(Highway - KIWA Staff Photo)Iowa (RI) — As deer activity increases during the fall breeding season, safety experts are reminding Iowa motorists that the safest response to a deer in the roadway is usually to brake firmly and stay in their lane.
Dan McGehee, director of the Driving Safety Research Institute at the University of Iowa, says harvested crop fields leave deer with fewer places to hide, and the annual rut causes them to move more frequently and unpredictably.
According to the Iowa Department of Transportation, more than 7,300 animal-related crashes were reported in Iowa last year, resulting in five deaths and about a dozen serious injuries.
McGehee says many of the most severe crashes happen when drivers swerve to avoid an animal and lose control of their vehicle.
While the instinct to avoid striking a deer is understandable, McGehee says veering can lead to head-on collisions, rollovers, or crashes with roadside objects.
Even when injuries are avoided, collisions with deer can be expensive. A recent insurance company study found the average repair cost from such a collision to be between $5,000 and $6,000.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ranks Iowa among the states with the highest likelihood of animal-related vehicle collisions.
