Deer Are In The Rut Watch For Them On Our Highways

Fond du Lac County’s Highway Safety Coordinator is urging drivers to be on the lookout for deer on our highways as the rut reaches its peak in the next week. Sheriff’s Captain Ryan Waldschmidt says the odds of hitting a deer with your vehicle during your lifetime are pretty good. One in 77 motorists hit a deer with their car. The state is the sixth worst in the nation for car-deer crashes. Swerving to the right to avoid hitting a deer could mean rolling your vehicle or hitting a utility pole or hitting another driver if you swerve to the left and go over the centerline. Waldschmidt says it would be better to brace for impact, brake and hit the deer. The average repair bill for striking a deer with your car is about $4,000. Ten to 15 drivers will be killed in a car-deer accident in a typical year.