The Missouri State Highway Patrol says about every two-and-a-half hours, a traffic crash involving deer happens in the state.

A White-tailed Deer doe searches for food during the fall season at Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge in Mound City, MO.

File photo of a white-tailed deer searching for food during the fall season at Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge in Mound City, MO.

Highway Patrol Captain John Hotz says deer are more active in October and November.

Hotz says that in Missouri in 2015, there were 3,732 traffic crashes involving deer. He says three people were killed and 346 others were injured.

“What happens in a lot of cases, people panic and they overreact and a lot of times they end up leaving the roadway and overturning and then as they’re overturning, unfortunately they’re not wearing seat belts, and then they’re ejected from the vehicles,” Hotz says.

Hotz reminds motorists that trying to avoid striking a deer could cause a more serious crash.

“If you’re driving down the road and you don’t hit the brakes too hard, typically the front of your car is not nose-down. We know under heavy braking, a lot of times the front of the vehicle kind of goes down towards the pavement, and that’s the times when you worry about that deer coming in the vehicle with you,” Hotz says.

Hotz tells Missourinet most deer-vehicle collisions occur between the hours of 5 p.m. and 7 a.m.

The Highway Patrol says the largest number of traffic crashes involving deer happen in November. Hotz notes hunting and crop harvesting may cause deer to be in places they aren’t usually seen.