More than 1,000 car-deer encounters in Isabella County expected in 2009

Kelsey Guiliani has experienced deer accidents firsthand.

Last week, the Wixom junior was involved in her first car-deer accident.

“We were in the right lane, driving home,” she said. “We were on the highway going 70 miles per hour, and a momma deer jumped out in front of us and we just hit it.”
Isabella County drivers reported 1,114 cars accidents involving deer in 2008, and similar figures are expected in 2009.

Guiliani said she immediately pulled over to the side of the road to make a series of phone calls, including her parents, 9-1-1, the police and a tow truck.

Brent Rudolph, deer research specialist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, said there are a lot of factors contributing to the number of local car-deer collisions, including deer numbers, the number of registered vehicles and the number of miles those vehicles are on the road.

“We have lots of deer, lots of roads and lots of drivers,” he said. “If you have lots of cars, and lots of deer — then you’re going to have them coming together.”

What to do

Rudolph said Guiliani did the right thing after the accident.

He said after a driver hits a deer, the driver should pull over to the side of the road, turn on their vehicle’s hazard lights and call 9-1-1 to get an emergency response and provide information for the accident report.

Though following the right steps after an accident occurs is important, Rudolph said the best decision is accident prevention.

“Collisions can happen any time,” he said. “Late October and early November are the times when deer are most active. Drivers need to be more aware — watch the road, watch the edges of the roadway. If you see (a deer) standing still, that might mean that there might be another one running behind it. It can be pretty unpredictable.”

Rudolph said drivers should drive a little slower and remember to avoid a lot of distractive behaviors, such as texting, while behind the wheel.

Isabella County Sheriff Leo Mioduszewski said driving with more light is better when it’s possible.

“One of the first things (drivers) could do is, whenever possible, make sure you have your bright lights on if they don’t interfere with oncoming traffic,” he said.

Mioduszewski said by keeping their vehicle’s bright lights on, the driver would have a better chance of noticing moving deer by their reflective eyes.

“Use your peripheral vision to check ditches and look for deer eyes,” he advised.

Mioduszewski said from now until the snow flies, drivers are going to see a lot more deer near the roads than in the summer.

“The best avoidance is an alert and aware driver,” Rudolph said.