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Print<\/a><\/p>\nThe leaves are changing, the nights are getting longer, the smell of pumpkin spice is in the air \u2013 and deer are on the move. The Illinois Department of Transportation and Illinois Department of Natural Resources are reminding the public to be alert for deer as we enter peak mating season, with their movements and the chances for collisions both increasing, particularly at dawn and dusk through December.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn your travels this fall, please remember that deer can appear suddenly and in some surprising environments,\u201d\u00a0said Illinois Transportation Secretary Gia Biagi.\u201cIf you do see deer, the safest choice is to stay in your lane, brake firmly and avoid swerving in traffic to avoid them.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2024, there were 14,436 crashes involving deer in Illinois. Of those, 13,733 resulted in damage to property or vehicles, while 698 caused injuries and five resulted in fatalities.<\/p>\n
Although a collision with deer can happen at any time, Illinois is approaching the time of year when they occur the most. Last year, 6,027 (42%) crashes involving deer in Illinois occurred in October, November and December, with November being the highest-risk month at 3,037 (21%). Rural areas were the site of 9,963 (69%) crashes involving deer, with most \u2013 11,467 (79%) \u2013 occurring at twilight or nighttime.<\/p>\n
Safe driving tips for deer-mating season:<\/p>\n
Deer adapt and thrive in the country, cities and suburbs. Always assume you\u2019re in an area where deer can be present. Pay special attention to locations with deer crossing signs.
\nScan the sides of the road for eye shine \u2013 the reflection of headlights in their eyes.
\nSlow down if you see a deer. Anticipate that other deer could be following.
\nPrepare for the unexpected. Deer may stop in the middle of the road and not move for oncoming vehicles.
\nIf a collision is inevitable, don\u2019t veer. Try to glance your vehicle off the deer and avoid swerving into the opposite lanes of traffic or off the road.<\/p>\n
\u201cDeer are a common part of the Illinois outdoors and are active during mating season,\u201d\u00a0said IDNR Director Natalie Phelps Finnie. \u201cDrivers should be aware of their presence and drive cautiously this time of year, especially during dark and low-visibility conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Published on November 3, 2025 2:28 pm Last Updated on November 3, 2025 2:28 pm Print The leaves…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":85132,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[79,201],"class_list":{"0":"post-269806","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-science","9":"tag-wildlife"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269806","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=269806"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269806\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/85132"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=269806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=269806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=269806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}