You’re Right – Deer Crashes Happen Most Often in Autumn

If you think that fall is the most likely time to hit a deer with your vehicle, you’re right.

Michigan State Police figures for 2018 show that drivers collided with deer 53,464 times last year. That’s five percent higher than in 2017, and 14 percent higher than 2016.

Officials say the increase is likely caused by the increasing size of the deer herd, after several brutal winters a few years ago.

One-third of all car-deer crashes took place in October and November.

Forty-one percent of traffic crashes in the Upper Peninsula involved deer. Houghton County was significantly lower than that, at just 20 percent. The rest of our local counties were higher, with Keweenaw County at 44 percent, Baraga County at 60 percent, and Ontonagon County at 66 percent.