Late fall posts most deer/vehicle collisions

Deer crossing signs haven’t been posted by the Illinois Department of Transportation in the southern Illinois area for about 10 years.

“They weren’t effective. The deer just didn’t pay attention to them,” IDOT spokesman Matt Vanover joked.

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With bow-hunting season ending Friday and students returning home in droves this week for Thanksgiving break, deer are cause for concern when driving.

As State Farm Insurance recently discovered, the frequency of deer and auto collisions between deer and unsuspecting motorists in the state is the third highest in the country, after Pennsylvania and Michigan.

Missy Lundberg, spokeswoman for State Farm, said the company received more than 12,000 insurance claims statewide for deer and vehicle collisions from July 2004 to June 2005. There were 23,438 total deer and vehicle accidents in Illinois last year.

“You’ve got to think:With all the subdivisions being built, those trees are being cut down,” she said.

She said the average collision costs the driver $500 to $8,000, and nationwide totals cost motorists $1.1 billion dollars.

Late fall is the mating season for deer and the time of the year with the most deer and vehicle collisions, Clay Nielsen, wildlife ecologist at the Cooperative Research Wildlife Lab.

“Bucks are trailing does, and deer activity is just greater,” Nielsen said. “Deer are foraging closer to winter time.”

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Nielsen said areas he has observed large amount of deer and auto crashes in include several places along Illinois Route 13, U.S. Highway 51 and U.S. Highway 127.

Vanover said this time of year is most active for road crews, who are charged with cleaning carcasses, trash and shredded tires from the road.

Another insurance agency, AAA Insurance, spokesman said fatality in motorists “occurs with some frequency.”

“People take evasive action, swerving into the path of other cars,” Mike Right, vice president of public affairs, said.

Deer whistles, the popular front car bumper accessories, haven’t proven to keep deer out of the road, Vanover said. The best way to prevent crashes is to be aware of surroundings.

“If you are near a farm, field, near a stream, near standing timber – use extra caution,” he said.

Nielsen said a common misconception is that scares from hunters cause deer to run into roads, but the two acts are separate. He also said car accidents don’t greatly affect the deer population.

“There are so many deer that deer/vehicle accidents take a very small percentage of the population,” he said.

Reporter Kate Galbreath can be reached at [email protected]