MONROE - A new online option for self-reporting road accidents can ease some of the hassle of hitting a deer.
Now is the time to start watching the road ahead: The season for deer vs. vehicle crashes is upon us. The risk for hitting deer as they cross the road rises in late fall, when deer are more active and cleared farm fields allow for more movement.
Per state law, any crash in Wisconsin must be reported to the Department of Transportation when a person is injured, a vehicle or property sustains $1,000 or more in damages, or state- or other government-owned property other than a vehicle sustains $200 or more in damages.
A new online system allows motorists to self-report deer-vehicle collisions or other types of qualifying accidents to the DOT, without the need to call local police or a sheriff's deputy to the scene of the crash.
The necessary forms are available at wisconsindot.gov/crashreporting.
Self-reporting is only available for minor accidents, however.
Motorists can report a crash through the DOT and claim a hit deer with the Department of Natural Resources without law-enforcement involvement, "but only if moderate damages occur," according to Green County Sheriff Mark Rohloff.
The online option to self-report an accident may help "avoid an unnecessary delay to a commute by having to wait for a deputy to respond," Rohloff wrote the Times in an email.
His department has already seen a decline in the number of car-deer crashes it responds to since the advent of online self-reporting last year.
As of early October, the sheriff's department had been called to 122 car-deer collisions so far in 2017, compared to 197 at this time last year. That represents a 38 percent drop in reports.
DOT records for 2016 show that Dane County had by far the most reported deer crashes of any county in the state: 1,006. Green County had 321, and Lafayette County had 260.
Hitting a deer is rarely fatal for the occupants of the vehicle, but vehicle damage can be costly to repair.
Ron Hesgard, owner at Hesgard Collision Center in Monroe, said that at the peak of the season he sees an average of 12-15 deer-damaged cars every week.
Damage from a deer isn't usually as severe as from hitting another car.
"The weight is a big factor," Hesgard said. "The deer's body is solid but it's a lot softer than another vehicle."
Still, he's seen deer crashes so forceful they cause the airbags to deploy - and fixing that costs about $2,000.
"Once an airbag is deployed, you can't tuck it back in. You have to replace it," he said. The sensors and modules that operate the airbag also have to be replaced.
Hesgard said he typically sees damage to the front of the vehicle, requiring repairs to the hood, headlights and internal pieces like the radiator.
"The biggest thing is don't swerve to miss the deer," he said. "Let off the gas and let it happen. I see a lot more damage and a lot more body injury if people swerve and miss the deer and roll their car.
"Relax and hit the deer."
The only exception to this rule is for motorcyclists.
"Motorcycle drivers should slow down, brake firmly and swerve if necessary to avoid hitting the deer," according to a DOT news release on deer-vehicle crashes. Of the 11 deaths in deer-vehicle crashes in Wisconsin last year, all were motorcyclists.
Be alert for deer at night especially.
According to Rohloff, most crash reports occur in the hours after dusk and shortly before sunrise because deer are active at night. Traffic collisions correspond with the increase of commuter traffic for people traveling to and from work during these hours of darkness.
Other tips for avoiding deer crashes, from the DOT:
• Slow down and eliminate distractions.
• Always wear a seatbelt.
• If you do see a deer along the road, slow down and blow your horn with one long blast to frighten the animal away.
• If you see one deer, look for more. Deer seldom roam alone.
• Don't expect a deer in your headlights to move. Headlights can confuse a deer and cause the animal to freeze.
Now is the time to start watching the road ahead: The season for deer vs. vehicle crashes is upon us. The risk for hitting deer as they cross the road rises in late fall, when deer are more active and cleared farm fields allow for more movement.
Per state law, any crash in Wisconsin must be reported to the Department of Transportation when a person is injured, a vehicle or property sustains $1,000 or more in damages, or state- or other government-owned property other than a vehicle sustains $200 or more in damages.
A new online system allows motorists to self-report deer-vehicle collisions or other types of qualifying accidents to the DOT, without the need to call local police or a sheriff's deputy to the scene of the crash.
The necessary forms are available at wisconsindot.gov/crashreporting.
Self-reporting is only available for minor accidents, however.
Motorists can report a crash through the DOT and claim a hit deer with the Department of Natural Resources without law-enforcement involvement, "but only if moderate damages occur," according to Green County Sheriff Mark Rohloff.
The online option to self-report an accident may help "avoid an unnecessary delay to a commute by having to wait for a deputy to respond," Rohloff wrote the Times in an email.
His department has already seen a decline in the number of car-deer crashes it responds to since the advent of online self-reporting last year.
As of early October, the sheriff's department had been called to 122 car-deer collisions so far in 2017, compared to 197 at this time last year. That represents a 38 percent drop in reports.
DOT records for 2016 show that Dane County had by far the most reported deer crashes of any county in the state: 1,006. Green County had 321, and Lafayette County had 260.
Hitting a deer is rarely fatal for the occupants of the vehicle, but vehicle damage can be costly to repair.
Ron Hesgard, owner at Hesgard Collision Center in Monroe, said that at the peak of the season he sees an average of 12-15 deer-damaged cars every week.
Damage from a deer isn't usually as severe as from hitting another car.
"The weight is a big factor," Hesgard said. "The deer's body is solid but it's a lot softer than another vehicle."
Still, he's seen deer crashes so forceful they cause the airbags to deploy - and fixing that costs about $2,000.
"Once an airbag is deployed, you can't tuck it back in. You have to replace it," he said. The sensors and modules that operate the airbag also have to be replaced.
Hesgard said he typically sees damage to the front of the vehicle, requiring repairs to the hood, headlights and internal pieces like the radiator.
"The biggest thing is don't swerve to miss the deer," he said. "Let off the gas and let it happen. I see a lot more damage and a lot more body injury if people swerve and miss the deer and roll their car.
"Relax and hit the deer."
The only exception to this rule is for motorcyclists.
"Motorcycle drivers should slow down, brake firmly and swerve if necessary to avoid hitting the deer," according to a DOT news release on deer-vehicle crashes. Of the 11 deaths in deer-vehicle crashes in Wisconsin last year, all were motorcyclists.
Be alert for deer at night especially.
According to Rohloff, most crash reports occur in the hours after dusk and shortly before sunrise because deer are active at night. Traffic collisions correspond with the increase of commuter traffic for people traveling to and from work during these hours of darkness.
Other tips for avoiding deer crashes, from the DOT:
• Slow down and eliminate distractions.
• Always wear a seatbelt.
• If you do see a deer along the road, slow down and blow your horn with one long blast to frighten the animal away.
• If you see one deer, look for more. Deer seldom roam alone.
• Don't expect a deer in your headlights to move. Headlights can confuse a deer and cause the animal to freeze.