Mississippi is the state with the eighth highest rate of collisions with deer.
One out of 88 drivers in the state is likely to collide with a deer on the road, according to State Farm insurance company, which looked at data from July 1, 2014, to June 30, 2015.
Still, this is an improvement from the year before, when the odds were estimated at one in 84, and the state ranked 6th in the nation for highest rate of deer collisions.
In Alabama, the odds for the past year are one out of 133, an improvement from one in 127 the year before.
In 2014, there were 3,438 vehicular collisions with deer in Mississippi, according to Sergeant Criss Turnipseed with the Mississippi Highway Patrol.
Accidents with deer are particularly common during mating season, according to Bronson Strickland, a professor and wildlife specialist at Mississippi State University.
In the Golden Triangle area, that season peaks during the month of December.
The mating season varies throughout the state, Strickland said. In the northern parts of Mississippi, the season is in late November and early December. In the southern parts of Mississippi, the season is in January.
During breeding season, bucks roam, looking for mates, Strickland said. Simply because they’re so much more active, they’re going to cross roads more often.
Usually drivers can do something to avoid hitting the animals, Strickland said. Occasionally one darts out into the road too fast for a car to stop, but more often than not drivers can avoid collisions just by paying close attention and looking ahead on the road.
‘Deer in headlights’
Strickland said deer, along with many other animals that are active at night, have a structure in their eyes that reflects light. It allows them to capture more light and see better in the dark. But when a car’s headlights point directly into a deer’s eyes, it blinds them and causes them to freeze.
“If you were in a pretty dark place and someone stuck a very bright flashlight right in your eye, it would more or less blind you,” Strickland said. “So, it’s the same type of phenomenon.”
Collisions with deer happen most often just after dark or just before sunrise, according to Strickland and Turnipseed. Those are the times of day when deer look for food.
Mississippi has a large deer population — well over 1 million. To avoid hitting one, drivers need to know where they are more likely to come across the animals — mostly rural highways — and to be careful in those areas.
Deer are common in forested areas, Strickland said. It’s rare to see one in a pasture or open field. Where woods encroach on and run alongside the highways will be where deer try to cross, so Strickland advised scanning those areas and to slow down when you see them.
“Be diligent especially at dawn and at dusk and at night,” he said.
Strickland also said deer whistles do not work.
“The best thing you can do is reduce your speed,” Turnipseed said. “Just slow down.”
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