Driver Safety: Deer

While deer hits occur throughout the year, they are most prevalent in the fall and early winter. November is the peak month with nearly three times the average number of accidents. More accidents occur in the fall because:

• The fall deer breeding season - deer are less focused on dangers.
• Deer hunting season - deer are pushed out of their normal protected areas.
• Harvesting of crops - deer are required to travel across more roadways to find food.

Preventing deer hits:

• Use additional caution when traveling in areas where deer are known to live. While we often think of rural areas, suburban areas have plentiful deer populations as well.
• Travel on highways and freeways with larger ditches to increase your ability to see deer and deer fences to restrict deer access.
• Watch for deer during dawn and dusk when they are most likely to be moving and feeding.
• Watch for deer crossing signs and dead deer alongside the road, indicating high deer travel areas.
• Turn your lights on early. Deer eyes reflect in headlights, allowing you to see them sooner.
• If you see one deer, watch for others. Most deer travel in groups and are likely to follow one another across a roadway.
• Slow down so you can better react to a deer jumping onto the roadway.
• Increase your following distance to compensate for a driver in front of you braking when a deer is spotted.
• Do not swerve to avoid a deer hit. Swerving results in collisions with other vehicles and rollovers. Brake firmly when you see a deer in your path but stay in your lane.

Why it matters

Each year there are approximately 2.1 million deer collisions in the U.S¹. While deer collisions seldom result in driver death, they can result in significant injuries and damage to the vehicles. In some cases, deer-related accidents result in severe accidents such as rollovers or head-on collisions when the driver swerves to miss the deer.

[1] “World of Deer, Deer Collisions by State, Nov 6, 2022,” https://worlddeer.org/deer-collisions-by-state-full-list/

The information included is designed for informational purposes only. It is not legal, tax, financial or any other sort of advice, nor is it a substitute for such advice. The information may not apply to your specific situation. We have tried to make sure the information is accurate, but it could be outdated or even inaccurate in parts. It is the reader’s responsibility to comply with any applicable local, state, or federal regulations. Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, its affiliates and their employees make no warranties about the information nor guarantee of results, and they assume no liability in connection with the information provided.