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More deer will likely  mean more crashes

Though such accidents were down in the area in 2009, the  animal’s population surge this year increases the risk.

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By Jill Kelley, Staff Writer 3:04 AM Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Ohio’s deer population is estimated to be up this year, presenting a greater risk for deer-vehicle accidents.

Dave Kohler, Ohio Department of Wildlife management supervisor, said the department estimates around 725,000 deer will be running around the state this fall as compared to 700,000 in 2009.

This increase builds on a year that already saw a 2.3 percent bump statewide in deer-vehicle crashes. There were 25,146 reported deer-vehicle accidents in 2009, according to the Ohio Department of Public Safety, compared to 24,590 crashes in 2008.

In Butler County, deer-vehicle crashes were down 6 percent in 2009, and in Warren County, they were down by 7 percent; however, this year could be different.

“If you remove all sorts of predators and limit hunting, you basically have a deer haven,” said Brett Beatty, assistant wildlife management supervisor at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. He said deer are most often seen on the roads during their breeding season from October to January, especially at dawn and dusk. Drivers should be aware of the hazard, since there may be as many deer in the suburbs as there are out in rural areas.

Sgt. Clint Arnold of the Ohio Highway Patrol’s Lebanon Post said while the deer population is higher in rural areas, deer crashes occur throughout Butler and Warren counties.

Arnold said troopers have already seen an increase in deer-vehicle crashes in the past week and expect the number of crashes to continue to climb through mid-December.

Arnold offers motorists this advice: use your high beams as much as you can, don’t stay focused on one spot and use your peripheral vision.

“Brake, but don’t ever swerve to miss them. If you hit a deer, it might damage your car; but when you swerve, that’s when you’re more likely to go off the road and that’s when we see injuries and fatalities.”

Mary Bonelli, spokeswoman for the Ohio Insurance Institute, said that urban areas with more traffic also present a high risk for a deer-vehicle crash.

Tiffany Y. Latta contributed to this story.

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