RALEIGH – As the daylight hours get shorter and deer become more active, the N.C. Department of Transportation is reminding drivers to stay alert and pay extra attention.
Last year, there were nearly 19,000 animal related crashes across the state. Over the past three years, those collisions have killed nine people, injured about 3,000 and caused more than $146 million in damages.
To keep you and your family safe, remember to:
• Slow down in posted deer crossing areas and heavily wooded areas, especially during the late afternoon or early evening;
• Don’t swerve to avoid a collision. This could cause you to lose control or veer into oncoming traffic; and
• Deer often travel in groups, so assume if one crosses the road in front of you there may be others following.