The Parkland area experiences five to six hundred deer-related accidents annually.
Deer tend to be most active in the months of October and November as well as during dusk, dawn and night.
Brian Smiley, MPI media relations coordinator, has some tips for driving when deer could be active.
“Driving defensively would be the first driving tactic, if you’re in an area with a lot of brush you have to anticipate that an animal may run out in front of you, if you have passengers in the vehicle perhaps ask them to scan the roadsides and ditch in front of you as you drive along to see an animal in front of you.”
Some other ways to avoid collisions are to watch for the reflection of headlights in the eyes of a deer, or a dark silhouette. Also, don’t swerve if an animal does cross in front of your vehicle, brake firmly to reduce the impact between an animal and your vehicle.
There will be some signs going up in Riding Mountain National Park warning people of wildlife. Those signs will be large and bright so they’re easy to see for motorists to see. The sign will say warning, wildlife crossing. The locations of the signs will move based off of conversations with conservation.
