might have hit the deer squarely with thefront of the car, causing more damageand sending the animal into the wind-shield. In 25-plus years of driving,most of it in prime deer habitat, this wasthe first time I had hit a deer. I hope itwill be the last. Here are some tips thatmight help you avoid a similar incident.

Beware at TwilightFirst, be very cautious when driving

at night, especially at dawn or dusk.Deer are crepuscular, meaning they aremost active at twilight. They usuallyfeed in the evening, rest for a while to

chew their cud, then feed again in theearly morning hours before moving totheir bedding area shortly after sunrise.This means they are often most activein the low-light hours when people areheading to or from work, school orother activities.

Second, be very alert when travelingthrough deer territory – which is mostof Nebraska. The population is moredense in some areas, such as alongriverbottoms and near eastern Nebraskafarm fields, but deer can be found anywhere, at any time – even in cities.Last winter I saw two deer feedingalong the railroad tracks just a block

from downtown Lincoln. While I wasalert to deer the night that I hit the doe,I probably had a false sense of securitybecause I was not traveling through ariver or creek drainage.

There was, however, a small finger oftrees bisecting two cornfields next tothe highway, and that leads to anothertip: Deer often travel along drainagesand treelines as they move from onearea to another. They are also creaturesof habit and use the same travel corridorsyear after year. The places where thesecorridors cross heavily traveled roadsare often marked with deer crossingsigns. Don’t ignore them – they are

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The doe seemingly cameout of nowhere.

One minute there wasnothing but darkness andthe twin beams of my

car’s headlights illuminating my side ofthe four-lane highway. The next minutea ghostly figure was moving from thegrassy median, striding purposefully

across the pavement, seeminglyoblivious to the heavy metal beastwith bright, gleaming eyes hurtlingtoward it.

My foot was on the brake theinstant my brain registered move-ment from the corner of my eye.Pressing hard enough to cut myspeed significantly without locking

up, I tried to steer around the deerwithout losing control but I could notswerve in time. My car’s front quarterpanel smashed into the doe’s chest andneck with a loud thud, spinning theanimal and sending its rear into the driver’s side door.

Coming to a complete stop, I waited for my heart rate to slow andthe adrenaline to ebb from my body.The incident happened so fast that myyoungest son and daughter, who wereriding with me, did not know what had happened. Answering their manyquestions, I realized how lucky we hadbeen – if I had not been watching, I

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AvoidingCar-deerCollisionsDefensive driving, seasonal awarenessand liberal deer harvest reduce wrecks

In today’s fast-paced society, deer carcasses are a common sight on Nebraska roadsides and illustrate the need for careful driving.

By Doug Carroll

Unpredictable at best, a deer standing alongside the road is a potential hazard that alldrivers should pay particular attention to.

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fall, meaning more people are travelingat dawn and dusk when deer are mostactive. Deer also do more runningaround during their fall breeding season. It’s no wonder the collisioncount goes up during autumn.

Collisions Are CostlyThe average number of deer/vehicle

accidents reported in Nebraska from2000 through 2004 was almost 3,740,peaking at 3,951 in 2003. These numbers come from the HighwaySafety – Traffic Engineering Divisionof the Nebraska Department of Roads,but they only include those accidentsthat were investigated and reported bylocal law enforcement personnel. Many more collisions occur that arenot reported or investigated.

The number of deer-vehicle collisionreports dropped significantly in 2004,which might indicate the NebraskaGame and Parks Commission’s liberalized antlerless harvest over thepast few years is beginning to reducedeer populations in some parts of thestate. Deer-vehicle collision reports and crop depredation complaints arethe major reasons why the Commissiontries to reduce deer populations insome areas. Wildlife managers havemade special efforts to reduce the population where complaints and accidents have been high in recentyears, especially in southeasternNebraska.

While the chance of hitting a deer islow, drivers should consider the possi-bility every time they get behind thewheel. More than 150 people are killed

and 29,000 injured annually in animal-vehicle collisions nationwide. Hitting adeer can be expensive too. Accordingto the Insurance Information Institute, anational organization that providesinformation about the insurance industry, the average minimum costfor repairing a vehicle after a collisionwith a deer is $2,000. A federalGeneral Accounting Office report statesthat deer-automobile accidents result in more than $1 billion in propertydamage annually.

While at one time deer were uncommon in Nebraska, there are nowapproximately 300,000 deer in the stateeach fall. Many deer will rarely, if ever,cross a road, but enough do so on aregular enough basis that it makessense to keep an eye out for them.Doing so will save lives and money. ■

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notplaced

arbitrarily. Ofcourse, an absence

of signs doesn’t mean anarea is safe – deer can’t

read. Pay special attentionto any place where you’ve

seen deer in the past, whetherthey were dead or alive. One thing I did right on the

night I hit the deer was that I was

watching the edge of the road ahead.Watch the sides of the road and slowdown if you see a deer or its eyeshinenear the road. Deer are unpredictable.If you see a deer and it seems to belooking at your car and waiting for youto pass, be prepared to stop if the deersuddenly starts to cross the road. Evenif a deer crosses safely in front of yourvehicle, slow down. Deer often travelin small groups and others might befollowing. Or the deer that just crossedthe road might reverse course andrecross it.

Avoid Extreme ManeuversAnother thing I did right was I did

not take extreme evasive action. Driverssometimes make a bad situation worseby veering into oncoming traffic or hitting a fixed object such as a pole

while trying to avoid a deer. If you cannot stop in time to avoid a crash,brake until the last fraction of a secondbefore impact, then let off your brakes.This will cause the front end of yourvehicle to rise, increasing the odds thatthe deer will pass beneath the car ortruck instead of being launched intoyour windshield. My youngsters and I were buckled up, which made us law-abiding and, more important, a lotsafer. The odds of surviving a collisionwithout serious injury or death are twoto three times greater for people wear-ing seat belts.

A deer can appear in front of yourcar at any time of year, but mostdeer/vehicle collisions occur in autumn.When the fall crop harvest begins,deer’s summer feeding and beddingpatterns change and they move moreoften. Daylight grows shorter in the

38 NEBRASKAland ● November 2005

By increasing the doe harvest in parts of the state, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has reducedthe deer population where crop depredation complaints and deer-vehicle accidents are high.

Social by nature, deer seldom travel alone. If you see one deer crossing the road, expect others to be with it.

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