GREENE COUNTY — Autumn has arrived, and that means deer are on the move, according to a spokesperson from Greene County Public Health.
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Drivers could encounter a deer on or near a roadway, day or night.
Since 2017, there have been almost 102,000 deer-related crashes in Ohio, the spokesperson said.
While 95% of those crashes only caused property damage, 29 were fatal, resulting in 31 total deaths. 20 of these crashes involved motorcycles.
11 of the fatal deer-related crashes occurred in 2021, which is nearly 40% of the total fatalities, the spokesperson said.
47% of the crashes occurred in October, November, and December. Dawn and dusk hours are the times when deer-related crashes are most likely to occur.
Between 5 a.m. and 7:59 a.m., 26% of these crashes occurred while 31% of the crashes took place between 6 p.m. and 9:59 p.m., the spokesperson said.
Urban areas often have the highest number of deer-vehicle crashes.
The public health department has a few tips to remind drivers how to stay safe.
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How to stay safe during deer season:
- Deer are most often along the roadside near dawn, 7 a.m., and again at dusk, 7:30 p.m.
- The breeding season runs from October to early January. During this time deer are more active.
- Deer are most frequently found on the outskirts of towns and in heavily wooded areas. They could occasionally wander into suburban neighborhoods.
- Deer almost never travel alone.
Preventative Techniques:
- To avoid a collision, slow down.
- Always wear a seatbelt.
- Watch for eyes shining along the roadside and immediately slow down.
- Use high beams when the road is free of oncoming traffic to increase visibility and allow more time to react.
- Deer can become mesmerized by steady, bright lights, so if one is frozen in the roadway, slow down and flash the lights. Experts recommend one long horn blast to scare them away.
- Pay close attention to caution signs indicating deer or other large animals.
- If you’re driving in a multi-lane roadway, drive in the center lane to give as much space to grazing deer as possible.
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Tips if you encounter a deer:
- Never swerve to avoid a deer in the road. Swerving can confuse the deer where to run and could potentially cause a crash with an oncoming vehicle, take you off the road into a tree or ditch, and increase the chances of serious injury.
- Deer are unpredictable, therefore one that is calmly standing on the side of the road may jump into the road without warning. If one does jump in front of your vehicle, slow down, maintain control, brake, and give it time to move.
- Don’t rely on hood whistles or other devices to scare off deer.
- If you do collide with a deer or any other large animal, call emergency services if injuries are involved, or local police if no one is injured. Never touch the animal that is in the roadway. Report the incident to your insurance company as soon as possible.
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