Oh, deer! Be wary of roaming whitetail
Staff Writer
Peak season for wandering Whitetail has technically passed, but deer-car accidents still account for a majority of crashes in the county.
Only three accidents of 20 reported these past three weeks were not caused by drivers hitting deer, according to accident reports.
Two were caused by motorists hitting other animals — a dog and a hawk. The third happened when a driver fell asleep at the wheel.
“I’d take a guess that there are one or two a night probably these past several weeks,” sheriff Robert Craft said of the accidents. “Deer are on the move because of the rut this time of year. They are running all over the place.”
Mating season will taper off in a few weeks, but drivers still need to pay attention to wooded areas on the sides of the road.
Even a vigilant driver can sometimes be ambushed by a deer, he said.
“It’s just the luck of the draw, where you’re at when they decide to step in front of you,” he said.
If drivers are unlucky enough to have a deer in their headlights, they should hit the brakes and try to slow down, but don’t swerve to avoid hitting the animal, Craft said.
“Oftentimes drivers will swerve into the ditch or into oncoming traffic,” he said. “That’s even worse.”