SENIOR MOMENT: Deer collisions: Expect the unexpected

By BETTY MUNSEY/Columnist

The month of November has many claims of fame—the end of daylight-saving time, Election Day, Veterans Day, and, of course, Thanksgiving. Yet one dubious trait is that November is the peak of deer mating or rutting season leading to the largest number of deer/vehicle collisions. What’s even more distressing is that “according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there are about 1.5 million car accidents with deer each year that result in $1 billion vehicle damage, about 150 human fatalities, and over 10,000 personal injuries.” According to a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, November insurance claims for collisions involving deer are three times higher than for any other month of the year.
State Farm Insurance Co. announced a 27.4 percent increase in deer related accidents between 2007 and 2009 as opposed to a similar period from 2002 to 2004. The same study showed an 18 percent increase nationwide in deer/vehicle collisions in the past five years. That translates into a one in 137 of hitting a deer while driving in Virginia—one of the highest rates in the United States.
Seventy percent of deer related collisions occur between 5 p.m. and midnight and again between 5 and 8 a.m. when many commuters are driving to work. Deer crossing signs indicate heavily traveled trails and should be carefully obeyed with more alertness.
As our mothers would say, buckle our seat belts; slow down; scan both sides of the road; and enlist the help of passengers in watching for any deer. Whenever possible use the high beams looking for the deer’s reflective eyes. Remember that where there’s one deer, there are probably more. When a deer is spotted in or near the road, brake firmly, but do not swerve out of your lane of traffic, while blowing the horn in one long blast. It is recommended that if a crash is inevitable, release the brake just before impact to cause slight lift of the hood, which will hopefully propel the animal over the windshield area. Motorcycles and more compact cars are in greater danger in impact situations.
If all our best efforts fail and we hit a deer or a bear, we may keep the meat after reporting the kill to the police in the locality where the wreck occurred.  Never approach an injured animal as it may be only stunned and can attack.
According to the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, more than 220,000 deer are harvested annually by hunters, yet the Old Dominion’s deer population easily numbers more than one million animals. If we don’t want deer antlers or other body parts as a hood ornament, we must be vigilant and drive deer smart.
A retired Extension agent, Betty Munsey lives and farms in Bland County.