Sep 27, 2014 1 min read

We’re on the cusp of October, and along with cool nights, high school football and Halloween, here’s something else to look for this month – deer.

OK, if you live in Washington or Greene counties, being on the lookout for these critters is a full-time preoccupation regardless of the season. Deer that were killed by motor vehicles litter the sides of our roads in the heat of July and the cool of January. But the months of October, November and December are particularly brutal, both for the deer and drivers – it’s mating season, so deer, um, are preoccupied with things other than traffic. Hunters are also pushing deer out of their typical habitat. So the chances of a driver having a collision with a deer increases markedly in the fall.

According to statistics released by State Farm Insurance, Pennsylvania drivers have a 1 in 71 chance of striking a deer. We’re second only to West Virginia, where there’s a 1 in 39 chance. All told, about 124,000 collisions were reported in the commonwealth last year.

Being alert and cautious is always good advice when driving, but particularly important this time of year.