Post by Woody Williams on Nov 13, 2006 7:10:29 GMT -5
Motorists, beware of deer in headlights
By GAVIN LESNICK
Courier & Press staff writer 464-7449 or lesnickg@courierpress.com
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Evansville resident Rebecca Kelley was driving on a rural stretch of Red Bank Road early Wednesday when a deer leaped in front of her car.
Kelley, 20, was driving the speed limit and paying attention to the road, but before she knew it, the deer had crashed through her windshield, dented her roof and darted off. The damage was so great that Kelley is shopping for a new car.
"The only time I saw it was when it was right in front of my windshield," Kelley said. "I was pretty much in shock."
Kelley's story is not unusual in the Tri-State, where deer-car collisions are common. November is the middle of deer-mating season, or rut, which officials say makes them unpredictable and more likely to be in unexpected places or act unpredictably.
Keith Todd, spokesman for the Kentucky Department of Highways, knows all about deer and the dangers they pose.
Besides dealing with motorists who hit them, Todd has hit deer several times himself. He even has an old truck he drives on his farm that he's dubbed the "deer magnet."
Deer can be a serious problem, he said. They are credited with causing at least 150 deaths nationally each year as people swerve to avoid them and wreck. That number is likely even higher, Todd said, because a deer could cause a single-car, fatal accident and run off before anyone knows.
"You hear a lot about people being attacked by alligators in Florida, but there's more people killed each year by deer," he said. "There's far many more. The numbers are pretty incredible."
While a number of factors contribute to deer accidents, Todd said, the single biggest one is deer-mating season. It begins around mid-October and continues through mid-December.
Half of all deer-car accidents are reported during that two-month period.
It also comes during deer-hunting season and when farmers harvest their crops, meaning deer must travel to find new food sources.
With an average cost of $2,000 to $2,500 to repair damage to vehicles, hitting a deer can be costly. Todd said there are a number of tips people can follow to try to avoid doing so:
- Take extra caution in low-light periods. Deer tend to move more just after dawn or just before dusk, he said.
- If you see a dead deer, consider it the same as you would a deer-crossing sign. Where there is one deer, there likely are many more.
- Expect the unexpected. If you see a deer on the side of the road, do not expect it to stay there, Todd said.
- Be on the alert for deer no matter where you are. Todd said he has a friend who hit a deer after it jumped out of a drainage ditch in a populated area. Development does not necessarily mean deer are not nearby, especially during mating season.
- Do not honk your horn or blink your lights. This may spook the deer and cause it to run into traffic, Todd said.
Kelley said once she has her new car, she has her own plan for avoiding deer. "Honestly, I'm staying away from Red Bank Road during deer season," she said. "I wasn't speeding, I was paying attention and it still happened to me."
By GAVIN LESNICK
Courier & Press staff writer 464-7449 or lesnickg@courierpress.com
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Evansville resident Rebecca Kelley was driving on a rural stretch of Red Bank Road early Wednesday when a deer leaped in front of her car.
Kelley, 20, was driving the speed limit and paying attention to the road, but before she knew it, the deer had crashed through her windshield, dented her roof and darted off. The damage was so great that Kelley is shopping for a new car.
"The only time I saw it was when it was right in front of my windshield," Kelley said. "I was pretty much in shock."
Kelley's story is not unusual in the Tri-State, where deer-car collisions are common. November is the middle of deer-mating season, or rut, which officials say makes them unpredictable and more likely to be in unexpected places or act unpredictably.
Keith Todd, spokesman for the Kentucky Department of Highways, knows all about deer and the dangers they pose.
Besides dealing with motorists who hit them, Todd has hit deer several times himself. He even has an old truck he drives on his farm that he's dubbed the "deer magnet."
Deer can be a serious problem, he said. They are credited with causing at least 150 deaths nationally each year as people swerve to avoid them and wreck. That number is likely even higher, Todd said, because a deer could cause a single-car, fatal accident and run off before anyone knows.
"You hear a lot about people being attacked by alligators in Florida, but there's more people killed each year by deer," he said. "There's far many more. The numbers are pretty incredible."
While a number of factors contribute to deer accidents, Todd said, the single biggest one is deer-mating season. It begins around mid-October and continues through mid-December.
Half of all deer-car accidents are reported during that two-month period.
It also comes during deer-hunting season and when farmers harvest their crops, meaning deer must travel to find new food sources.
With an average cost of $2,000 to $2,500 to repair damage to vehicles, hitting a deer can be costly. Todd said there are a number of tips people can follow to try to avoid doing so:
- Take extra caution in low-light periods. Deer tend to move more just after dawn or just before dusk, he said.
- If you see a dead deer, consider it the same as you would a deer-crossing sign. Where there is one deer, there likely are many more.
- Expect the unexpected. If you see a deer on the side of the road, do not expect it to stay there, Todd said.
- Be on the alert for deer no matter where you are. Todd said he has a friend who hit a deer after it jumped out of a drainage ditch in a populated area. Development does not necessarily mean deer are not nearby, especially during mating season.
- Do not honk your horn or blink your lights. This may spook the deer and cause it to run into traffic, Todd said.
Kelley said once she has her new car, she has her own plan for avoiding deer. "Honestly, I'm staying away from Red Bank Road during deer season," she said. "I wasn't speeding, I was paying attention and it still happened to me."