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Traffic passes by on Interstate 229 Friday afternoon as a deer carcus lay in a ditch. Drivers need to be aware of deer which cause can cause lot of car accidents this time of year.

With deer hunting season about to begin and the fall rut in full swing, the bucks and does are on the move.

Roger Wolken, the Northwest protection regional supervisor at the Missouri Department of Conservation, said thousands of accidents involving deer are reported in Missouri every year.

Motorists need to be watchful of deer at all times, but especially from now to November. Deer tend to travel farther during the mating season, meaning they’re more likely to cross roads and dart in front of vehicles. Mr. Wolken said a majority of accidents involving deer happen on heavily traveled interstates.

In 2007, there were 67,576 crashes and five fatalities from collisions with deer in Missouri, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. A majority of all crashes involving deer happened in October and November.

Deer are most active between sunset and sunrise, making it difficult for motorists to see them at a distance. Mr. Wolken said, “These are low light conditions and the deer are harder to see. They’re going to be moving so motorists need to be aware.”

He also warns motorists to be aware of both sides of the road, not just the road straight in front of you.

“If you see one deer, don’t expect that deer is going to stand along the side of the road as you drive by. They might dart out right away. Slow down. If you’re meeting traffic, flash your lights to warn other motorists that there’s a deer in the area, because we want to minimize anyone getting hurt from a deer-car accident and we want to minimize the number of strikes.”

Honking horns and flashing lights will often scare deer back into the wood, but Mr. Wolken cautions drivers when honking horns.

“Deer hoofs are very hard and when they’re on pavement, it’s like us being on ice. When you honk your horn and startle them, a lot of times they’ll try to get out of your way, but they may slip and fall just because they don’t have traction on blacktop or highways.”

Sarah Lawson can be reached

at slawson@npgco.com.