Nearly 3,000 Deer-Related Crashes Last Year: Missouri Drivers Advised to Stay Alert

Missouri drivers could face more than the usual hazards with firearm deer season having opened Saturday and mating season in full swing. Missouri State Highway Patrol Captain Scott White warns that deer activity—and roadway crossings—will spike.

“We tell people we can give a bunch of statistics and crash numbers, but the truth is you can just drive the highways now and see that those deer are definitely moving, which unfortunately leads to the crashes that we see.”

According to MoDOT last year, Missouri saw nearly three thousand deer-related crashes, with four fatalities.

Missouri drivers are urged to stay alert.

Captain White says, “When you play those numbers out, that’s one deer strike that occurs almost every three hours in the state. And I can tell you from personal experience and so can the other troopers out there that many times those deer vehicle strikes, it can be just be absolutely catastrophic, especially if they end up coming through that windshield.” He warns also that swerving to avoid a deer can lead to crashes far more serious than the collision itself.

As for head-on collisions? Captain White says, “Just picture it going down the highway. A deer runs out in front of you. Your first instinct is obviously to hit the brakes, but then it’s also to steer the wheel. We don’t want people steering off the roadway and then end up rolling over into a ditch or striking a tree. But then even more dangerous crossing that centerline and oncoming traffic, which results in those head on collisions.”

Captain White reminds drivers that if a deer is in your path, the safest move is to slow down as much as possible and keep control of the wheel—jerking it could turn a close call into a serious crash.
Missouri’s firearm deer hunting season is expected to draw more than 250 thousand hunters statewide. The season runs through November 25th.