WATCH FOR DEER ON THE ROAD

It's that time of year again -- deer are moving and motorists should keep their eyes on the road, the fields and the woods.

Collisions with animals -- particularly deer -- represent more than 4 percent of vehicle crashes each year in the United States.

That's a lot of crashes -- more than 250,000 of them a year, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatal Accident Reporting System.

More than 100 deaths and 16,000 injuries are reported each year from vehicle-deer accidents.

"We're about two weeks away from what is called the peak of the deer breeding season," said Ken West, protection supervisor for the Southeast Missouri region of the Missouri Department of Conservation. "This is the time of year that deer are on the move."

With the deer on the move, motorists are being warned to watch for the four-footed creatures prone to dash in front of vehicles, said West.

The potential for deer-vehicle collision is always high during the autumn and into December.

Deer, responding to their instincts to mate, become less cautious and more unpredictable, said West. "They're not looking out for traffic, so it's up to motorist to watch for them."

During a recent year, more than 7,000 vehicle-deer accidents were reported in Missouri and twice that many in Illinois, topping the 17,000 mark.

While the national white-tailed deer population is reported as the highest ever, Cape Girardeau County has maintained a steady deer population over the past few years.

"We try to keep the deer population at a manageable level," said West. "Our deer population is stable. I think we're about where we need to be."

Deer populations are managed through deer-hunting seasons and kill limits.

"We do a lot of deer surveys," said West. "Mail carriers, landowners and hunters, including archery hunters, help us in the survey. Then, we factor in the road kill -- more than 7,000 deer are killed each year in collisions with vehicles."

Using all this information, the conservation department adjusts the number of permits in accordance to deer. The DOC bases the quota on the survey results.

If the number of deer were double what it is now, the number of vehicle-deer accidents would increase, and farming could become more difficult because of crop damage.

The state is experiencing a growth in its deer population in some regions, however. St. Louis County is having a real problem with large groups of deer in populated areas. Deer will wander into suburban areas where hunting is prohibited.

Cape Girardeau has the potential for an urban deer problem, said one conservation official. "This can happen in fairly small communities as well.

Of 7,560 vehicle-deer collisions in Missouri in 1995, 40 were in the Cape Girardeau area.

Forty-three people were killed in Missouri between 1991 and 1995 in 39 accidents involving animals. Twenty-two of those accidents involved deer. Investigating authorities said half of the accidents took place when a car hit a deer. The rest occurred when motorists hit something else trying to avoid a deer. Motorists will sometimes swerve to avoid a deer.

During that same period in Illinois, more than 100 deaths were reported in vehicle-deer crashes.

Statistics show that two-thirds of the accidents during the months of October through December. But May and June are also ranked high in deer-vehicle accidents.,

Animal and deer-related crashes were down, by nearly 30 percent nationally, in 1996, but a total of 87 fatals were reported, headed by eight in Texas and five in Indiana. Deer-vehicle fatal accidents occurred in 35 states.

Many deer-related accident fatalities occur in rural areas, where the animals are more prevalent and roads wind through heavily wooded areas. But increasingly, accidents have become an urban and suburban phenomenon.

Nationally, automobile-deer collisions kill about 120 people a year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. More than 250,000 vehicles strike deer each year, and the average insurance claim is about $1,300, according to the Insurance Information Institute. However, some deer-related claim estimates have ranged between $4,000 and $5,000.

Conservation officials and experts suggest some hints for drivers:

-- Pay attention to "deer crossing" signs. The signs were put there for a reason.

-- Drive cautiously during early evening and early morning hours when deer are active, even in urban and suburban areas.

-- Deer often travel in groups, so drivers should expect more if they see one deer.

-- Watch out when driving near water, fence rows, field edges and woods, where deer usually travel.

-- Drivers are advised to scan roadways for deer. Passengers can help "keep an eye out for deer."

-- Deer are dazed and confused by vehicle headlights. If a deer is spotted, reduce speed.

-- If unable to stop to avoid hitting a deer, do not swerve. It may be better to hit the deer. Most serious injures to motorists or passengers occur when a driver swerved to avoid a deer but hits a fixed object or moving car.

-- Deer-vehicle accidents should be reported to local law enforcement officials. Your report will help track the incidence of deer-vehicle accidents.