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Community Corner

Deer a Growing Risk for Johns Creek Drivers

Follow these steps to avoid collisions with deer.

Rosemary Taylor with the Johns Creek Police Department estimates the city had over 23 deer-vehicle collisions reported in the last year alone.  Most of those accidents happened in November. As Johns Creek continues to grow, the odds of an auto accident involving a deer continue to increase.

Using its claims data, auto insurer State Farm estimates 2.3 million collisions between deer and vehicles occurred in the United States during the two-year period between July 1, 2008, and June 30, 2010.  That's 21.1 percent more than five years earlier.  To put it another way, during your reading of this paragraph, a collision between a deer and vehicle will likely have taken place (they are much more likely during the last three months of the year).

Focusing here at home, the likelihood of a vehicle in Georgia being involved in a deer-vehicle collision over the next 12 months is 1 in 205 with 41,749 total collisions expected.

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According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, deer-vehicle collisions in the United States cause about 200 fatalities each year.  The average property damage cost of these incidents was $3,103, up 1.7 percent from a year ago. 

AVOIDING DEER-VEHICLE COLLISIONS

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These collisions are more frequent during the deer migration and mating season in October, November and December.  The combination of growing deer populations and the displacement of deer habitat caused by urban sprawl are producing increasingly hazardous conditions for motorists and deer.

Here are tips on how to reduce the chances of your vehicle being a part of next year's deer-vehicle collision statistics:

  • Be aware of posted deer-crossing signs. These are placed in active deer-crossing areas.
  • Remember that deer are most active between 6 and 9 p.m.
  • Use high-beam headlamps as much as possible at night to illuminate the areas from which deer will enter roadways.
  • Keep in mind that deer generally travel in herds – if you see one, there is a strong possibility others are nearby.
  • Do not rely on car-mounted deer whistles.
  • If a deer collision seems inevitable, attempting to swerve out of the way could cause you to lose control of your vehicle or place you in the path of an oncoming vehicle.

Bottom line, motorists need to be alert at all times and use extra caution when driving during the fall/winter and evening hours to reduce the risk of a deer-vehicle collision.

Justin Tomczak works in Public Affairs for State Farm at its Operations Center in Johns Creek.

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