Law enforcement officials offer tips for motorists
Law enforcement officials offer the following tips for motorists:
- Be alert for deer entering the roadways, especially during November. Reduce speeds in areas posted with deer warning signs and in areas motorists may know deer are routinely present.
- Reducing speeds by even 5 miles per hour greatly improves stopping distances. At 55 miles per hour, a vehicle moves about 80 feet per second. Reducing speeds even a small amount can greatly increase the chance of slowing to avoid any collision, including deer.
- Seat belts is a must, especially if a collision involves the deployment of airbags. The airbags are not really effective without the use of seatbelts.
Source: www.dot.wisconsin.gov
MONROE - The number of deer-vehicle accidents is down from last year, but drivers in Green and Lafayette counties are still warned to beware of deer on the roads.
The month of November has become notorious for having the highest number of deer-vehicle crashes, according to local county sheriffs.
As of Friday, Nov. 11, Green County Sheriff Jeff Skatrud reported 217 deer-vehicle accidents in the county so far this year. Six accidents had occurred in just the previous three days. The department reported 234 collisions by the same date in 2010.
In 2010, a total of 312 deer were killed on Green County roads, compared to 340 in 2009.
Sheriff Scott Pedley in Lafayette County reported 136 car-deer crashes for January through October 2011, down from 154 in 2010, 191 in 2009, and 188 in 2008, for the same period.
"There appears to be a downward trend in the number of car-deer crashes," Pedley said. "(But) sometimes car-deer crashes go unreported, as is evidenced by the deer carcasses we observe along our roadways."
Deer are the third most commonly struck object in Wisconsin, behind striking another vehicle and striking a fixed object, according to a recent study by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, and deer crashes account for a growing percentage of all reported crashes.
Deer crashes accounted for about 5 percent of all Wisconsin crashes in 1978. From 1996 to 2010, the number of deer crashes as a percentage of all yearly crashes averaged 15 percent.
While no people died from deer crashes in 2009 in Lafayette or Green County, 11 people were injured in Green County and four were injured in Lafayette County that year.
"Although we don't have many injury-related deer crashes, we do see some where vehicle airbags get deployed," Pedley added.
The DOT reported 14 people state-wide died in 13 fatal motor vehicle-deer crashes in 2010. In addition, 65 people suffered incapacitating injuries; less serious injuries totaled 204; and 120 people were possibly injured. The annual average for 2005 to 2009 was 10 fatalities and 577 injuries.
The number of people injured or killed in deer crashes has increased since the late 1970s, from more than 200 in 1979 to about 400 in 2010, according to the DOT. However, the number has been steadily declining during the last seven years, from peaks of more than 800 between 1994 and 2003. The 403 people injured or killed in 2010 is the fourth lowest annual total in 30 years of record keeping. 1999 was the highest with 847.
Besides death and injuries, "there is a significant economic loss," Pedley said. "The last I have heard is the average crash costs around $2,000 per vehicle to repair. Most recently, a motorist shared that a deer ran into the side of his moving vehicle on U.S. Highway 151, and the repair bill was approximately $5,800."
As an added alert to watch for deer moving across highways and rural roads, deer rutting season happens in October and November, and the regular gun season for deer hunting begins Nov. 19, which can push deer from their normal trails between feeding and bedding.
The Wisconsin DOT report showed deer crashes peak in October-November, with a secondary peak in May-June. Investigating officers reported about 39 percent of the total deer-vehicle crashes occurred in October and November in 2010, and about 16 percent happened in May and June.
In 2010, more than 90 percent of the nearly 17,000 deer crashes occurred on rural roads.
The month of November has become notorious for having the highest number of deer-vehicle crashes, according to local county sheriffs.
As of Friday, Nov. 11, Green County Sheriff Jeff Skatrud reported 217 deer-vehicle accidents in the county so far this year. Six accidents had occurred in just the previous three days. The department reported 234 collisions by the same date in 2010.
In 2010, a total of 312 deer were killed on Green County roads, compared to 340 in 2009.
Sheriff Scott Pedley in Lafayette County reported 136 car-deer crashes for January through October 2011, down from 154 in 2010, 191 in 2009, and 188 in 2008, for the same period.
"There appears to be a downward trend in the number of car-deer crashes," Pedley said. "(But) sometimes car-deer crashes go unreported, as is evidenced by the deer carcasses we observe along our roadways."
Deer are the third most commonly struck object in Wisconsin, behind striking another vehicle and striking a fixed object, according to a recent study by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, and deer crashes account for a growing percentage of all reported crashes.
Deer crashes accounted for about 5 percent of all Wisconsin crashes in 1978. From 1996 to 2010, the number of deer crashes as a percentage of all yearly crashes averaged 15 percent.
While no people died from deer crashes in 2009 in Lafayette or Green County, 11 people were injured in Green County and four were injured in Lafayette County that year.
"Although we don't have many injury-related deer crashes, we do see some where vehicle airbags get deployed," Pedley added.
The DOT reported 14 people state-wide died in 13 fatal motor vehicle-deer crashes in 2010. In addition, 65 people suffered incapacitating injuries; less serious injuries totaled 204; and 120 people were possibly injured. The annual average for 2005 to 2009 was 10 fatalities and 577 injuries.
The number of people injured or killed in deer crashes has increased since the late 1970s, from more than 200 in 1979 to about 400 in 2010, according to the DOT. However, the number has been steadily declining during the last seven years, from peaks of more than 800 between 1994 and 2003. The 403 people injured or killed in 2010 is the fourth lowest annual total in 30 years of record keeping. 1999 was the highest with 847.
Besides death and injuries, "there is a significant economic loss," Pedley said. "The last I have heard is the average crash costs around $2,000 per vehicle to repair. Most recently, a motorist shared that a deer ran into the side of his moving vehicle on U.S. Highway 151, and the repair bill was approximately $5,800."
As an added alert to watch for deer moving across highways and rural roads, deer rutting season happens in October and November, and the regular gun season for deer hunting begins Nov. 19, which can push deer from their normal trails between feeding and bedding.
The Wisconsin DOT report showed deer crashes peak in October-November, with a secondary peak in May-June. Investigating officers reported about 39 percent of the total deer-vehicle crashes occurred in October and November in 2010, and about 16 percent happened in May and June.
In 2010, more than 90 percent of the nearly 17,000 deer crashes occurred on rural roads.