Law enforcement urges drivers to be extra vigilant for deer on roadways

LAKEVILLE, Minn – It's peak time for deer and cars to collide on Minnesota roadways. 

Minnesota State Patrol said crashes happen all year round, but November is especially busy. 

They said from 2016-2020, more than 6,000 crashes occurred, causing nearly 20 deaths.

MnDOT traffic cameras caught at least two collisions during the morning commute this week. No one was seriously hurt, but in one of those crashes, the car burst into flames after colliding with the deer.

State patrol said deer are unpredictable and on the move. They say deer crashes can happen anywhere: on rural roads or on busy metro roadways. There tend to be more crashes during the dusk and dawn hours.

"Especially as we set the clocks back it's going to get dark earlier, there's going to be a lot more potential that you're going to run across a deer that maybe is trying to get across the roadway to another field," said Lt. Gordon Shank of the Minnesota State Patrol.

Shank said if drivers come across deer in the road, there are some tips to keep in mind.

He said drivers should try their best to stop. Honking the horn to try to get the deer off of the road could also help. If those are not options, drivers are better off hitting the deer head-on than trying to swerve out of the way to avoid it. 

"While it seems like a good idea, you could go off the ditch and hit something like a tree, or you could go into the other lanes of traffic and hit other motorists," Shank said. "If you can stop, great, but don't swerve out of the way and maybe cause a head-on crash."