“With the recent time change and as the days get shorter, drivers are more likely to be on the road at dawn and dusk when the animals are most active,” said Pat Brown, a AAA Driving School instructor.
Last weekend, Cedarville cross-country runner Kayla Casaletto was struck by a deer during a championship race in New York. “At about the 1K mark, a deer was startled and flew out of the woods and ran into my legs and knocked me into the mud,” Casaletto said.
But more often than not, it is motorists hitting the deer.
Nationally, more than one million crashes are caused by deer and, according to AAA, animal collisions result in about 200 human fatalities per year. Of the 283 crashes recorded in Butler, Clark, Darke, Greene, Miami, Montgomery, Preble and Warren counties in the last month and a half, 11 involved injuries.
Butler county accounted for 29 crashes; Clark, 58; Darke, 14; Greene, 56; Miami, 39; Montgomery, 34; Preble, 23 and Warren, 39.
Last year, there were 1,354 deer related crashes reported in the Miami Valley area and 644 of the crashes occurred during the animal’s mating season.
Some are taking to social media to warn others about “deer hotspots” — especially in less obvious areas, such as heavily traveled roads or neighborhoods. A Facebook user on the “Everything Huber Heights” group page warned others to use caution traveling down parts of Chambersburg near Weisenborn Junior High, for example.
“You have got to fight that instinct to jerk the wheel,” said Cindy Antrican, public affairs manager for AAA. “That’s the most dangerous thing you can do because it can force you into oncoming traffic.”
AAA also recommends using high beam headlights whenever possible, slowing down around curves and constantly scanning the road and shoulders ahead.
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