Deer are unpredictable creatures. It is commonplace for a deer to run out in front of a car, or even run halfway into the road, but then stop and stare right in the middle. Given this unpredictable nature, it should come as no surprise that there are fatalities and injuries every single year on Tennessee roadways that are caused by deer.
According to the Department of Safety and Homeland Security, in just Davidson County alone there were 133 deer crashes in 2013. This is just a portion though of the number of accidents caused by deer throughout the state.
Of course, an accident with a deer is not something a Tennessee driver would purposely cause. However, one state's Office of Traffic Safety provided information on deer-vehicle safety that could be applied to those living in Tennessee.
In general, between the hours of 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. deer tend to be the most active. This means those driving, especially in high population deer areas, need to be more cautious between these hours.
Additionally, when driving at night, motorists should use their high beams in areas with a lot of deer and should be keeping their eyes open for deer. This means that if something looks like the silhouette or a deer, or the reflection of a deer's eyes are seen, the driver should slow down.
Like always, drivers should also follow traffic laws, including staying within safe speeds.
When a driver first sees a deer, it can be a gut reaction to try and swerve. However, safety officials say to never swerve as this can lead to a driver losing control of their car or causing a head-on collision with oncoming traffic.
Overall, Tennessee drivers need to know deer are out there and could run out on to a roadway. When this happens, slow down and remember to never swerve.