to drive defensively and generally be wary of other cars on the road.  Hoosiers concerned about roadway safety should also keep in mind that it is now deer migration season. Last year, there were about 16,000 car wrecks involving deer in the state; so far this year, about 7,000 have occurred.

According to the Indiana State Police and others, here are some safety tips for avoiding encounters with the deer population:

• drive cautiously during early morning and evening hours which are prime time for deer
• stay alert in deer-crossing zones
• use high beams when there is no oncoming traffic–high beams reflect in the eyes of a deer
• slow down if you see a deer, and remember they often travel in herds
• If you hit one, stay in your car and call police
• always wear your seat belt

Deer accidents are not exclusively a rural phenomenon. Many deer crashes occur on busy highways,   but they also occur in woodland and parkland areas and near golf courses an  streams.

The ISP adds the following recommendation: “Drivers should watch approaching vehicles to see if what interrupts their headlights beams could be a passing deer. This technique allows extra time to slow your speed and be alert for the deer.