Tanya Ali was “minding my own business,” as she puts it, driving down Jimmy Carter Boulevard toward Holcomb Bridge Road when she had a run-in with a deer in 2009.
“I was on the right side of the road and all of a sudden I see a deer crossing the road from the left field and hits my car (driver side), flips back, hits the SUV behind me and then disappears,” she said. “I stopped the car to see if the deer was OK, but we couldn’t find it. People still say I am the one who hit the deer, but I see it otherwise!”
Georgia wildlife and public safety officials are warning motorists to be on the lookout for deer this time of year. The fall mating season — when male deer are on the hunt for females — is a peak time for accidents, state officials said.
About 50,000 deer-car collisions happen each year in Georgia, they say.
Here are some things for motorists to keep in mind:
— Deer are most active at dawn or dusk when people typically are commuting to and from work.
— The time change will mean more deer sightings.
— Deer generally travel in groups, so if one crosses, be prepared that others may follow.
— If it is too late to avoid a collision, drivers should slow down as much as possible to minimize damage. Resist the urge to swerve to avoid a deer because it could cause more damage.
People tend to think that deer collisions happen mostly in rural areas, but development means deer and human habitats will overlap more often.
Edmund Grant said his wife hit a deer around 7 a.m. in the city limits of Macon on her way into work recently. “Right after the police was on the scene, two young males stopped, looked it over and threw it in the back of their truck. I assume it was supper!”
For more information on deer-car collisions in Georgia, visit www.georgiawildlife.com.
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