Drivers, beware of deer on roads
Katie Anderson/Observer-Reporter
A deer crosses the road near the pool in Washington Park.
Deer were sighted in Washington Park last week.
Katie Anderson/Observer-Reporter
Pennsylvania hunters took an estimated 435,180 deer this season, the largest number in more than 15 years.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is warning drivers that deer mating season has begun, and with hunting season starting up and daylight savings time around the corner, the deer will be on the move, possibly into roadways.
“Deer are always a problem on Pennsylvania highways,” said Jay Ofsanik, press officer for PennDOT’s district 12. “There are certain times of year that you really see the number of crashes go up. People need to be aware of that.”
According to data on PennDOT’s website, the number of reported deer-related crashes in Washington and Greene counties has slightly increased over the last three years. In Washington, there were 127 crashes involving deer in 2017, 135 in 2018, and 146 in 2019.
In Greene, there were 29 crashes involving deer in 2017, 31 in 2018, and 35 in 2019. None of the reported crashes in Greene or Washington counties during the time frame were fatalities.
Fayette County’s numbers didn’t show any specific trends, but they reported 88 crashes in 2017, 91 in 2018, and 86 in 2019. There have been two fatal deer-related crashes in Fayette within that time, one in 2018 and one in 2019. Data for this year’s reported crashes won’t be available until 2021, Ofsanik said.
“Definitely drive with caution and slow down a little bit during this season,” Ofsanik said.