PADUCAH - We're in peak season for deer-related crashes and leaders are urging drivers to be even more cautious on the roads.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet said the last three months of the year see half of all deer-related crashes, with November having the most.
When approaching a deer, leaders with KYTC say to slow down, avoid slamming on your brakes, and most importantly, don't swerve.
Local car body shop owners agree, and say damage from an accident involving a deer can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
Kyle Wiersma, the president of Randy's Body Shop in Paducah, has worked in the car industry for all his life. He says he's seen his fair share of damage from deer-related car crashes.
Kyle Wiersma, the president of Randy's Body Shop in Paducah, says these crashes can get extra expensive because of the updated technology on vehicles. He says the damage can be up to tens of thousands of dollars.
His tips for drivers are straightforward: "You don't want to slam on your brakes, but you want to firmly press on your breaks when you come to a safe stop. But you definitely do not want to swerve," he explained.
Keith Todd, the public information officer with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, agreed.
He said it's important to drive in a straight direction to avoid even more damage to your car, yourself and to other drivers.
"Slow down, try not to swerve because if there's another car coming, you may swerve and cause a crash that would cause a lot more damage or possibly injury," said Todd. "If you hit a deer, most of the time, most of the time you're not going to get injured."
Todd says a deer collision can happen anywhere.
"They'll show up anywhere, I know well, you're more likely to see them in rural areas, but there are deer in a lot of urban areas," said Todd. That's why drivers need to be extra cautious.
A crash can result in a big hit to driver's wallets, too.
Without taking physical injury into account, Wiersma says people can pay more than $20,000 to fix their cars.
Keith Todd, the public information officer with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. He said it's important to drive slowly and not swerve if and when you see a deer on the road.
"The collisions are getting more expensive because of the more technology there on the car," said Wiersma.
To avoid a big accident with an even larger fee, he says to stay cautious when driving.
Deer can show up at all hours and be an even bigger danger when visibility is not the best.
In Kentucky, there were 3,084 highway crashes involving deer in 2022 — 100 more than 2021 numbers. There were also four reported fatalities.
Counties with higher numbers of deer-related incidents statewide have higher populations, larger traffic volume and more 4-lane roads.
Graves, Calloway, Marshall, Lyon and McCracken Counties were in the top 30 counties for deer crashes statewide.
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Expert offers advice to avoid costly deer-related collisions amid peak ... - WPSD Local 6
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