Country drivers: be aware

Here is an amazing statistic. According to State Farm Insurance, if you drive in West Virginia, there is a 1 in 39 chance you’ll hit a deer with your automobile or truck. Actually, the odds are probably greater than that, because these are only the reported deer collisions. In West Virginia, there is roughly one deer for every two people. It’s the likeliest state in the country for vehicle crashes involving deer. Joining West Virginia in the top five are Michigan, Pennsylvania, Iowa and Montana. Two of West Virginia’s other neighbors, Virginia and Maryland, are also classified as “high risk” states for deer collisions. Virginia is 10th overall and Maryland 13th in collisions.

I’m not familiar with Michigan roads, but I’ve traveled extensively in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Both states are accidents waiting to happen as far as a deer popping out in front of a car is concerned. Both states have miles and miles of highways cutting through the middle of isolated forestland, with very little open space along the edge of the roads. On my last trip through Pennsylvania on the way to New York, I simply lost count of the number of deer carcasses I saw lying beside the road. But percentage wise, West Virginia leads the pack in deer whacks.

In fact, this is the third straight year West Virginia has been so identified by State Farm. Curtis Taylor, chief of wildlife resources for the state Division of Natural Resources in West Virginia, does not have to think hard about why that might be.

“The state is pretty much 100 percent deer habitat,” he said. “We don’t really have any big urban areas where you can’t find deer.’’

The state has plenty of company. Nationwide, there were roughly 2.4 million crashes involving deer between July 2007 and July 2009, State Farm estimates an increase of 18 percent from five years earlier. And remember, these are reported deer collisions.

West Virginia has about 1 million deer, according to the DNR, and 1.8 million people. It sounds like West Virginia might be a good place to go deer hunting this fall. In fact, the Department of Natural Resources in the Mountain State is practically begging people to come and go hunting.

“Hunting is really the only way to control the deer population,’’  Taylor said.

To that end, the state opened its first-ever September archery season, allowing bow hunters to pursue deer in 36 counties. Also in late September, West Virginia opened a muzzleloader season. Four cities in the state, including the largest, Charleston, have urban deer hunts within city limits.

Deer collisions have been a recurring topic in the West Virginia Legislature, with lawmakers proposing legislation on the subject as recently as this year’s session. The bill, which would have limited drivers’ liability for repair costs when hitting a deer, failed to win passage.

As the Chief of Wildlife says, “The most effective way to reduce the problem is to reduce the number of deer.”

Be cautious. In the next few weeks, the deer rut will begin. That means deer will be on the move and highly unpredictable in behavior. 

This is the time of year when deer collisions are most likely to happen. Big bucks that normally stay secluded at the top of the highest ridges leave their safe havens with one thing on their minds – does. The female deer are also unreliable road-crossers, many running with all their power to escape unwanted advances by their would-be pursuers. Both male and female deer lose their normal sense of caution and bob and weave across our highways like a herd of monarch butterflies. So be cautious.

Fortunately, I have never hit a deer with my car (knock on wood). 

Here are some of the things I do to try to keep that streak going.

– I always watch for deer. I expect them to pop out of the woods at any time. And if I see even one deer along the road, I slow way down. 

That’s because deer seem to all move at the same time according to some inside clock that says, “Let’s go.”

– When driving through forestland, I try to stay as close to the centerline as possible. This gives me one split-second longer if a deer bounds out.

– The most likely times to see deer are at dawn, dusk and when it’s raining. I’m extra careful during these occasions.

– And I don’t rely on deer whistles. They are gimmicks. Just be observant.

– If a deer does jump out in front of you, don’t swerve. Brake steadily and maintain control of the steering wheel. It’s better to hit the deer with your car than to swerve off the road and crash.