We are just about to enter the rutting (breeding) season for deer; mid October into December is the time of year when this spectacular sight is at its annual peak. Pumped up stags are running around challenging similar sized stags for control of their herd. This magnificent event however brings an increased risk to the roads with collisions during this period increasing in areas of higher deer activity, dawn and dusk being the time when deer are most active, this coincides with morning and evening rush hour.
Experts believe the UK deer population numbers more than two million, and research from the RSPCA shows around 75,000 deer are involved in vehicle collisions each year1, with 10,000 killed instantly. The human death toll from deer collisions ranges between 10 and 20 annually, while industry estimates put the cost of damage to vehicles alone to be at least £11 million2.
GEM are offering tips this week for helping drivers to reduce risk from deer collisions along with answering questions about what you can do to avoid hitting a deer. When you get a couple of minutes please take a look at this and other tips provided by GEM , you can follow them on Twitter @MotoringAssist
