HUTCHINSON, Kan. — With fall here, it is deer rutting season — and the number of car/deer accidents has increased over the past several weeks as the animals become more active.
“We see most of our accidents at dusk, just as the sun is starting to go down and the first hour or two afterward and right at sunrise,” said Levi Blumanhourst of the Reno County Sheriff’s Department.
Blumanhourst said that while people want to take evasive action to save their vehicle, it's best to just hold the line and try to stop before hitting the animal.
“What we ask people to do is make sure you have your headlights on and that you’re scanning the ditch, scanning the fields and tree rows as you approach them,” Blumanhourst said. “If a deer happens to come up onto the road in front of you, the best thing you can do is slow down and not swerve to avoid the deer. When people swerve, that's when we normally see more of an injury accident.”
Blumanhourst said if you see one deer stay alert, because chances are there is another one or two along with it.
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