Troopers from the Ohio State Highway Patrol Marysville Post remind drivers to use caution and be alert for deer on and near Ohio’s roadways, especially at dawn and after sunset. A comparison between the months of September and October 2012 indicates the number of deer crashes has more than doubled in Logan and Union Counties. Most deer-vehicle collisions occur between October and December during the deer-breeding season.
Marysville Post Commander, Lieutenant Ron Raines, offers the following driving tips to decrease your chances of being involved in a car/deer collision and to avoid injury if one should occur.
- Drive with extreme caution in areas with deer-crossing signs.
- If you see one deer on or near the roadway, expect others may follow. Slow down and be alert.
- After dark use high beams when there is no opposing traffic. The high beams will illuminate the eyes of the deer on or near a roadway and provide greater driver reaction time.
- Increase your focal point further down the road rather than directly in front of your vehicle. Continually scan the area for deer attempting to cross the roadway.
- Always wear a safety belt.
- Don’t swerve your vehicle to avoid striking a deer. You may lose control of your vehicle, which could cause more serious damage and injury than striking the deer.
- Slow down. Faster speeds increase your vehicles stopping distance and decrease the available reaction time once the danger is observed.
- Stay alert. Deer are always unpredictable. They often dart out into traffic on busy highways and in residential areas.
- Report any deer-vehicle collision to a local law enforcement agency.
For a county-by-county breakdown and additional statistical information regarding enforcement efforts and fatal traffic crashes, please visit http://statepatrol.ohio.gov.
