PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Engineering District 5-0

1713 Lehigh Street

Allentown, PA 18103

                                                                       PR #124-06

October 23, 2006

                                                             Contact:                    Sean Brown

 Safety Press Officer

                        (610) 798-412

                        sebrown@state.pa.us

PENNDOT ADVISES MOTORISTS TO WATCH FOR DEER

           ALLENTOWN (October 25) – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) advises motorists to slow down and be vigilant in areas with a high deer population.   While an incident could occur at anytime, most crashes happen during nighttime and require added vigilance.  

            PennDOT Engineering District 5, which includes Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton, and Schuylkill counties, has some of the highest incidents of deer-vehicle crashes in Pennsylvania.  

“The injuries and loss of life caused by deer-vehicle collisions has touched the lives of Pennsylvanians statewide," PennDOT District Executive Amar C. Bhajandas, P.E. said.  "It's an unfortunate result of having a thriving white-tailed deer population.  Some of these crashes are unavoidable because deer do step into the path of vehicles.  But driving defensively and alertly can give a motorist an edge in many instances."

Deer crashes can be especially devastating to the deer and the vehicles involved but rarely result in a human death - with only one occurring in District 5 last year (2005) and nine statewide (see chart below).

           Tips for motorists include:

·         Do not count on deer whistles or deer fences to deter deer from crossing roads in front of you, stay alert;

·         Deer travel in groups, so be aware of several deer crossing at the same time;

·         Watch for the reflection of deer eyes and for deer silhouettes on the shoulder of the road - if anything looks slightly suspicious, slow down;
   

·         Slow down in areas known to have a large deer population, deer-crossing signs are posted, places where deer commonly cross roads, areas where roads divide agricultural fields from forestland, and in any forested area between dusk and dawn;
                                                           

·         Deer do unpredictable things - sometimes they stop in the middle of the road when crossing, sometimes they cross and quickly re-cross back from where they came, or move toward an approaching vehicle;

·         If you spot a deer, slow down, and blow your horn to urge the deer to leave the road;

·         Stop if the deer stays on the road; don't try to go around it;

·         If a collision seems inevitable, do not swerve to miss the deer because your risk of injury may be greater if you do – slow down and control the vehicle until impact.  

Deer Crashes in District 5-0 and Statewide

Source: PennDOT Crash Data