Drive Defensively - Tips to Avoid Hitting Deer |
By Public Information Officer M.C. MORRIS MONCURE | |
November 7, 2016 | |
With daylight savings time ending last weekend, more drivers will be traveling in the dark, increasing the likelihood of colliding with a deer. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) has produced this short video encouraging drivers to stay alert as they travel. https://youtu.be/PXdtN-pJilM. Fall is the breeding season for deer, and consequently, deer are more active now than at any other time of the year. More than half of all deer/vehicle collisions occur in the months of October, November and December. If you have any questions about white-tailed deer or deer behavior, please visit the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries webpage: https://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/deer/
• Deer habitually travel the same areas; therefore deer crossing signs have been installed by the Virginia Department of Transportation. Use extra caution when you see these signs. • Drivers should apply brakes, even stop if necessary, to avoid hitting a deer, but should never swerve out of the lane to miss a deer. A collision with another vehicle, tree or other object is likely to be more serious than hitting a deer. • Rely on your caution and your own senses, not deer whistles you can buy for your car. These devices have not been shown to be effective. • Any person involved in a collision with a deer or bear while driving a motor vehicle, thereby killing the animal, should immediately report the accident to a Conservation Police Officer or other law enforcement officer in the county or city where the accident occurred. • Drivers who collide with a deer or bear, thereby killing the animal, may keep it for their own use provided that they report the accident to a law enforcement officer where the accident occurred and the officer views the animal and gives the person a possession certificate. |
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