Preventing crashes as deer activity spikes this fall

October and November are peak deer mating season, making the roads more dangerous for drivers. 22 News reporter Nick Antonakis joins us live in studio now with an explanation. Yeah, Julia, deer mating seasons mean more deer in the middle of the road, adding another risk for drivers. When the leaves start falling and the air gets crisp, drivers face an unexpected hazard on the road, deer. You're going to see deer much more than any other time of year. During mating season, deer tend to get a little frisky, and as a result, we see a real spike in crashes. State data shows there were more than 4,300 deer crashes in 2025, which is just over a 7% jump from 2024. Between 2020 and 2025, nearly 40% of all deer crashes happened between September and November. A few weeks ago up in New York, on the Taconic Parkway and stuff, we actually hit a deer. I've seen them all along the roads, all along the highways and stuff, like, look out. With deer crashes peaking, AAA has some ways that you can stay safe. First, you want to scan the shoulders of the street. If a deer ends up in the middle of the road, it likely came from a wooded area like this. Another thing to keep an eye on are the speed limits. AAA says slowing down your speed gives you more time to react to unexpected hazards, like a deer jumping into the middle of the road. And finally, if you've got a deer in the headlights, a solid blast of the horn could be enough to scare it away. All the typical things that we recommend just to stay safe behind the wheel really apply in spades when it comes to avoiding a deer crash. Now, what if it's too late to dodge the deer? Mark Shieldrop says hitting it may be safer than swerving and colliding into something else. People who struck the deer have an injury rate of about 3%. But when people took evasive action and ended up colliding with another vehicle or an object on the roadside, the injury rate really climbs to 19%. So make sure to be extra cautious behind the wheel over these next few weeks. Working for you, Nick Antonakis, 22 News.