Officers warn drivers to be careful during deer mating season

HUBER HEIGHTS — Officers are warning drivers to pay attention to deer when driving in the dark.

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From now until December, drivers are nearly 50% more likely to hit a deer, according to AAA.

That’s because it’s deer mating season and deer are more active this time of year.

News Center 7′s Taylor Robertson says there have been more than 1,000 crashes involving a deer in Montgomery County alone.

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Huber Heights Public Information Police Nick Lambert said rural areas are more common to see deer.

Since 2017, the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) says there have been over 100,000 deer-related crashes here in Ohio.

47% of those crashes occur from October through December and many of the crashes happen between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. in the morning.

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AAA is offering this advice if a driver does get involved in a crash involving a deer.

“Immediately call for assistance. Call law enforcement,” said Kara Hitchens, AAA Public Affairs Manager. “Do not try to approach the deer to check on it because it’s still a wild animal and they can hurt you. And if it is injured, it’s in kind of you know, survival mode at that point so keep yourself out of danger.”

Robertson reports that AAA recommends that drivers slow down when driving in the dark and safely use their high beams if necessary to help see the edges of the road.

Remember, if you see one deer, there is a high chance that there are more nearby.

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During News Center 7′s Daybreak on Wednesday, Robertson told Xavier Hershovitz about her experience when she was involved in a crash involving a deer.

It happened back in the fall of 2017 when she hit a deer on Kitridge Road in Huber Heights.

She pulled over safely into a neighborhood and called the police.

It meant that if an officer saw that damaged car, it indicated that it was not involved in a hit-and-run crash.

Officers will also let the appropriate people know that an injured deer may be on the loose.

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News Center 7 did some digging into the more than 100,000 deer-related crashes since 2017, according to OSHP.

There were 1,705 in Greene County and 1,606 in Miami County.

Clark County had 1,204 and Montgomery had 1,152 deer-related crashes.

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