For those who drive in areas that are populated by deer, keeping a good sense of when the roads may be used by these creatures can prevent dangerous encounters.
Considering the size of a full-grown deer, striking one of these animals while traveling at a slower speed limit can still create massive damages to a vehicle as well as put passengers and the driver of the vehicle in a risky collision.
For motorcycle riders, these encounters can prove fatal if a rider does not slow down to avoid a collision.
As with most human interaction with wild creatures, one of the most important factors to avoiding chance encounters is to know when deer are more active, and therefore more likely to move across a road.
In terms of times of day, deer are most active during the dusk and dawn.
Deer usually wake around dawn, during the first few hours of daylight, heading towards a source of food.
Similarly, deer may return to meadows or similar food sources around dusk before they sleep, making crossings and sightings more likely compared to other times of the day.
Another major factor concerning deer activity is the time of the year.
Especially during mating seasons and time when fawns mature, crossings and sightings along roadways may increase, thereby increasing the overall number of accidents.
One of the most documented times of the year includes the deer mating season, which will usually run from October to the early half of January.
As deer look for mates, increased movement and activity may lead some animals across roads.
The other major time for activity occurs in the early months of summer, starting in June.
During this time, young deer may move out from the protection of the pack more often.
While they explore and experience the world, they may enter into busy highways.
For more information on staying safe on the road in all situations, contact a car accident attorney.