Officers with the Ontario Provincial Police are reminding motorists to beware of more deer on the roads in the coming months.
Reminding drivers to be alert as deer become more active in the fall, the OPP say that knowing how deer behave at this time of year could be “essential” to avoiding a collision.
Here are some driving tips provided by the OPP, aimed at reducing your chance of colliding with deer:
- Be attentive of your surroundings when driving, especially from sunset to midnight and during the hours shortly before and after sunrise. These are the highest risk times for deer-vehicle collisions.
- Drive with caution when moving through deer-crossing zones. Deer seldom run alone. If you see one deer, others are likely nearby.
- When driving at night, use your high beam headlights when there is no oncoming traffic. The high beams will better illuminate the eyes of deer on, or near the road.
- Do not rely on devices such as deer whistles, deer fences or reflectors to scare away deer.
- Don’t “Veer for Deer.” Hold your steering wheel with two hands, brake firmly and come to a controlled stop. Swerving for a deer could lead to a loss of control and a much more serious collision with a tree, hydro pole or another oncoming vehicle.
