Video: Deer Season And Road Safety Concerns

by Victoria Bailey

COLUMBUS,STARKVILLE,(WCBI)—Cooler temperatures are on the way and deer season will soon start…

This means you’ll start seeing more deer when you’re behind the wheel. It happens, avoiding a deer crash can seem almost impossible.

In fact, there are one point six million accidents each year. However, a few small steps could keep you safe. Most drivers cringe when they see a deer on the highway.

“They come out onto our roads because there’s not enough food in the woods. There’s not enough food because there’s not that much food there naturally or there are so many deer that they have eaten all the food there, so they’ll come out. The road sides are cleared and there is sunlight hitting there so you’ve got sunlight, rainfall, deer food,”Professor of Wild Life And Aqua Culture Steve Demarais said.

Highways may be ideal hangout spots for deer, but MSU Professor of Wildlife Fisheries and Aqua Culture Steve Demarais says the deer’s behavior will tell you if the situation is dangerous.

“Well if you look at a deer and you see that it’s head is down and it appears to be feeding and it just happens to look up because your going by, that’s probably a safe situation because the deer just happens to be there eating but if the deer is moving already and it looks like it’s facing the direction of the road. That’s the most dangerous situation because the deer may just be crossing. The deer realizes that your there but it doesn’t know how to avoid you and their a prey animal,”Demarais said.

Mississippi averages more than twenty thousand deer vehicle collisions each year.

Mississippi Highway Patrolman Master Sgt. Criss Trunipseed says drivers can help cut down those numbers.

Chris Turnipseed
State Trooper

“Don’t chose between running off the road and the deer… don’t make that choice. Let your insurance handle the repairs on your car. It’s a lot better then the alternative speed slow down reduce your speed. The faster you go the less time you have to respond, react or hit the brakes or something like that give you an opportunity to slowdown enough so you can avoid the collision or if you do hit the deer at a slow collision it might not be as significant. Just be aware be aware of your surroundings when your driving that would lead to less chance of you over reacting or panicking if it did happen. That can save your life,” Master Sergeant Public Affairs Officer Criss Turnipseed said.

The highest number of deer related crashes occur in October, November, and December.

State Farm Insurance ranks Mississippi as the 10th most likely state to drive in and hit a deer.

Alabama ranks 22nd.