The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is once again putting out a warning on increased deer movement during the cooler months, as they have issued the annual Antler Alert.
About half of all deer-related crashes occur during the last three months of the year, with November having the most, and October, November and December the peak season for deer-related vehicle crashes. In Kentucky, 3,084 highway crashes involving deer were reported to police in 2022, up about 100 from the 2021 numbers. There were four reported fatalities and 20 serious injuries due to deer collisions in 2022.
Hopkins County came in second in the state for the greatest number of deer related crashes in 2022 at 120—Christian County was in the top 10 at number 8, with 81 collisions.
Tracking deer crash numbers can be difficult due to the number of drivers who go directly to their insurance agent with deer crash claims without reporting it to the police, so those numbers are as accurate as possible.
The best advice for avoiding deer in the roadway is make sure you keep your eyes on the road and take it slower than you might usually, especially in the early morning and around sunset, when deer are more likely to be on the move and harder to see.