ST. LOUIS – Fall has officially arrived, which also means more deer and other wildlife are on the move as temperatures cool following longer nighttime hours. The Missouri Department of Transportation is urging drivers to be on the lookout for the increase in deer during October and November.
“The weather gets colder and they’re on the move, and they tend to move in the early morning and evening hours, so around 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., that’s when they’re up and moving the most. Unfortunately, that’s when people can’t see them,” Corporal Logan Bolton, Missouri State Highway Patrol, said.
According to the highway patrol, Missouri continuously ranks 10th to 15th in the country for the number of deer-related collisions. In 2023, a deer strike occurred approximately every 2 hours and 30 minutes in the state, for a total of 3,591 crashes. Within these crashes, 420 people were injured and four people were killed.
“In the event that you’re driving, and a deer runs out in front of you, or you see a deer out in the road, do your best to not swerve out of the way,” Bolton said.
“It’s even better they say to go ahead and hit the deer or the animal if that’s what has to happen, but try not to slam on your breaks or swerve out of the way, because chances are you’re going to lose control of your vehicle, and it could cause a crash and could seriously injure or kill you.”
Where there’s one deer, there’s likely more that follow. Keep that in mind when driving at dusk or dawn.
“Paying attention to the road; don’t be distracted. We already have all those distractions in the car anyway—the radio, your phones, obviously—so we try to get that message out anyway that just anytime of the year when you’re driving, pay attention to the road,” Bolton said. “But even more so in these months in October and November when the deer are out, pay attention to the road.”
