SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Now that the sun sets earlier in the evening, more drivers are on the road while deer are most active. The inevitable animal collisions are leading to pile-ups at auto body shops during this time of year.
The Autumn months are considered the busy season for body shops. While back-to-school traffic is a big part of it, there’s something else causing packed lots at the shops.
“The deer. With the mating season coming out with the deer. So, I believe it’s a combination of both, you know, back to school with more of the population moving around, the kids, and then the deer,” Kelly’s Collision Owner Joseph Kelly told 28/22 News.
This time of year is breeding season for deer, which is called rut.
According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, “Many yearling bucks disperse from the areas they were born, traveling considerable distances to find new ranges” at this time of year.
With more deer traveling, the chances of animal collisions increase, leading to a spike in business for repair shops.
“Every day is packed, yes. We can’t keep up with it,” Kelly explained.
Food Dignity hosts food drive in Luzerne County
The types of repairs are often similar when it comes to deer collisions, but as technology advances, some repairs take longer than others.
“It’s mostly all front ends, and now with the anti-collision, the radar systems, a lot of sensors, we’re getting into a lot more computer-oriented repairs, which is very costly,” Kelly continued.
Those sensors can be anything from blind spot to front collision to lane sensors, and each of them requires close attention to repair.
“There’s a long process, not just unplugging the one computer, its front radar, and plugging it in; it needs to be aimed and relearned to the vehicle’s main computers,” Kelly added.
While Body Shop employees are adapting to make those newer repairs, the busy season looks like it will continue each year in the fall.
“We just take it as it comes, and you know, play it out, just do what we can do,” Kelly said.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission is warning drivers to stay alert and to lower the 1 in 62 chance of animal collisions that Pennsylvania drivers face.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to 28/22 News.