WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – Fall arriving in Kansas means it’s also deer mating season. With that in mind, there’s an added danger on the roads.
Deer mating season starts across the state in October. As more and more of them pop out on the roads, the Kansas Highway Patrol is sharing some tips to keep drivers safe.
“Be very aware. Put your phone down. It should be an automatic, but make sure your phone is down,” said Wesley Gilmore with KHP. “Slow down. It’s starting to get darker sooner now. Make sure that you always have your headlights on if it’s past sunset.”
One of the biggest mistakes that KHP sees is people swerving to avoid hitting deer.
KHP said that swerving can cause worse accidents, potentially hitting other cars.
If you hit a deer, you should call KHP immediately. If you do happen to get in a deer-related accident, it could mean a hefty price to get your car repaired.
Best Body Shop in Wichita said that it’s already off to a busy start this year, with multiple cars coming into the shop after hitting a deer.
Quinton Pogue with Best Body Shop said that’s just business as usual during the fall.
“Generally, this time of year we do see an uptick in cars coming in that are victim of hitting a deer,” Pogue said.
After hitting a deer, there’s a couple of things to look out for on your car, including fluid loss.
“You don’t want to continue driving on a vehicle that has had a front-end compromised and components are, you know, overheating,” Pogue said. “Definitely getting to a shop right away.”
KDOT said that there have been over 50,000 deer-related accidents since 2020.
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