Cars and Deer Don’t Mix

November 15, 2009 |

The Clarksville Police Department reports 27 deer related accidents in the last two and a half weeks and 81 deer related accidents for the year. Nine of the 81 accidents involved injuries. They offer the following hints to avoid collisions with deer:

• Pay attention to deer warning signs – drive with caution.
• October through December are peak periods for deer related traffic accidents
• Higher risk periods are from sunset to midnight and then shortly before and after sunrise
• When there is no oncoming traffic, use high beams; it will help illuminate the deer’s eyes closer to the roadway. It will allow you more time to react.
• If you see a deer on the road, dim your headlights, since it may make startle the deer and they will freeze in position rather than move.
• If you swerve to avoid a collision, try to maintain control of your vehicle. You could easily end up in oncoming lane of traffic or a ditch. Also if you make a sudden stop, it may result in another vehicle colliding with you.
• The higher the speed of the roadway, the longer it will take you react. So be especially aware on the interstate.
• If there is one deer, there are usually more to follow. Be prepared for multiple deer to cross in front of your vehicle.

Sections

Topics

© 2009 Clarksville, TN Online is owned and operated by residents of Clarksville Tennessee.
» We are Hosted by Compu-Net Enterprises; In Partnership with Discover Clarksville and Discover Paris