Deer Collisions Peak From This Week, and the Instinct That Makes Them Worse

Deer collisions climb sharply from October, and the manoeuvre most drivers make on instinct is the one that turns a damaged bonnet into a serious crash. Road safety organisation GEM Motoring Assist is warning drivers to brake rather than swerve as the autumn rut coincides with darker evening commutes. Up to 74,000 deer are thought to be involved in collisions on British roads each year, and the law on what to do afterwards is not what most drivers assume.

Key takeaways:

• October to December is the peak, driven by the rut, shorter days and rush hour landing at dawn and dusk.
• Brake firmly if it is safe, keep the car straight, and expect more deer behind the first one.
• A deer is not on the list of animals the Road Traffic Act requires you to report, though the Highway Code still asks you to tell the police.

Why the Next Few Weeks Are the Worst of the Year

Three things arrive together in October. The rut sends deer moving across unfamiliar ground, the clocks take the evening commute into darkness, and the busiest hours on the road start to overlap with the hours deer move between feeding grounds, cover and breeding areas.

Dawn and dusk carry the highest risk, with the window from sunset to midnight and the hours either side of sunrise the worst of it. National collision figures peak from October through December, and they stay high until the new year.

The numbers behind it are substantial. GEM, citing the British Deer Society, says more than 40,000 deer are killed or injured on UK roads each year, with the real total possibly closer to 74,000. Those collisions injure hundreds of people annually and kill as many as 20. The RSPCA puts vehicle damage alone at a minimum of £17 million a year.

The assumption that this is a problem for remote country lanes is wrong, and dangerously so. Deer turn up on A-roads, on dual carriageways and on the roads at the edge of towns and cities, especially where woodland or open land runs alongside the carriageway. A familiar route is no protection, as the risk comes from the animal’s behaviour rather than the road’s.

Brake, Do Not Swerve

The instruction at the centre of GEM’s warning runs against instinct. A driver who sees an animal in the road wants to steer around it, and that is the reaction most likely to put the car into oncoming traffic, into a ditch or into a tree.

James Luckhurst, GEM’s head of road safety, said:

“The next few weeks bring a predictable seasonal risk, but it is one that can catch drivers out on even familiar roads.

“Deer can emerge from cover with very little warning, and darker evening journeys reduce the time available to react. We want drivers to recognise the risk, reduce speed where deer may be present and keep scanning the road and verges ahead.

“If a deer runs into your path, your priority must be to remain in control. Brake firmly if it is safe to do so, but avoid a sudden swerve. A sharp change of direction can put you into the path of an oncoming vehicle, take you off the road or lead to a much more serious collision.

“And if you see one deer, assume there may be more. Deer often travel in groups, so the first animal may not be the last to cross.”

The rest of GEM’s advice follows the same logic, which is to buy yourself time rather than react at the last moment. Slow down where deer warning signs are posted, alongside woodland and open countryside, and in poor light. Use full beam where it is safe and legal, then dip the lights as soon as a deer appears, as bright light can freeze an animal in the carriageway rather than move it on. Having passed one deer, hold the lower speed until the verges are clearly empty.

If a collision happens, people come first. Stop only where it is safe to do so, put the hazard lights on, and call the emergency services if anyone is hurt. Do not approach an injured deer or try to move it. Give the police an accurate location so the right help can be sent, and leave the animal to them.

What the Law Actually Asks of You

Most drivers believe a deer strike has to be reported to the police. It does not, and the reason is a list written into law in 1988.

Section 170 of the Road Traffic Act requires a driver to stop and report a collision that causes damage to an animal, then defines that animal as a horse, cattle, an ass, a mule, a sheep, a pig, a goat or a dog. The list covers working animals. Deer, like foxes, badgers and cats, sit outside it, so no offence is committed by driving on.

The Highway Code takes a different line. Rule 286 asks drivers to report any collision involving an animal to the police, which covers a deer where the Act does not. The practical case for doing it is stronger than the legal one: an injured deer on a dual carriageway at dusk is a hazard to every driver behind you, and the police can arrange for it to be dealt with. A dead animal left on the carriageway is for the local council to clear.

Tell your insurer either way. Damage from an animal strike is usually a claim like any other, and the vehicle repair bill is the part of this that lands on drivers, to the tune of at least £17 million a year across the country.

There is one more reason to report it. The British Deer Society collects collision reports through its Deer Map app, and those reports are what identify local hotspots and crossing points. The map only knows about the collisions drivers tell it about.

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