• 03
  • November
    2011

The fall is the deadliest time of year when it comes to car-deer collisions. In fact, November ranks as the month with the highest amount of deadly car-deer crashes. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 200 Americans die and 10,000 people are injured in approximately 1 million car accidents involving deer every year.

From 2005 to 2009, over 1,000 people died in vehicle-animal crashes, according to the USA Today. A study performed in 2004 showed that 60 percent of the people who died in such crashes were not wearing seat belts.

The deer problem was crystal clear in Indiana this week, when a minivan containing a family of 10 struck a deer. The vehicle was then hit by a semi, causing a massive crash that killed seven of the family members, including four children. None of them was wearing a seat belt.

Anyone in Wisconsin knows such a crash could happen there. In heavily wooded areas, deer can emerge very quickly. The problem is escalated at this time of year because it's mating season for North American deer. That means the males are more focused on mating than looking out for cars.

Wisconsin ranks in the top 10 of states with the most car-deer collisions, and neighbors Iowa and Minnesota are also in the top 10. It's vitally important that drivers slow down and keep a close eye on the road at this time of year.

It can not only prevent crash injuries, but it can save money, too. The average deer collision causes more than $3,000 in damage.

Source: USA Today, "Deer-car collisions increase this time of year," Doyle Rice, Nov. 1, 2011