‘Tis the Season for Deer-Vehicle Crashes
Deer and vehicle collisions cost Ohioans around $73 million dollars last year.
But in the last three years the amount of deer-vehicle collisions is decreasing. The Ohio Department of Transporation says 2008 only had 6 deer-vehicle fatalities compared to 10 fatalities in 2007.
"Probably the biggest factor in the decrease is just the amount of people traveling the roadways because of the fuel prices and other things," says Sgt. Clark Felix of the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
The majority of crashes occur October through January because it is deer mating season. Sgt. Felix warns drivers that if you see one deer along the roadside be careful, because there are probably more nearby.
"If it looks like it (a crash) is going to be probable, they are going to strike a deer, they must maintain control of the vehicle and a lot of times they are better off hitting it than swerving off the road way or swerving into oncoming traffic," says Sgt. Felix.
Sgt. Felix says anyone driving on rural roads needs to especially be on the lookout for deer.
Katie Jeffries
