The Highway Patrol says six people were killed and another 455 were injured in 2016 in deer-vehicle collisions in Missouri.
Highway Patrol Captain John Hotz says one deer strike happened every 1.9 hours in Missouri.
“Obviously that’s a tremendous problem and it’s one that hopefully we can try to help minimize as much as possible,” Hotz says.
Captain Hotz says the majority of deer strike crashes happen in October and November, citing harvest time and hunters being out.
He also notes most deer-vehicle collisions happen between 5 p.m. and 6:59 a.m.
“Of course that’s pretty close to the time of sunset and sunrise, and we know that deer move around quite a bit in the dark hours,” says Hotz.
Hotz reminds drivers that panicking and overreacting can lead to more serious traffic crashes.
“The safest thing if you see a deer out there, it’s ok to slow down but try not to do anything too drastic that’s going to increase the chance of you being in a crash or other vehicles around you being involved in a crash,” Hotz says.
More than 4,600 Missouri motorists struck deer in 2016.
Hotz also notes that deer often travel in groups.
Click here to listen to the full five-minute interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and Missouri Highway Patrol Captain John Hotz, which was recorded on October 25, 2017: