Drivers beware: This month is a ‘peak’ for hitting deer

With fall and winter in Georgia comes an increased risk of becoming involved in car accidents with animals – especially deer. The nonprofit organization Insurance Institute for Highway Safety considers November a “peak-month for vehicle-deer collisions.” Over the course of the month, insurance claims generally triple and federal data indicates that deer accidents also constitute “a growing problem.”

With almost 400 reported cases annually, Baldwin County has a relatively high rate of deer accidents compared to other counties in Georgia. Nationally, Georgia ranks high in the number of this type of accidents, and with the deer population having gone from almost eliminated to currently exceeding 1.2 million, there is every reason to be extra cautious when driving in the November night.

Freshman Tracy Bain experienced this danger first-hand as she returned from a trip to Six Flags in Atlanta a couple a weekends ago. Having cleared dense metropolitan traffic without any incidents and with only minutes left before her arrival in downtown Milledgeville, a deer sprinted across the road just outside of Butler Ford Milledgeville located at 2631 North Columbia St. in Milledgeville.

Jérome LeBorgne, a mathematics major from France and tennis player on the GCSU team, who was one driving the vehicle, said he had no chance to react. When the car finally came to a stop, Tracy said that a lot of emotions went through her mind, but that there was also a sense of helplessness: “Of course I was glad that everyone was alright, but my first reaction was actually more like ‘What the heck!’ I mean, we were not doing anything wrong, but just had bad timing.”

LeBorgne felt the same, but since it was Bain’s car he also had a sense of guilt: “Even though I couldn’t do anything, I was the one driving and therefore I felt very responsible.”

Chief Deputy Richard Malone of the Milledgeville police said that the first thing to do in the case of an accident is to call the sheriff’s department to file a report and then call your insurance company.

“Or, for that matter, if you are in the city, call the City Police of Milledgeville, he said.

Of course, one can always do what Bain did and simply call 991. With regards to the assistance from the police, she said that “He was really helpful.” LeBorgne agreed, adding that “He was only there to help and not to find out if I had done anything wrong”

The fact that LeBorgne never had the chance to avoid the deer might have actually been for the better. One of the major explanations of fatalities in this type of incidents is drivers who have swerved away from the deer, but instead have ended up hitting something else, much worse. Even though colliding with a deer is not a good thing, it is preferable compared to running off the road into a tree or likewise, experts say. Other ways to avoid deer include being aware of the fact that they seldom move alone, but rather in groups, especially near sunrise and sunset. In addition, often at this time of year bucks are chasing does. When driving at night, it is also important to remember to turn on high beams when appropriate to do so.

More than 1.5 million deer accidents occur every year, causing material damages exceeding $1 billion.

According to Georgia Department of Transportation, 31 people died in deer accidents between 2000-06, with Putnam and Thomas counties leading the statistics with two fatalities; Milledgeville and Baldwin County had none. However, a trend toward an increase in fatalities has been observed.

If one wants to feel safer and assured not to become involved in an incident, Hawaii is the perfect state. According to the insurance company State Farm, the chances of hitting a deer while driving in Hawaii is one in 10,962. However, if a move there is not an option, it can at least be assuring to know that all car insurances cover damages caused by hitting a deer.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Nov 20 2009. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry