Statewide Iowa (Radio Iowa) — Motorists traveling across Iowa are at a greater risk for hitting a deer right now.
Mick Klemesrud, with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says the early part of June is the second-worst time of the year for deer running into traffic.
Only November ranks higher than June for vehicle-deer collisions. And the animals aren’t just darting into traffic early in the morning or late at night.
According to the Iowa Department of Transportation, 12 people were killed in vehicle crashes with deer in Iowa over the last four years. Hundreds of other people were injured, while thousands more have at least dealt with deer-related damage to their cars or trucks. The DNR has a deer advisory board, which has agreed to a statewide deer population that supports an annual hunting harvest of 100,000 to 120,000 deer.
Another reason for the rise in vehicle-deer crashes this time of year involves the increase in cars on Iowa roads due to the start of the summer travel season.
