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Change of Season Poses Risk to Drivers

By Sean Giza
Creston News Advertise

CRESTON, Iowa — As summer turns to fall, temperatures start to drop, harvest is around the corner and avoiding deer on the highway is, once again, a concern.

According to the Iowa Department of Transportation, one-half to two-thirds of all vehicle-deer collisions occur during the mating season, or rut, in October, November and December. However, Union County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Daniel McNeill said deer are already becoming very active.

“It seems like we are getting a call every night (about deer accidents),” McNeill said. “It’s going to be picking up. There is no doubt about that.”

The Risks
In 2006, there were 8,334 accidents involving deer across Iowa. There have been close to 54,600 deer-related accidents since 2000. Of those, 94 percent did not result in personal injury. Statistics for 2007 are not available yet.

McNeill said the highest risk times are in the early morning and late evening.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Biologist Chad Paup said the risk is from a combination of factors.

Citing numbers from a DOT survey, he said since 1980, there has been a 75 percent increase in the amount of motorists on the roadway. This number, paired with a deer overpopulation in Southwest Iowa, generates a higher risk.

Overpopulation
“Deer numbers are still a problem,” Paup said in a Creston News Advertiser interview.

Paup added the fall harvest adds to the danger of deer on the roadways.

“They can just hang out in a cornfield and they don’t see us and we don’t see them,” he said. “When that cover is gone, they begin to travel more. In general, when the weather begins to cool down they travel more.”

According to Paup, over the past three years the DNR, has been working well to reduce deer population numbers. He said last year, 64 percent of the deer killed during the hunting season were does. Killing does reduces mating possibilities, therefore lowering the population.

Paup said the goal has been to drop the population by 10 percent every year. Last year, it was dropped only 5 percent.

“It’s just like a train going down the tracks,” he said. “It’s not going to stop on a dime. We have got that train stopped and now we need to reverse the motion. What the DNR has been doing is working well.”

Driving Tips
Paup said deer overpopulation means driver’s need to be cautious on the roadways.

“Drivers need to drive defensively,” Paup said. “Keep eyes on ditches, and fields, and expect to see deer anywhere, even in town.”

Paup and McNeill both added motorists should minimize their risk by not using distractions, such as cell phones, while driving and to always remember: “Don’t veer for deer.”

“When people swerve is when we start to see them get hurt,” McNeill said.