AAA: Deer more likely to run into traffic during mating season
Sinclair says that if you encounter a deer, don't brake too hard or swerve to avoid.
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AAA is warning drivers to be aware of an increase in deer activity. The agency says this is especially true during deer mating season, which is from October through December.
"They become very skittish and excitable and jumpy, and so they are more likely to run out in front of a vehicle than at most of the other times of year," said Robert Sinclair, with AAA Northeast.
Looking at last year, Sinclair says over 7,500 crashes involved a live animal. He says 90% of those involved a deer. Three of those crashes were fatal, while 400 resulted in injury.
Sinclair says that if you encounter a deer, don't brake too hard or swerve to avoid.
"The advice is to brake gently, not too hard, and just hit the animal because any other action is likely to result in a more serious crash," said Sinclair.
He says sunrise and sunset pose the greatest risks, but more so sunset.
"Maybe travel outside the times that they are most active so that you can avoid this even happening," said Sinclair.
For the unavoidable situations, approach the crash as you would any other crash by calling the police, reporting the crash and getting a police report to make an insurance claim.
Somerset, Hunterdon, Bergen, Sussex and Ocean counties saw the top crashes during last year's deer mating season, according to AAA Northeast.
