Missouri motorists urged to use caution on roadways during deer season

With the bow-hunting portion of deer season underway, Missouri law enforcement, conservation and insurance agencies are urging motorists to use caution when driving on the state's roads.

"They just come right at you," said Lt. Jim McNeill with the Missouri State Highway Patrol in Sikeston. "This time of year people need to realize an increasing number of deer are on the road, most frequently in the morning and evening hours.

"These four-legged creatures are on the roam, so motorists should be alert," he said. "I've seen them go across the interstate, rural highways and roadways in the middle of a downtown. No one area is immune."

A report released by State Farm Insurance Co. found that the number of deer-vehicle collisions in Missouri is up 12.5 percent from 2003. That compares with a 14.9 percent increase nationally.

Using claims data from the last six months of 2007 through the first half of 2008 and the Federal Highway Administration's motor vehicle registration counts by state, State Farm estimates the chances of any one Missouri vehicle colliding with a deer over the next 12 months at 1 in 157. That puts Missouri in the medium-risk state category.

West Virginia led the nation for the second year, where chances are 1 in 45 of a motorist colliding with a deer.

Iowa and Arkansas were in the high-risk category, Tennessee, Kentucky, Kansas, Nebraska and Illinois were medium-risk, and Oklahoma was low-risk.

Alicia Robinson, spokeswoman for Missouri's division of State Farm, said most of the crashes occur in rural areas. Five fatal deer-car crashes occurred in rural areas in 2007.

"Drivers need to be on alert and cautious about this potential hazard," Robinson said. "It's not as serious a problem here as in some places, but given the increase in the past five years motorists need to be on heightened awareness."

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety estimates about 1.5 million deer-vehicle collisions occur annually, causing more than 150 fatalities and $1.1 billion in property damage.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol recorded 3,419 deer-vehicle accidents in 2007, 276 which resulted in injuries.

Most deer-car related accidents occur from 5 to 8 a.m. or 5 p.m. to midnight in October, November and December. Jeremy Soucy, a naturalist with the Missouri Department of Conservation, said collisions are more frequent because of less daylight, mating season and displacement of deer habitat caused by urban sprawl.

"The bucks in particular are more active and are concerned just with mating, so they're running just about anywhere without paying attention to the roadway," Soucy said. "Deer [are] also moving into areas of town where they feel less threatened, and that's in neighborhoods. Since they're used to people, they may not be concerned with their surroundings and step out in front of motorists without looking."

If deer suddenly run onto the roadway, McNeill said, drivers should not to swerve out of the deer's path. Doing so could cause a motorist to lose control of his or her vehicle or cause significant damage to another automobile.

"Just make sure you have your seat belt buckled," he said. "It's better to cause a few thousand dollars' worth of damage to your vehicle than try to avoid the deer and endanger the safety of you and others who may be in your path."

bblackwell@semissourian.com

388-3628

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