NEW YORK: Drivers, deer can be a deadly mix!

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http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101012/NEWS/10120323/-1/SITEMAP Drivers, deer can be a deadly mix!

Dangerous period is Oct.-Dec.

Several deer cross High Barney Road in Middletown. Tom Bushey/Times Herald-Record By Victor Whitman Times Herald-Record Published: 2:00 AM - 10/12/10 NEVERSINK — On Sunday evening, a New Windsor man lost his life in the second that it took his motorcycle to smash into a deer on Route 55A.

State police say Stephen Roth, 44, was killed instantly when his Kawasaki struck the deer around 6 p.m. near the Ulster County line. He was ejected and hit a guardrail. The deer was also killed.

Sgt. Al Shamah of the state police said that, although the accident is under investigation, he doesn't believe speed was a factor. Roth was wearing a helmet. The deer entered the roadway from the right shoulder.

Tips to avoid a deer crash • Use extra caution driving at dawn or dusk; scan the road and shoulders ahead.

• Reduce speed at night and use high beams when possible.

• Slow down when approaching deer standing near the road: they may suddenly bolt onto it.

• Deer often travel in pairs or groups. If one is seen crossing the road, slow down; others may follow.

• Briefly use flashers or a headlight signal to warn approaching drivers if deer are seen on or near the road.

• Be especially alert in frequent deer crossing areas, marked with "leaping stag" road signs.

• Do not rely on devices, such as deer whistles, extra lights or reflectors, to deter deer.

• Motorcyclists should be especially alert for deer. Cycle-deer collisions have a higher-than-average fatality rate.

• If a deer does run in front of your vehicle, brake firmly but do not swerve. Swerving can cause a vehicle-vehicle crash or cause the vehicle to strike a pedestrian or an object such as a tree or utility pole.

Source: NYS Department of Transportation "I think the primary cause of the accident was the deer," Shamah said.

Deaths in crashes that involve deer and other animals are rare, but accidents are not.

Deer versus vehicle crashes cause millions of dollars in property damage and thousands of personal injuries each year in the state, according to government statistics.

And this is the most likely time of year to collide with a deer on the road.

While statistics vary significantly among various reporting agencies, the state Department of Transportation estimates there are roughly 65,000 vehicle versus animal accidents annually in New York — about half of which go unreported.

New York agencies such as the Department of Motor Vehicles and DOT report three to seven deaths annually.

Motorcycle riders statistically have a higher percentage of serious injury accidents and fatalities in crashes with animals.

The state police reported 369 motorcycle crashes involving animals in 2008, four fatalities and 326 injuries. Only 39 resulted in property damage only.

The DMV reported 20,689 animal versus vehicle crashes in 2008, including seven fatalities and 2,166 personal injuries. Property damage has been pegged at about $41 million annually.

Most accidents occur from October through December, when deer are more active during mating season.

"The bucks are focused on one thing and one thing only," said Lt. Deming Lindsley of the Department of Environmental Conservation Police. "They are moving around a lot, so it is more prevalent this time of year."

Serious accidents can happen when a deer goes through the windshield or on secondary impact — when a driver hits a deer, then speeds off the road and crashes into an abutment or tree.

In May, according to published reports, an 18-year-old motorcyclist was killed in Western New York when he tried to avoid a deer in the road and swerved into a telephone pole.

The accidents happen for all types of reasons, including speed, driver inattentiveness, the size of the deer population, the amount of cars that travel a road and the time of year, said Keith Knapp, director of the Iowa Local Technical Assistance Program, which gathers statistics and publishes studies on deer versus car accidents.

"There is an idea in people's minds that there is a 'typical' deer/car accident," he said. "I can tell you, I haven't seen one."

Knapp said drivers can minimize, but not totally eliminate, the risk by applying common sense: slow down during dusk and dawn when deer are the most active, and keep a close eye on the roadsides.