Experts Warn Drivers To Be On Heightened Alert For Deer

Experts want Oklahoma drivers to be on alert, as collisions with deer spike during this time of year.

AAA said October through December is the worst time of year for animal collisions. It said November is especially dangerous as it is the peak of deer mating season.

“Once the cold weather hits, you get a lot more deer hits,” Philip Quaile, General Manager at Paintmaster Collision, said.

Auto repair shops like Paintmaster Collision in Tulsa deal with the aftermath of cars hitting animals. Quaile said newer cars mean bigger repair bills.

"With modern cars nowadays, the electronics in them make a big difference in the cost of repairing them,” Quaile said. “Parking sensors are all right out in front, radar cameras for your automatic braking are right out there, and that's all very expensive.”

It doesn't matter what car you drive, how old it is, or how much technology is packed inside your front bumper, that deer in your headlights can cause a ton of damage. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol has laid out a few things to help you reduce or avoid some of that damage in the first place.

"Pay attention and slow down, but definitely avoid swerving to avoid a deer,” OHP Trooper Mystal Perkins said. “It can cause you to have a more serious accident than if you would've just slowed down. Just brake and do not swerve."

Beyond that, Perkins said to be extra alert in the early morning and evening hours when most animals, particularly deer, are most active.

They advise driving defensively and said to avoid following people too closely.

"Make sure that people are not following so close that if someone does swerve out of the way or slows down that you don't strike their vehicle,” Perkins said.