NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The stretch of the year when Tennessee drivers are most likely to hit a deer is here, and the state highway patrol and AAA are both telling motorists to slow down and resist the urge to jerk the wheel.
Tennessee recorded more than 8,000 crashes involving deer in 2024, AAA said in a Thursday release. Those wrecks killed five people and injured 460.
The fall rut is the reason the numbers climb. During breeding season deer move more and wander across roads with little warning, which makes October through December one of the riskiest windows of the year. The Tennessee Highway Patrol puts a number on it: in a Nov. 10 statement, troopers said 49 percent of the state deer collisions happen in those three months.
Two-lane highways, rural roads and wooded stretches carry the most danger, and the hours around sunrise and sunset are the worst because deer are on the move just as visibility drops. A single deer crossing is rarely the end of it, since the animals tend to travel in small groups, so drivers should expect another to follow.
AAA spokeswoman Megan Cooper said in the release that the most common error is swerving. Leaving the lane can turn a fender-bender into a far worse wreck with a tree, guardrail, utility pole or oncoming car. If hitting the animal cannot be avoided, the club recommends braking hard, holding the wheel steady and staying in the lane.
Other advice from AAA: ease off the gas where deer-crossing signs are posted, use high beams when it is safe and legal, and keep scanning the shoulders.
Insurance is the last piece. Damage from hitting a deer usually falls under comprehensive coverage, which is optional, rather than collision coverage, and a single strike can mean thousands of dollars in repairs. AAA suggests checking a policy and deductible before a crash rather than after.
Section: More Nashville TN crime news
Filed under: Nashville TN Traffic News
